Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has renewed his long-running battle with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis following the ruthless dismissal of manager Ange Postecoglou mere minutes after Saturday’s defeat.
The Sky Sports pundit launched a scathing attack on the timing and manner of the Australian’s departure, which came just 19 minutes after Forest’s 3-0 home loss to Chelsea. Postecoglou lasted only 39 days in charge at the City Ground, making his tenure the second-shortest in Premier League history.
Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Neville backed co-presenter Jill Scott’s assessment that the sacking lacked basic dignity. Scott stated bluntly that the club did not have to behave in such a manner, declaring they didn’t need “to be a d*** about it.”
Neville concurred emphatically, suggesting the Greek shipping magnate’s approach to terminating Postecoglou’s contract demonstrated a fundamental lack of professionalism. The former United captain drew on his own experience at Salford City, where he has personally dismissed four managers, to outline what he believes constitutes proper conduct.
The 49-year-old emphasised that whilst managerial sackings ultimately serve club interests, basic consideration must be afforded to the individual’s dignity and emotional wellbeing. He described the psychological toll dismissals take on managers, painting a vivid picture of the human cost involved.
“When you get sacked as a manager, you feel paranoid, you feel like the whole world is looking at you, you feel awful, you feel like you’ve let everyone down,” Neville explained to listeners.
The pundit advocated for allowing managers sufficient time to communicate with their coaching staff and players whilst preparing appropriate public statements. He suggested Forest should have waited at least five hours following the final whistle before making their announcement public.
The criticism reignites a bitter feud that has seen Neville banned from the City Ground and prompted legal threats from Marinakis’s representatives. The animosity dates back to April 2024, when Neville compared the club’s conduct to that of “a mafia gang” whilst criticising their treatment of former manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
Those incendiary comments followed Forest’s controversial 2-0 defeat at Everton, after which the club released an extraordinary statement questioning the appointment of VAR official Stuart Attwell. The statement suggested Attwell supported Luton Town, who were competing with Forest to avoid relegation.
Neville’s on-air response was uncompromising. He described Forest’s statement as resembling something from organised crime, adding that the club had acted like “a petulant child” and calling their behaviour “embarrassing.
Marinakis responded by instructing his legal team to contact Sky Sports. The broadcaster subsequently issued a formal apology in July 2024, stating they had discussed the language used with Neville and its potential to cause offence.
The joint statement read that Neville had agreed not to use similar terminology in future broadcasts, with Sky apologising “to Nottingham Forest for any offence caused by this language.” The FA later fined Forest £750,000 for what it described as “an attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale.”
Despite the apology, relations remained fractured. Forest denied Neville media accreditation when he was scheduled to co-commentate on their final-day fixture against Chelsea last season. Sky Sports described the move as “an unprecedented and unwelcome step.”
Neville was forced to withdraw from the coverage, later writing on social media that he found it “disappointing that a great club like Nottingham Forest have been reduced to making such a decision.” He has not set foot in the City Ground since making his original “mafia gang” comments.
On the latest podcast episode, Neville maintained his critical stance despite the previous apology. He described Marinakis’s pitch-side behaviour during last season’s Leicester City match as “absolutely out of order.”
That incident saw the billionaire owner storm onto the field following a frustrating 2-2 draw, appearing to confront Nuno after the Portuguese manager was embracing former player Oliver Skipp. Facundo Buonanotte had scored a late equaliser to deny Forest crucial points in their Champions League pursuit.
Forest initially dismissed suggestions of a confrontation as “fake news,” claiming Marinakis had entered the pitch due to concerns about injured striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who had remained on the field despite requiring emergency abdominal surgery.
Roy Keane, who served as assistant to Martin O’Neill during their 2019 dismissal from Forest, offered a contrasting perspective on the latest sacking. The former Manchester United captain placed responsibility squarely on the players’ shoulders rather than the ownership.
“You look at the Forest players and the chances they had. What chance has he [Postecoglou] got? Did they really want to score?” Keane questioned during the podcast discussion.
The Irishman suggested players demonstrate indifference towards managerial casualties, describing them as “idiots” for their apparent lack of accountability in such situations. He reminded Neville that Marinakis’s conduct follows an established pattern of swift action.
Keane noted that when O’Neill departed in September 2019, the announcement of Sabri Lamouchi’s appointment came just 18 minutes later. The parallel with Postecoglou’s dismissal, confirmed within 19 minutes of the Chelsea defeat, was stark.
“Leopards and spots. Why did you think he was going to do it properly? Power, control, that’s how they work,” Keane concluded bluntly.
Postecoglou’s brief tenure saw Forest fail to register a single victory across eight matches in all competitions. The Australian oversaw six defeats and two draws, implementing a possession-based, attacking style that contrasted sharply with Nuno’s pragmatic approach.
The 60-year-old had moved into a Nottingham apartment just days before his dismissal. He conducted only 20 training sessions at Forest, with just eight involving the full squad due to two international breaks interrupting his time in charge.
Forest owner Marinakis left his seat at the City Ground before full-time during the Chelsea defeat, with observers noting his early departure as a clear signal of Postecoglou’s fate. The manager addressed his players in the dressing room immediately after the match, expressing frustration at their failure to convert chances, before learning his services were no longer required.
Former Everton and Burnley manager Sean Dyche has since been appointed as Forest’s third manager of the season. The 54-year-old, who lives near Nottingham, signed a contract until summer 2027.
The sacking represents the latest chapter in a turbulent period for Forest. Nuno had guided the club to seventh place last season, their highest league finish in 30 years, only to be dismissed after three matches following reported tensions with Marinakis and sporting director Edu Gaspar.
The Portuguese manager quickly secured the West Ham United position after Graham Potter’s dismissal. His departure stunned supporters who had embraced his tenure after he transformed Forest from relegation candidates into Europa League qualifiers.
Sky Sports continues to broadcast Forest’s matches but remains locked in a standoff over Neville’s status. The broadcaster assumed last season’s ban was a one-off incident, but Forest have indicated further assurances are needed before the pundit can return to the City Ground.
The Premier League was reportedly unimpressed with Forest’s treatment of its primary domestic broadcast partner, though the club did not breach any regulations by denying accreditation to Neville.
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Image Credit:
Gary Neville — photo by Laurence Grayson (cropped), licensed under CC BY SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
