Nottingham Forest are at the start of a new era under head coach Oliver Glasner
nottinghampost
07:00, 15 Jul 2026
Oliver Glasner has started work as Nottingham Forest head coach
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Oliver Glasner has started work as Nottingham Forest head coach
One key message came across loud and clear in Oliver Glasner’s first interview as Nottingham Forest head coach.
As he spoke to ex-Reds midfielder David Prutton, on media duty for the club, the Austrian cut to the heart of what he is all about. Success, yes, but also the tools of how to get there.
To that end, Glasner underlined the importance of unity. He spoke about how people - rather than, as he put it, “stones” - are the building blocks of any journey to the top.
It is why Forest believe he is the one for them; the right man to take the club to the next step. His ambition and his know-how but also his warmth and his man-management skills stand out.
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To listen to Glasner is to gain an insight into how he will go about cajoling the best from the fine squad he has at his disposal Trentside. When he stopped to take in the two European Cups on display during a tour of the City Ground, perhaps the cogs were already turning as to how to get the club back on the big stage.
After all, that is what owner Evangelos Marinakis wants. He wants the Reds to be regulars in Europe and to be challenging for trophies. Glasner’s job is to deliver and repeat the success he oversaw at Crystal Palace.
How will he go about doing it? He spoke about establishing an identity and of developing an understanding among his players. He wants them to feel free to try things, to not be afraid to make mistakes, and to feel confident in what is being asked of them.
He wants them to enjoy what they do and to be excited about what could be ahead. But most importantly, he wants there to be a sense of everyone throughout the whole club pulling in the same direction.
“Oliver Glasner can’t do everything alone; no chance, no way,” said the 51-year-old. “I really believe that us all together - the staff, the players, the club, the leadership of the club, the fans - we can be really competitive in the Premier League, and that makes me really excited.”
He will have to wait a little more than a month before he can strike up a rapport with the City Ground crowd, with Forest opening the season at home to Leeds United on August 22. In the meantime, Glasner’s focus is on his players.
He will have a fair idea of what they are about after coming up against them as an opposition manager. But taking the reins on the banks of the Trent, he wants to get to know them better as people.
It is that theme of togetherness again. As he walked up the steps at the Nigel Doughty Academy on day one in the job, Glasner waved and shook the hands of staff capturing his arrival for social media.
The handshakes and smiles continued once inside, along with an embrace for Morgan Gibbs-White. None of that will come as a surprise to those who worked with Glasner at Selhurst Park and have attested to how he is someone who genuinely cares.
“It’s not the stones that are important; the people are important,” Glasner said. “That is what gives me a lot of confidence for this project because I met great people working for this club.
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“You can have the best stadium or the best training ground, but if you don’t have the right people it doesn’t work. That is the most important part.
“I have met great people. Now we have to get to know each other and find the right way to work together.
“It’s not just work for me, it’s my life. It’s arriving in the morning and leaving in the evening. Of course, it is working to succeed but also to enjoy. And to enjoy, you need good relationships. You want to have a laugh at the training ground and have fun together, but also work hard to succeed.”
Glasner is all-in. He knows he has good foundations to build upon - and he paid tribute to the job done by predecessor Vitor Pereira in his interview.
It hasn’t taken him long to get across what is expected of the players, too. Those who have been on international duty this summer were requested to come back slightly earlier than planned, to ensure maximum time for the squad to work together, while those who were present on day one were left dripping in sweat after the hard graft of testing.
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Respect is a key pillar of Glasner’s ethos. It is about knowing everyone can rely on each other; hence, in a message aimed directly at supporters, he spoke about how their backing can make the biggest difference when times are tough.
The new man has said and done all the right things so far. Forest are at their best when the club is united. Steve Cooper, Nuno Espirito Santo and Pereira all understood that, and the early signs are Glasner gets it too.
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