Glasner rant and what happened next after astonishing Nottingham Forest comments

The Austrian’s bombshell post-match press conference after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford left plenty in the room agog at his cutting comments. Glasner’s words had been delivered with venom and with banging of fists on the desk in front of him.

On the back of a fifth match without a victory, which left his team 19th in the Premier League table, the Reds head coach promised to be ruthless as he delivered change. There would be "no more hugs" dished out or “compromises” made, he said.

True to his word, he roundly rejected one player’s request to drive home from the capital on his own rather than take a seat on the team bus. And it was a similar story on Sunday, when the team reported for their usual recovery session the day after a game.

Make sure you never miss the latest Nottingham Forest news and opinion by making the Nottingham Post one of your Google preferred sources

One fan out dog-walking got a surprise when the Forest squad jogged past as they made their way through a muddy field, with the resulting footage posted on X. Other supporters said they had spotted the group doing the hard yards by the river Trent.

It was certainly an unconventional approach; even a little old-school. But will it work?

Following another toothless display from the Reds on the pitch, Glasner provided plenty of bite when he faced the media after the final whistle in west London. But the 52-year-old’s 14-minute rant appears to have split the fanbase.

Depending on which camp you are in, Glasner’s fiery “no compromises” and “buy-in or leave” comments were either necessary home truths being dished out or evidence of a manager not getting the best out of his players. Either way, he took a big gamble.

On the one hand, there is the argument that Glasner said what needed to be said; that this group of players have underperformed and need to take more responsibility for the Reds’ struggles. In other words, it is about time the squad had the riot act read to them.

Some fans, however, remain unconvinced by the man Forest appointed in the summer with the aim of chasing silverware. To that end, questions have been asked over whether tearing into his players was really the right change of tact.

After all, Sean Dyche did something similar - as the man himself pointed out on social media when offering his two penneth on his successor’s rant. Dyche won’t need any reminding that he lasted 114 days in the job as one of four different managers to occupy the City Ground hot seat last season.

“I called out the group as a collective after the Wrexham game and fans said I was out of order for doing so,” Dyche posted. “Go figure! The badge is bigger than all … and yet it seems not now a days!

“I can only hope it turns and the culture we were insisting upon is now being assessed and realised as what was and is needed. Oliver is out there saying what I was saying… in his own style. Of course! COYR!”

After losing to the Bees, he mooted the possibility of a sixth manager being on the cards if there is no improvement to the Reds’ position in the table. For a man recruited to instil some stability, it was quite the admission.

This was the first time Glasner had addressed his own position amid a disappointing start to the campaign. He knows as well as anyone, every manager is judged on results.

This is supposed to be a long-term project for Forest, though, with the former Crystal Palace boss at the helm. Chief football officer George Syrianos said as much in a recent meeting with supporter representatives.

Plenty of lessons have been learnt from last season's turbulence Trentside and there is little appetite for a repeat. Owner Evangelos Marinakis has given the impression of being calm and relaxed at present, according to a club source - and it may be that he actually quite liked his manager being so punchy and direct.

Nevertheless, the implication Glasner has “compromised” during his first few months in charge prompted many a question from fans and pundits alike over what exactly he meant. “I think that him going into that job, he should have never compromised from the beginning, because of the amount of manager changes that this group of players have been through,” Steven Gerrard said on Sky Bet’s The Overlap.

Glasner has certainly not compromised on formation as he has stuck with his preferred three at the back set-up, much to the frustration of some supporters. So was he referring to being too nice with his players? He said: “I felt it was more hugging than now, but if hugging doesn't work, there's also an opposite way.”

The Reds head coach said he would make changes but didn’t go into detail about what that would entail when asked if he meant personnel, approach or mentality. Perhaps Saturday’s clash with Manchester City will be revealing, although it is hard to imagine a different system will be deployed

“Either you buy in, or you leave,” Glasner stated on Saturday. “We are outrun by the opposition in every single game. We have to change it. And if you can't change it, we need a different person. And if the club doesn't want to change it, they need a different manager. I'm desperate to change it. Desperate.”

At half-time against the Bees, Glasner hooked Ola Aina and Xaver Schlager. The latter was one of the summer signings he had championed, having worked with the midfielder previously, so that substitution felt telling.

If certain players are going to be at risk of Glasner’s wrath amid his promise to implement change, Aina feels like he could be one. The Nigerian has gone from being a mainstay of the Reds’ back line to struggling for minutes now Daniel Munoz has the right wing-back spot sewn up.

Several other players have barely featured this term as Glasner has stuck with a settled side. Arnaud Kalimuendo, despite earning praise for his pre-season performances, has had a limited role. Callum Hudson-Odoi likewise. Ryan Yates made his first appearance of the campaign on Saturday while Nicolas Dominguez and Ibrahim Sangare have been utilised sparingly.

Surely Glasner’s criticism was directed at those who have been playing, though? Plenty have underperformed this term.

Nikola Milenkovic might find his place under threat after successive games where he has made costly errors. Murillo might also need to buck his ideas up; Glasner called out his fitness levels in the summer and the Brazilian hasn’t exactly been at his best this season. Neither has Morgan Gibbs-White, although debate rages over whether the role he is playing is getting the best out of him.

Dan Ndoye has been a favourite of Glasner’s so far but surely needs to offer more to justify his place. Meanwhile, Liam Delap is yet to live up to his £45 million price tag but doesn’t exactly have a lot of competition for his spot in the team.

The key question from all of this is whether the players are the problem or whether the onus should be on the manager to get more from them. Dyche would no doubt argue the former while Glaser’s doubters will point to the fact his immediate predecessor, Vitor Pereira, had no issues cajoling results from this group.

Glasner is a winner and has the medals to prove it. Most of the Forest dressing room were involved in last season’s relegation battle and look as though they are heading for another one.

But it shouldn’t be a case of one or the other when it comes to apportioning blame for the club’s current predicament. Culpability falls to those on the pitch and in the dugout, and a joint effort will be required to dig the Reds out of this hole.

Delivered straight to your inbox, our regular email bulletins feature all the latest Forest news, views, gossip, opinion and transfer updates.

Social Media: You can also get all the latest updates by following us on social media here Facebook and X

WhatsApp: You can also get all your favourite content from the Nottingham Post's Forest team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.

App: We also have a free app which you can download. It is always up-to-date with the latest Forest news. You can personalise the content you see by selecting Nottingham Forest as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.