Ange Postecoglou took full responsibility for his poor spell in charge of Nottingham Forest earlier this season, admitting it came "too soon" after he was sacked by Tottenham.
The Australian was Forest's second head coach of the 2025-26 campaign after they sacked Nuno Espirito Santo early on, following disputes between him and the club hierarchy.
Postecoglou spent just 39 days in charge of Forest, the shortest managerial reign of any permanent Premier League manager to leave a club during the season.
He did not win any of his matches, becoming the first permanent Forest boss for 100 years to fail to win any of his first six games in charge of the club (D2 L4), since John Baynes failed to win any of his first seven games in August and September 1925.
Postecoglou took on the role shortly after being sacked by Spurs, despite helping them end their 17-year wait for a trophy, winning the Europa League last season.
He admitted he was at fault for what happened at the City Ground, with Forest still in the relegation battle and recently replacing Sean Dyche with Vitor Pereira.
"The whole Forest situation was on me. It was, I think, a case of being careful what you wish for," Postecoglou told The Overlap podcast.
YOU REDS! pic.twitter.com/Hb5ioVIJpH
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 19, 2026
"It was a bad decision by me to go in there, and I've got to take ownership of that. There's no point blaming timing or circumstances – I should never have gone in. It was too soon after Tottenham.
"I went in at a time when they were used to doing things a certain way, and although I was always going to do things differently, I've got to cop that. It was my mistake. It's no one else's fault.
"It was the first time I hadn't worked in 20-odd years, and I was lost. In the off-season, you're normally busy with transfers, pre-season, your mind is always ticking over. This time I wasn't, and I felt lost.
"In the end, I have to take ownership. I made a decision based on not working and seeing a group of players I thought I could improve.
"That blinded me to the reality – it was never going to work long-term. Even if I'd won a few games, it wouldn't have lasted."