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The Australian manager is set to persuade the club's directors to retain faith in his managerial philosophy when he holds talks with the club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis this week.

Resolute Postecoglou detects signs of progress during winless run

The former Tottenham manager was in defiant, almost jocular form after the weekend loss at Newcastle. It extended his run without a win to seven games since he succeeded Nuno Espírito Santo recently. Yet the experienced coach, who unusually started with a five-man defense, detected signs of progress as he gets ready for vital talks with club officials.

"Yes, this is hopeless," he said, with irony. "I view this as an exciting opportunity. You have to be up for the battle and the struggle. It would be foolish to be in this position at the sixty years old if I was without confidence or fight. Back in the schoolyard I picked fights with people that beat me up."

Top flight theater gently mocked

Warming to his theme, the Forest manager lightly teased the drama of English top division that typically requires that at least one manager is always considered 'in trouble'. "I understand that this is part of the spectacle of the Premier League that it requires a coach to be in the spotlight. Should individuals wish to assess me three and a half weeks into the job, there's nothing I can say or do that will change that."

"However my observations and felt in this timeframe is that we are heading in the direction I desire us to. Positive outcomes will come. In the meantime it is a struggle and a fight and there is nothing wrong with that. Life doesn't give things handed to us without effort in life, we have to fight. I've struggled for things throughout my career. Why does everyone want everything perfectly arranged? Modern mentality today seems to be that, as soon as something goes wrong, you replace it."

Embracing the challenge at the club

During the lighthearted exchange, he implied that a journalist might have been "hopeless at certain time but your parents persevered on you."

Postecoglou then restated that he had joined the Nottingham Forest with his full awareness and always understood that his effort to alter the team's approach would not be easy. "I was aware this was a significant test," he said. "This isn't bad with that. I'm unsure why people think challenges are a problem, I enjoy a challenge. The other option is staying home watching games and I don't want to do that. If you guys have a lot fun around it I am unconcerned. It doesn't bother me."