It is awfully quiet at Nottingham Forest these days.
At any other time in the last four years, five points from seven games and 19th in the Premier League would have had alarm bells ringing at the City Ground and possibly cost the manager his job. By this time last year, Forest had already sacked Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.
If things feel different now, that is probably because they are. Oliver Glasner was hired at huge expense to bring his trophy-winning magic to Forest and the Austrian is usually a slow starter.
Besides, despite only one win from his first eight games in all competitions, the underlying numbers say Forest have been unfortunate and are due a run of better luck.
None of that changes the importance of Friday’s trip to Ipswich.
Oliver Glasner has had a disappointing start at Nottingham Forest, with his side sitting 19th in the Premier League after one win in seven
Some doubt whether Glasner can harness a free attacking spirit like Morgan Gibbs-White in his rigid tactical framework
Where does Glasner stand?
Forest’s chief football officer George Syrianos drove Glasner’s appointment and will likely stand or fall by how it proceeds.
In recent meetings with supporters’ groups, Syrianos emphasised that this was a long-term project. According to Forest’s modelling, Glasner is the third-best coach in the Premier League at coaxing his squad to play above their potential. Success with him requires patience.
Good, rational explanations for a good, rational appointment. Yet few things are as difficult as sticking to principles when a team keeps losing.
Syrianos has had various roles at Forest but now arguably holds more power than ever before. He pushed Glasner to Evangelos Marinakis when Steve Cooper was sacked in December 2023, only for the Forest owner to choose Nuno Espirito Santo instead. Glasner would eventually land at Palace and we all know what happened next – three major honours following decade upon trophyless decade.
Forest have hired Glasner to win things. Delivering the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League at Palace was a stunning effort and at a club of similar dimension, the hierarchy believe he can do the same.
Forest are already out of the Carabao Cup so depending on their league position in January, we can expect them to attack the FA Cup.
Marinakis wants to be back in Europe as quickly as possible and given the strength of some of England’s wealthiest clubs, a good cup run might be more realistic than a top-six finish. Right now, just moving away from the relegation zone would be a relief.
Forest’s chief football officer George Syrianos drove Glasner’s appointment and will likely stand or fall by how it proceeds
Have Forest been unlucky?
No doubt about it – Glasner deserves time. Few Forest bosses since Brian Clough arrived with a better track record than Glasner’s. Despite never managing among Europe’s elite, he still has four trophies, including two European titles. To rip up those plans after a handful of league games would be impulsive even by Forest’s standards.
Miltiadis Marinakis, the son of Evangelos, is a regular visitor to the club’s training base and was there again this week. He will be aware of the statistics that indicate Forest deserve to be higher in the table than they are.
You can take your pick of the Opta data that suggests Forest are hard done by. According to the Expected Points table, Forest’s performances should have them in sixth. By the Expected Goals metric, Forest should have 11 goals rather than five. No other Premier League club is underperforming those standards so dramatically.
Forest’s defensive numbers are good, but they must sharpen their finishing. They have the fourth-worst big chance conversion rate and those five goals have come from 120 shots, with only Manchester United and Brighton taking more.
Two seasons ago, Forest finished seventh by outperforming their underlying numbers to an improbable degree. Maybe the current sequence is simply payback time from the football gods – not that this will be of any comfort to Glasner.
What about the players?
For much of Forest’s top-flight journey, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina have been key figures. No longer.
While Aina’s exclusion is logical as Glasner wanted Daniel Munoz from Crystal Palace to play at right wing-back, the decision to sideline Hudson-Odoi is strange. Glasner seems similarly unconvinced by midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, who signed a new deal only three months ago.
With Morgan Gibbs-White injured, Glasner picked the energetic Nico Dominguez against Arsenal over the silkier Hudson-Odoi and even brought on forgotten man Arnaud Kalimuendo ahead of the former Chelsea winger in the second half.
If Glasner stays in charge, the days of both are likely to be numbered. No huge drama for the finances, either – Hudson-Odoi cost £3million in 2023 and Aina joined for free in the same summer. Both would bring Forest a profit if sold.
Yet in the short term, the pair need careful management. Along with Anthony Elanga, Aina and Hudson-Odoi embodied the unbreakable spirit that nearly carried Forest into the Champions League under Nuno in 2025. They remain strong voices in the squad – just like Gibbs-White.
Gibbs-White wanted to leave Forest for at least part of last summer and duly changed his agents. The 26-year-old is believed to be on the radar of Bayern Munich, should Michael Olise join Real Madrid at the end of the season. Few expect Gibbs-White to be at the City Ground by next September.
Between now and May, though, Glasner must extract the best from him.
(From left) Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga and Ola Aina embodied Forest’s spirit under Nuno Espirito Santo. But Elanga has left and Hudson-Odoi and Aina are now sidelined
Glasner is convinced he can turn Liam Delap into an elite centre forward – but the £50million man has just one goal in six games
Some doubt whether Glasner can harness a free attacking spirit like Gibbs-White in such a rigid tactical framework. Glasner would counter that by pointing out that Olise and Eberechi Eze flourished under him in a similar system at Palace.
Ultimately, Glasner needs his big bet to pay off. He is convinced he can turn Liam Delap into an elite centre forward and was instrumental in the decision to sign the 23-year-old from Chelsea.
Delap did well against Arsenal but one goal in six is not what you hope for from your £50m No9.
Delap had his breakthrough season at Ipswich and he will hope that returning there will light the fire – and put a few out at the same time.
