Since last season began, Nottingham Forest have already cycled through five managers.
A year ago, Sean Dyche had barely two weeks in charge of Forest.
Prior to Dyche came Nuno Espírito Santo and Ange Postecoglou; after him arrived Vítor Pereira and now Oliver Glasner.
After just one win in the Reds’ first nine league games, the former Crystal Palace manager warned that without immediate improvement, a sixth manager could be on the horizon.
Speaking after Forest’s 2-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday, Glasner admitted he’d made too many compromises since taking over.
‘It’s time to stop compromising and set a clear direction that everyone must follow,’ he told BBC’s Match of the Day.
‘If they refuse, then the sixth manager will inevitably arrive.’
Saturday’s loss to a Brentford side winless in their previous four leaves Forest 19th, a point above the bottom as they head into next weekend’s clash with leaders Manchester City.
In the last five league outings, only a 1-1 draw at Ipswich escaped defeat.
‘Today the message is crystal clear: we must change a few things,’ Glasner said.
‘I will overhaul certain aspects, 100 %. We can’t persist as we are; altering a few elements is essential.’
He added, ‘We’re committing too many defensive errors, then we fall behind. We had the game under control…’
‘It’s obvious—we’re slow, repeating the same mistakes with different players.’
Neither side registered a shot on target until Igor Thiago scored Brentford’s second goal in the 76th minute, following Nikola Milenković’s own‑goal.
Forest’s only shot on target came two minutes after the hosts went two‑up.
‘We’re erring too much at the back and lack the ruthlessness in finishing. That’s the truth,’ Glasner said.
Forest were on their third manager this time last year, yet the start to this campaign mirrors last season’s woes.
Glasner has managed just one win in Forest’s first nine league games – identical to the tally recorded a year ago under Santo, Postecoglou and Dyche.
He does have six points, a slight edge over last season’s five at the same stage, but the club still sat 18th then.
In my view, appointing Glasner after his Selhurst Park exit was a bold gamble; the Austrian left Crystal Palace as its most successful manager, clinching the FA Cup, Community Shield and Europa Conference League within twelve months.
It signalled ambition for the East Midlands side, and by recent standards their loyalty has held up.
Poor performances or sheer bad luck?
Depending on the metrics you favour, a genuine debate persists: has Forest underperformed, or have they simply been unlucky in tight games?
Against Brentford, Forest’s expected goals (xG) of 0.85 were nearly double the hosts’ 0.46.
It’s a recurring theme this season. At full‑time in Brentford, Forest ranked fourth in xG (14.33) yet sit at the bottom for actual goals, having scored only six.
That isn’t for lack of effort; they’re second only to Manchester United in shots per Premier League match.
The output – or lack thereof – from summer signing Liam Delap hasn’t helped.
Since his £50 m move from Chelsea, the striker has netted just once in eight league appearances, seven as a starter.
Delap sits eighth for total shots (24) but, with a solitary goal, 48 players have outscored him this term.
Glasner appears safe for now; terminating his near‑four‑month‑old three‑year deal would be costly.
So a managerial change seems unlikely, but Glasner has pledged a shift in his approach to running Forest.
‘We start with hugging,’ he told BBC Radio 5 Live. ‘If that fails, we try the opposite.’
He later told Match of the Day, ‘The only option is to change, or we’ll repeat these failures.’