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The Australian manager is determined to convince the club's directors to keep confidence in his coaching approach when he meets with the club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis in coming days.

Resolute Forest boss sees signs of progress amid winless run

The former Tottenham manager was in defiant, nearly humorous mood after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Newcastle. It extended his winless streak to seven matches since he succeeded Nuno Espírito Santo last month. Yet Postecoglou, who surprisingly started with a five-man defense, detected signs of improvement as he prepares for vital talks with City Ground directors.

"Yes, it’s a lost cause," he said, sarcastically. "I view this as an thrilling chance. You have to be ready for the battle and the struggle. I’d be silly to be sitting here at the age of 60 if I was without self-belief or determination. Back in the schoolyard I picked fights with people that beat me up."

Premier League theater gently mocked

Expanding on his point, the Forest manager gently mocked the pantomime of English top division that almost demands that at least one manager is always considered 'under pressure'. "I understand that it’s part of the spectacle of the Premier League that it needs one manager to be in the limelight. Should individuals wish to assess me less than a month into the role, there's nothing I can say or do that will alter that perception."

"However my observations and experienced in this period is that we are heading in the direction I want us to. Positive outcomes will come. In the meantime it is a struggle and a fight and there is nothing wrong with that. We don't have things provided easily without effort in existence, we have to work hard. I've struggled for things throughout my career. Why must everyone want everything perfectly arranged? The attitude nowadays seems to be that, as quickly as something fails, you change it."

Embracing the test at the club

During the lighthearted exchange, he suggested that one reporter might have been "a lost cause at some point but your family didn't give up on you."

The manager then reiterated that he had joined the Nottingham Forest with his full awareness and always understood that his effort to change Forest’s playing style would not be straightforward. "I was aware this was a significant test," he said. "There's nothing wrong with that. I'm unsure why people think challenges are a burden, I enjoy a challenge. The alternative is staying home watching games and I prefer not to do that. If you guys have a lot fun around it I don't care. It doesn't bother me."