Evangelos Marinakis’s micromanagement of Nottingham Forest is creating ‘chaos’ within the club, Ian Ladyman has claimed on a new Daily Mail podcast.
Speaking on the latest episode of Whistleblowers, Mail Football Editor Ladyman compared Marinakis’s ownership style to that of a small business owner, wanting to exert near-total control of the organisation from top to bottom.
The journalist alleged that he had been told by multiple club insiders that Marinakis’s influence is often a source of confusion for those working behind-the-scenes at the City Ground.
You can listen to the latest episode of Whistleblowers by clicking the player below or here
The podcast is co-hosted by Ladyman and former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who worked directly under Marinakis for four years during his tenure with the Greek football federation.
The hosts were responding to Marinakis’s shock decision to sack Nuno Espirito Santo and replace the Portuguese coach with former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou.
‘Marinakis runs that club with the same obsessive influence as a chap who runs a corner shop,’ Ladyman told Whistleblowers.
‘He wants to be all over it. He wants to know who’s buying the Mars bars, when they’re buying them, who’s buying the Hula Hoops and why… and that is it with Marinakis.
‘I speak to people who have worked at Forest, and they describe, even last season, when they were doing brilliantly on the pitch, people were saying to me – it’s chaos behind the scenes.’
Evangelos Marinakis’s micromanagement of Nottingham Forest is creating ‘chaos’ within the club, Ian Ladyman has claimed on a new Daily Mail podcast
The hosts were responding to Marinakis’s shock decision to sack Nuno Espirito Santo and replace the Portuguese coach with former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou
Nuno’s departure follows Forest’s outstanding 2024-25 campaign, where they secured European football with a seventh-place finish
Nuno’s departure follows Forest’s outstanding 2024-25 campaign, where they secured European football with a seventh-place finish – their highest Premier League position in the modern era.
Ladyman believes the rift between Marinakis and Nuno was principally over transfers and the appointment of former Arsenal Sporting Director Edu Gaspar as Head of Football.
The journalist believes Nuno wanted more influence over summer recruits, but Marinakis’s installing of a new structure at the club took that power away from him.
Following their Europa League qualification, Forest have invested heavily with marquee signings Omari Hutchinson, Dan Ndoye, Douglas Luiz and Brazilian duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha among seven new arrivals.
‘Nuno responded to Forest’s business by leaving Omari Hutchinson out of the Europa League squad’, Ladyman observed.
‘So, you have got a club record transfer who’s not going to play for Forest in Europe. Read what you want into that.
‘Hutchinson has played just eight minutes off the bench in the Premier League. Douglas Luiz has played zero minutes so far.
‘If you look at that objectively, you can probably get a little window into what’s going on at Nottingham Forest.
Clattenburg, who praised the job Marinakis is doing at Forest, said many of the headlines generated by the controversial owner come from a culture clash between English and Greek football
In Greece, the former Premier League referee said it is normal for an owner to play a very active role in the day-to-day administration of a club
‘You have a manager who is essentially at odds with the Global Head of Football – when that happens, you’re always going to have a problem.
‘That’s the model for a lot of clubs these days though, and the job of a first team coach is to work with the players that you’re provided with.
‘If you’re not prepared to do that, then it’s not the club for you.’
Clattenburg, who praised the job Marinakis is doing at Forest, said many of the headlines generated by the controversial owner come from a culture clash between English and Greek football.
In Greece, the former Premier League referee said it is normal for an owner to play a very active role in the day-to-day administration of a club.
‘I was there four years. I understood the Greek mentality’, Clattenburg told Ladyman.
‘For example, Marinakis would ask my opinion about something in the English game, and I often had to say, you can’t do that.
‘I think Ange, having Greek heritage, that will help him understand the mentality of the club.’
To listen to full interview reacting to Nuno’s sacking, search for Whistleblowers now, wherever you get your podcasts.
