FALSE 10: Ange lost the entire 21 grams in less than forty days

(Mozzart Sport Kenya has provided regular match reports, analysis, previews and recaps for almost five years. However, this particular piece of content - under the name of False 10 - is something new, something different. Every week, we'll do our best to deliver you some of the most interesting news from another perspective. Far from numbers, tactical nuances, and solely the sport's point of view. Because sport is much more than that. Join us on that hopefully long and enjoyable journey)

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If you're a big fan of movies, at least once you've bumped into debates about the best films that never won any Oscars. Despite being critically acclaimed and fan favourites for decades, classics like Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, The Shawshank Redemption, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were left empty-handed.

On that long list of cinematic masterpieces that were overlooked at the Academy Awards, stands out - allow us to be maybe a bit biased here - 21 Grams, a 2003 American crime thriller directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

This intense drama tells the story of strangers whose different life paths entwine at some point. Benicio del Toro, Naomi Watts, and Sean Penn take us through the emotional rollercoaster which centres around a unique question - how much does a human soul weigh?

The title refers to the so-called "21 grams experiment" conducted in 1907 by some rather unknown American physician, Duncan MacDougall, who attempted to scientifically determine the weight of a human soul.

That curious fella, MacDougall, claimed that the human body loses approximately 21 grams at the moment of death, attributing this weight loss to the soul leaving the body.

And although MacDougall himself later admitted that the experiment had its flaws and that its result can't be considered credible, some journalists - huh, those journalists again, The New York Times reporters in that particular case - rushed to break the story. "Soul Has Weight, Physician Thinks" headline spread quickly across the country, and then across the Atlantic and Pacific to the rest of the world. The myth was born, and ever since that moment, 21 grams have served as a synonym for the weight of the human soul.

We're unaware of - and quite frankly, we really do not care about - the actual weight of recently sacked Nottingham Forest head coach Ange Postecoglou. Moreover, thank God, he's very much alive. The chubby Australian tactician of Greek origins is definitely skinnier than the club's capricious owner and Ange's compatriot, Evangelos Marinakis, who left his seat at the City Ground on Saturday half an hour before the final whistle, as soon as Chelsea went 2-0 up against the Tricky Trees. The empty Marinakis' chair was a clear sign that Postecoglou's time at Forest is definitely over. He was appointed as Nuno Espirito Santo's successor on September 9, with Marinakis stating he got his full support. Note to yourself - never trust a guy who gets rid of someone called Holly Spirit (Espirito Santo) that easily.

Holly Spirit has left Forest - it's time for Angel(os)

Anyhow, eight games (two draws and six losses, without a single win) and just 39 days later, the 60-year-old coach was axed, thus becoming the shortest-serving permanent manager in the history of the Premier League.

Bizarrely, even the official club announcement of Postecoglou's exit had precisely 39 words - not a single one more. One for each day he spent with the two-time European champions.

"Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that after a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect. The Club will make no further comment at this time."

And that was it. Not even that polite "we would like to thank him... and wish him...", which is a usual part of those formal goodbyes.

Postecoglou - who had only just moved into a new Nottingham apartment the week before - was informed personally about the decision within ten minutes of the final whistle at the City Ground and a 3-0 defeat. Not by Marinakis himself - tyrants, of course, don't get their hands dirty; he has his loyal servants for that - but by George Syrianos, the global technical director, in the tunnel area.

Ange was left with that much time to see the players in the changing room for one last time, and to say he was sorry he could not do more for them and wished them all the best for the rest of the campaign. Then he went to the car park and left the ground on his own.

21 grams lighter.

And it would be dishonest to say that it didn't have to end that way. Actually, that was the only possible outcome ever since the beginning of this awkward relationship, which shouldn't have started in the first place.

And the prelude to this tragic mistake was set in July, during the summer season in Europe, like many others. When the sun is high and everything seems possible and better than it actually is in reality. When our judgements turn to senses, to illusions, instead of rational thinking. When jobless Angelos - who was previously sacked at Tottenham despite providing them with the Europa League title, the first piece of silverware for Spurs after 17 years - met his countryman Evangelos. In that poignant moment for both, Evangelos presented Angelos with an award to mark the fact he became the first Greek-born coach to win a major European trophy. That night, the friendship was created on the basis of the same heritage and the love for the game. Maybe a few glasses of some excellent wine were also shared, to seal the bond.

So what Ange basically did after that was almost rushing into a secret affair - not a private, not an emotional one, just to be clear, but a business one. The Greek coach knew that Nottingham Forest had a permanent boss, that the new season hadn't even started yet, and that this "business flirt" and friendship with Marinakis could potentially get him back to the dugout - only if his colleague Espirito Santo got sacked.

