Many expected this would be coming, but not quite so soon.

Less than twenty minutes after Chelsea FC crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 at The City Ground, former Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou was sacked.

He was dismissed just 39 days after taking over from Nuno Espirito Santos.

Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, is an ambitious man with high expectations for the Midlands club. He has made it clear that the minimum he expects this year is a place in European competition.

This English Premier League season has seen Nottingham Forest winless in eight games, and the club lies at the bottom end of the EPL in 17th position. 

Postecoglou never hit the ground running and it has been defeat after defeat.

He wasn’t given time to rebuild a team in his own image and get it performing. Thirty-nine days was never enough time for a new manager to make his mark. 

In summer, Postecoglou was sacked as manager of Spurs despite winning the Europa League Cup, the club’s first piece of silverware in 17  years. However, Spurs finished the season in seventeenth place and that was deemed not good enough. 

Nuno Espirito Santo, a former Spurs manager did a very good job at Nottingham Forest, getting it into Europe and finishing seventh spot in the EPL, its best performance in thirty years. He was loved by the fans and delivered. But he was a victim of an interfering owner and he couldn’t  get along with Evangelos Marinakis.

It is disrespectful to a manager when the owner comes onto the pitch and starts instructing players. Nuno was replaced by Postecoglou in September, and now he is gone before the end of October, drawing two games in eight matches and losing six.

“Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that after a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect. The club will make no further comment at this time,” read a terse statement from the club.

The Chelsea defeat at the City Ground was Postecoglou’s sixth defeat with Nottingham Forest, not winning since the opening weekend of the season.

Now comes word that Postecoglou is likely to be replaced by former Manchester City and Italian national team manager Roberto Mancini or former Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche. But what coach would want to work for a capricious and unpredictable club owner?

The legendary Brian Clough, who brought glory to Nottingham Forest, would never tolerate interference from owners and stamped his mark on the club.

The sacking today must be particularly stinging for the big Aussie who has been dropped now by two EPL clubs in less than five months.

He should take some time, chill out before taking on another assignment. He will have to prove himself all over again. Can he get another job in the EPL? It will take some time, but why not? His brand of football is exciting but high-risk. He will have to demonstrate he can back it up with results.

Nottingham Forest should have given Postecoglou more time to climb out of the drop zone.