Oliver Glasner has issued a blunt warning to his Nottingham Forest squad, stating that a sixth manager could soon arrive at the City Ground if results do not swiftly improve. The Austrian's comments follow a 2-0 defeat at Brentford, leaving Forest 19th in the Premier League table with only six points from their opening nine fixtures. In a turbulent period that has seen Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, and Vitor Pereira take charge since the start of last season, Glasner insisted he will no longer make compromises to halt the club's alarming slide.
Saturday's reverse against a Brentford side who were winless in their previous four matches was sealed by a Nikola Milenkovic own goal and a 76th-minute finish from Igor Thiago. Neither team produced a shot on target until Thiago's strike, while Forest's sole attempt on target arrived two minutes later. Glasner acknowledged defensive shortcomings and poor execution in attack, declaring: "We are making too many mistakes in our defence and we are not ruthless enough, good enough, in finishing." Having previously noted that "we start with hugging," the manager affirmed he will now pursue a firmer path to demand absolute commitment.
The loss highlights a stark statistical paradox for the East Midlands club. Forest have failed to score in five of their nine league matches, standing as the division's lowest scorers with six goals despite ranking fourth in expected goals (14.33) and trailing only Manchester United in shots per match. High-profile summer signing Liam Delap, recruited from Chelsea for £50m, embodies these finishing struggles, managing just one goal in eight league outings despite attempting 24 shots.
For now, Glasner is thought to be safe, largely because parting ways with the head coach—who earns in the region of £10m a year just under four months into a three-year contract—would prove expensive. However, with Forest sitting only one point off the foot of the table after taking just one point from their last five league matches, the pressure is mounting rapidly ahead of next weekend's clash against league leaders Manchester City.