The madness of the Premier League

Just 39 days after his appointment, manager Angie Postecoglou was sacked from his position at Nottingham Forest by the flamboyant chairman Evangelos Marinakis.

Chairman Marinakis has caused a sensation in English football with his unconventional style - Photo: REUTERS

Nottingham Forest may not be among the strongest clubs in the current Premier League, but if they are relegated, football fans worldwide will be deeply saddened. This two-time European champion possesses everything that people imagine about the excitement of the Premier League: noise, chaos, moments of unexpected brilliance, and a crazy chairman.

There was a time when English football fans thought they had lost Nottingham Forest forever. In 2005, they were relegated to the Second Division, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, facing the tragedy of fading into obscurity that many great clubs around the world have also experienced.

In 2008, Nottingham were rescued, returning to the Championship, and for several consecutive seasons they struggled on the brink of relegation. In 2017, Nottingham Forest narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 21st in the table, just enough to prevent their return to the Championship.

And that same summer, billionaire Marinakis bought the team. It was this Greek billionaire who brought Nottingham Forest back to the center of the English football map, in a way no one could have predicted.

Not focusing on youth development, long-term strategies, or philosophical strategists, the shipping billionaire built Nottingham Forest using a crazy "tactic": tearing down and rebuilding season after season.

Specifically, every summer Nottingham Forest gets rid of all underperforming players and brings in the same number of new signings. For example, in the summer of 2018, they let go of 22 players to bring in 18 new signings.

Even after successful seasons, this tactic is still applied. For example, in the summer of 2022, immediately after being promoted, Nottingham Forest brought in 22 new players, causing a sensation in English football.

It's hard to believe, but with that crazy tactic, Nottingham Forest managed to stay in the Premier League for three seasons. They completely went against the sustainable strategy of big clubs like Liverpool or Arsenal, the strategy of "harvesting young talent" and selling them for high prices in the style of Brighton, Bournemouth... Somehow, the crazy chairman Marinakis would bring in 10-20 new players every summer, and Nottingham Forest still wouldn't face financial risks.

Marinakis wasn't just crazy in his player transfer strategy. He was crazy in everything, from changing managers like changing clothes, constantly rushing onto the pitch to direct players, to a string of accusations he received off the pitch... Marinakis did whatever he liked, including letting his weight skyrocket, and didn't care about what the football world criticized him for.

At the end of last season, Marinakis stormed onto the pitch to argue with manager Nuno Santo, even though the team was flying high in the league table at the time. At the start of this season, their relationship soured, and Santo was sacked. Just over a month later, his replacement, Postecoglou, was also dismissed. British media revealed that the portly chairman is considering taking on the role of interim manager himself.

It sounds crazy, but it's also fascinating. And that's English football, the Premier League, the most exciting league on the planet. And of course, it's full of crazy people like Marinakis.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chat-dien-cua-premier-league-20251020110516916.htm