Obviously, he was fully aware of it, and yet stayed connected with Marinakis, even to the extent of being prepared to replace Nuno at the City Ground after just three Premier League games. The Portuguese boss departed despite the fact that the club collected 4 points in those three matches, which is much more than Postecoglou won in eight (a single point, a 1-1 draw at Burnley).

Someone should have warned the former Spurs coach that his future employer is a passionate man with one particular desire - to get rid of coaches as if they're yesterday's newspaper.

To put things into perspective - Evangelos Marinakis has been in charge of Olympiakos since 2011, and during that time he has sacked 24 tacticians. Mathematically speaking: 1.7 per year. And Nuno Espirito Santo came to the City Ground in December 2023, which means Marinakis showed almost unprecedented patience with him, punching way above the average coaching tenure at his clubs.

By the time you read this article, the Tricky Trees have probably already appointed Sean Dyche as their new, third coach since the start of the season. A character nothing like Ange, just like Postecoglou had nothing in common with his predecessor. But was tricked into that ill-fated relationship, so he wouldn't be alone, after a turbulent Spurs tenure, which had its ups (Europa League triumph) and downs (17th place in the Premier League). Still, Ange and Spurs were a much better match, with all its flaws and shortcomings, and it's a pity we didn't get a chance to see season three.

Getting rid of his Dad is not a way to keep Son at home - Korean leaves Spurs!

For those of you who maybe don't know much about Postecoglou's famous 'season two,' here's the story - ever since breaking into top-flight management in 2009, Postecoglou has consistently won a trophy in his second season. He did it with Brisbane Roar, Yokohama Marinos, Celtic, and the Australia national team. And he repeated the same pattern with the North London side.

"I always win things in my second year. Nothing has changed. I don't say things unless I believe them," Postecoglou said in September 2024, before fulfilling the promise given to Spurs fans in May 2025, following a win over Manchester United in the Europa League final.

"All the best TV series, season three is better than season two," he said while being loudly cheered by fans who gathered for Tottenham's victory parade through the streets of north London, after winning the UEL (thus qualifying for the Champions League this season).

Just 16 days later, he was sacked.

At that moment, for the vast majority of club supporters - but also some of us, neutrals, around the world - he was almost a cult hero. A gambler, a prophet of 4-3-3 adventurous, attractive football, someone willing to pay the highest possible price in order to stay loyal to his philosophy. Someone not afraid to show his weaknesses and vulnerability, but determined to fight till the end, for a goal more, for the love of us who truly worship the football game.

You won't get away with Ange's 'murder': Spurs enraged for sacking their favourite coach

Just like his idol and the man who taught him everything he knew about football - the one and only Ferenc Puskas. During Puskas' interesting three-year spell at South Melbourne back in the late '80s and early '90s, young Ange worked as his interpreter and occasional personal driver.

"I'd often pick him up from his house and drive him to the ground," Postecoglou told The Guardian in 2014. "I spent a lot of time chatting about football with him - people talk a lot about me being an attacking coach, and that was where the seed was sown. I loved it. He was so much more open than the previous coaches who were so regimented and structured."

Imagine being in your late 20s, absorbing football knowledge from one of the most classy footballers ever, then already in his mature years, yet able to make some incredible moves on the pitch despite a visible belly and extra weight. This is the moment you become infected with graciousness, style, and - why not - the soul itself. And you keep building on that - your coaching career, your credo, your approach to life and work.

So, what on earth has to happen for you to come to the point of thinking that a plant with such unique, gracious seeds could grow and flourish in Marinakis' wild Forest?! Not even Robin Hood himself would dare to clash with this modern Sheriff of Nottingham, who looks way scarier than the late Alan Rickman, who portrayed him marvellously in that 1991 adventure action film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, with Kevin Costner in the starring role.

Since we're now back where it all started - with movies - there's another one you should definitely watch if you're a football fan, or at least, if you share sympathies for actor Michael Sheen. The name of the film is The Damned United, and no, Sheen is not related to the good old Charlie - thanks for asking. He plays Brian Clough, the iconic Nottingham Forest manager, who led the Tricky Trees to their two European Cup titles. However, the plot of The Damned United is centered around his infamous 44-day-long spell as a Leeds United manager in 1974.

Clough lasted five days more than Postecoglou, and still got a movie. It's about time those Hollywood producers start looking for actors who could play Angelos and Evangelos.

By: BOJAN BABIC