Ange Postecoglou says Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis has been 'really supportive' after Arsenal defeat

Ange Postecoglou said Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been “really supportive” since the manager’s appointment, and that Marinakis reached out to him after Forest’s 3-0 defeat at Arsenal.

Postecoglou, who took charge at the City Ground last week, has not yet met Marinakis since formally joining the club but said the pair had met in July when Marinakis presented him with an award. The manager said he expects to be backed at Forest and that he wants to repay that support by improving results on the pitch.

"Everyone has been really supportive, including him," Postecoglou said. "He knows the challenge that’s before us and he’s very ambitious. He’s supported the previous managers and that’s all you can ask for. I know I will be supported and hopefully I can repay that."

The comments underline the importance of the manager-owner relationship at Forest. Postecoglou’s predecessor, Nuno Espírito Santo, left the club after a public breakdown in relations with Marinakis, having criticised the squad and the club’s transfer policy and saying his bond with the owner was "not so good."

Forest travel to Swansea on Wednesday for the Carabao Cup third round, a midweek fixture that could allow Postecoglou to begin reshaping the team after the heavy Premier League defeat at Arsenal. The manager said he sees the cup as an opportunity to give playing time to arrivals who joined late in the transfer window.

Postecoglou, 60, specifically mentioned Omari Hutchinson, the club record signing at £37.5 million, as a player who should be given chances to stake a claim. Hutchinson featured briefly at the end of Forest’s final two games under Nuno but was omitted from the club’s Europa League squad.

"I think new players want to play," Postecoglou said. "Some have arrived late in the window or just not had an opportunity to play and they need to. They’re good players and they want to show what they can do. They want to kickstart their Forest careers and tomorrow is a great chance to do that."

The new manager also made light of the personal pressure that comes with the job, comparing touchline criticism to the challenges of the school run. "Between 3 and 4, I'm the happiest I am [because I don’t have to do the school run]," he quipped. "When people say, 'you copped some abuse on the touchline, people look at you threateningly'… I say, 'well that's exactly the same as the school run.'"

Forest’s early-season form has put immediate pressure on the new coaching staff, and a positive result at Swansea would offer Postecoglou a first tangible sign that he can translate the backing he says he has into improved performances. Marinakis, a prominent and often vocal owner, has overseen considerable spending and managerial change since taking control of the club; how Postecoglou’s relationship with the board develops will be watched closely in the weeks ahead.

Postecoglou’s brief tenure so far has been defined by the heavy loss at Arsenal, the need to steady a squad several coaches have described as unbalanced, and the immediate task of integrating recent signings while preparing for both domestic cup and league fixtures.

He will begin that process on Wednesday in Swansea, with squad selection and early results likely to shape perceptions of his fit with the club and its owner in the opening months of his spell at the City Ground.