Gary Neville has hit out at Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis once again, calling his behaviour “completely out of order” after the Greek businessman’s latest managerial sacking.
Marinakis dismissed Ange Postecoglou just 39 days into his tenure — a decision that came within minutes of Forest’s 3–0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. The move means Sean Dyche, formerly of Everton and Burnley, becomes the club’s third manager of the season, following the departures of both Postecoglou and Nuno Espirito Santo.
The situation was discussed on The Overlap’s Stick to Football show, where Neville revisited his previous criticism of Marinakis. The Forest owner, 58, made headlines last season when he stormed onto the pitch after a 2–2 draw with Leicester City.
That day, Facundo Buonanotte’s late equaliser had denied Forest victory, and Marinakis was seen confronting Nuno Espirito Santo as the manager shared a brief moment with his former player, Oliver Skipp.
Neville, watching the incident unfold, was furious at the time and urged Nuno to walk away from the club, describing the owner’s behaviour as “scandalous.”
Nuno later explained that the conversation was over striker Taiwo Awoniyi’s injury, claiming Marinakis was concerned about being forced to finish the match with 10 men after all substitutions had been made. Marinakis later issued a rare public statement, saying his anger was directed at the medical team’s handling of Awoniyi’s injury, not his manager.
But Neville has not softened his stance. Speaking on the latest episode, he said:
“A lot of people thought I was overreacting when I said Nuno should walk that night, but I stand by it. When someone behaves like that in public, in front of everyone, you’re at the end of the line. It was absolutely out of order.”
He added that despite Marinakis’ explanation, “it was obvious he went on the pitch because he was angry.”
Former Forest midfielder Roy Keane also delivered a scathing assessment of Marinakis’ leadership, accusing him of showing “no class” in the way he repeatedly fires managers.
“Why would anyone expect him to do things differently?” Keane said. “He’s done it with Martin O’Neill, he’s done it with others — it’s all about power and control. You can sack managers, but at least do it with a bit of dignity.”
He went on to criticise the impulsive nature of the dismissals, adding:
“Some of these owners just wake up one morning and decide, ‘He’s gone today.’ There’s no plan, no respect — just emotion.”
Neville’s ongoing feud with Forest
Neville’s strained relationship with Nottingham Forest dates back to last season, when the club barred him from commentating on their final Premier League game against Chelsea. His Sky Sports accreditation was withdrawn after he called Forest’s hierarchy a “mafia gang” in response to a controversial club statement attacking VAR official Stuart Attwell following a defeat to Everton.
The FA later fined Forest £750,000, calling their remarks “an unprecedented attack on the integrity of a match official.”
Neville publicly condemned the decision to ban him from the City Ground, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that it was “disappointing that a great club like Nottingham Forest has been reduced to such behaviour.” Sky Sports also criticised the move, labelling it “an unprecedented and unwelcome step.”
Although the broadcaster later apologised to the club to avoid legal proceedings, The Guardian reported in August that Forest were still seeking assurances from Neville before allowing him to return in any punditry or commentary role at the City Ground.