Following yet another defeat, Nottingham manager Oliver Glasner announced a radical overhaul at a memorable press conference – without any hugs. Is this already his last chance?
When he made a surprise move to Nottingham Forest in the summer, Oliver Glasner knew he hadn’t landed in a cosy wing chair, but on a hot seat. In the previous season alone, four managers had been in charge of the Premier League club led by Evangelos Marinakis – with Glasner, the next one has now added himself to the list.
Following the sobering 0–2 defeat at Brentford FC, which saw Nottingham slip to second-bottom, the Austrian announced a radical change of direction. “I don’t need to be loved. I’m not here to be loved. I’m here to bring success to this club,” said Glasner at his memorable post-match press conference.
“It’s disappointing and frustrating. We have to accept that it’s not good enough when we lose four of our last five matches. And that’s why I believe it’s now time for us to make some changes – for me to make some changes, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
When asked, Glasner included “all areas” and hinted that he had already noticed problems back in the summer. “Now I feel that, in some respects, I may have made too many compromises. The way forward is clear: I will say what we are going to do and what we must do. If the team gets on board, we can turn things around – and if not, the sixth manager will come.”
He said he would “not carry on as Oliver Glasner has done”, speaking about himself in the third person, “I will change things.” Glasner is clearly also concerned with the culture within the club. “I believe you asked the fifth manager the same questions. And if nothing changes, you’ll be asking the sixth manager.”
“If hugs don’t help, we’ll try the opposite”
The players – who include, amongst others, former Gladbach man Luca Netz and long-serving Leipzig player Xaver Schlager – will probably have to brace themselves for a few changes. “We started with hugs. But if hugs don’t help, we’ll try the opposite.”
Forest, who managed to avoid relegation last season under Vitor Pereira – finishing 16th in the table following the departures of Nuno Espírito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche – pulled off a real coup by signing Crystal Palace’s successful manager Glasner. Yet after nine matchdays, they have only one win to their name, and their League Cup campaign came to an early end.
Glasner, on a lucrative three-year contract, is reportedly still firmly in the saddle. However, with his performance on Saturday evening, he has increased the pressure on himself. And the next opponent is a tough one: on Saturday, Manchester City are coming to the City Ground.