Nottingham Forest back Oliver Glasner — Nottingham Forest have no immediate plans to part with head coach Oliver Glasner, with senior figures at the City Ground welcoming the force of his reaction to Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Brentford. The loss left Forest 19th in the Premier League and prompted Glasner to warn that compromises are over and that the squad must either embrace his approach or face the consequences. Rather than being unsettled by the outburst, sources inside the club are said to have been impressed by his resolve to drag the team out of its slump, and the mood around the training ground is being described as business as usual.
Backing for Glasner despite Brentford setback
Glasner was appointed in the summer after leaving Crystal Palace, tasked with stabilising a club that had cycled through four different head coaches last season. His first months in charge have not produced the results the hierarchy hoped for, but the response to the Brentford loss has strengthened rather than weakened his standing. The Austrian made clear in his post-match comments that he intends to make changes, and the club’s power brokers are understood to see that determination as a positive rather than a threat. He is expected to expand on his plans when he speaks to the media again on Thursday.
The Forest head coach has already left a significant mark on the club’s transfer strategy. Only three senior players arrived during the summer window, a direct result of Glasner’s insistence on a leaner squad. That level of influence has not shielded him from criticism, but it has underlined how closely his vision is tied to the club’s current direction.
What Glasner said after Brentford
Glasner did not hold back after the defeat in West London, describing the result as unacceptable and pointing to a run of four losses in five matches as evidence that something has to give. He said he had perhaps compromised too often and that he would now be explicit with his players about what is required. Those who buy into the new approach, he argued, can help turn the season around; those who do not will leave the club looking for its sixth manager since the start of last season.
He also rejected any suggestion that he was worried about his own position. Glasner stressed that he could walk away and find work elsewhere within a fortnight if he chose to, but that he had come to Nottingham to succeed rather than to pass the time. He described the club’s predicament as the same difficult situation it faced last year and said the rebuild needed to run from bottom to top, with no room for half-measures. The message was blunt: buy in or leave.
Why the hierarchy is not panicking
For all the noise around the result, Forest’s decision-makers are understood to view Glasner’s anger as a sign of engagement rather than a breakdown in relations. The club has been here before with managerial turnover, and the current leadership appears determined to avoid another quick change. Glasner’s willingness to take responsibility for the team’s direction, rather than deflecting blame, has been noted as a reason to keep faith with him.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, however, has questioned whether the relationship between Glasner and owner Evangelos Marinakis can last. Carragher pointed out that Glasner has a history of speaking his mind even when results are good, and that both men are emotional characters. He suggested Forest supporters should not assume the current arrangement will endure for years, while acknowledging that the team has played better than its results suggest.
The numbers behind Forest's poor start
Forest’s problems this season have not been in creating chances. According to expected points, which measures performance based on the quality of opportunities created and conceded, Glasner’s side would sit fourth in the Premier League table. The gap between that ranking and their actual position points to a lack of clinical finishing as the primary issue.
There is also a physical dimension. Forest have been outrun by their opponents in each of their last five league games, a run in which they have collected just one point. In their opening four matches, by contrast, they were outrun only once and picked up five points. Since the start of last season, teams that cover more ground than their opponents have won 48 per cent of their matches, while those that are outrun have won just 24.5 per cent. The data suggests that Forest’s recent slump is about more than missed chances.
Glasner’s immediate test comes on Saturday when Manchester City visit the City Ground. Further fixtures against Bournemouth, Chelsea, Hull City and Brighton follow, giving the head coach a congested run in which to prove that his uncompromising message can deliver a response.
