Oliver Glasner has revealed that a single meeting over a seafood platter in Athens was enough to convince him that the City Ground was his next destin...
Oliver Glasner has revealed that a single meeting over a seafood platter in Athens was enough to convince him that the City Ground was his next destination. The Austrian, fresh from a highly respectable two year spell at Crystal Palace that yielded an FA Cup and a Conference League title, admitted that Nottingham Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis possesses a hunger that even he struggles to match. 'He is one of the few people who is more ambitious than I am,' Glasner remarked, and that admission tells you everything about the gravitational pull of this project.Forest have cycled through five head coaches in less than twelve months, which would give any sane manager pause for thought. Yet Glasner, a man who prides himself on tactical flexibility and building something sustainable, saw beyond the revolving door. He saw a club that reached the Europa League semi finals this season, a squad that can trouble anyone on their day, and an owner who will not settle for mere survival. The decision to sack Vitor Pereira was ruthless but calculated; the hierarchy sensed a rare opportunity to land a proven European winner and they took it.Glasner's first day with the squad on Monday was not about grand declarations but about laying foundations. He spoke of bringing back the 'sweet honey' of European football to Nottingham, a phrase dripping with the kind of romanticism that endears a manager to a fanbase. But do not mistake poetry for naivety. Glasner is a pragmatist. He knows that a low block and clinical finishing on the break got Palace over the line in cup competitions, and he will need similar discipline here. The Premier League does not forgive a slow start, and Forest's squad, while talented, remains a work in progress.What stands out is the sheer force of personality at play. Marinakis is not a man who sits back; he involves himself in the fabric of the club. That can be a double edged sword, but Glasner appears to relish the pressure. He admitted the recruitment process was 'very hard working', which is a polite way of saying they chased him relentlessly. And he has signed a three year deal, which suggests both parties are thinking beyond the immediate season. No quick fixes. No panic buys. Just a methodical attempt to turn a chaotic club into a consistent top half outfit.The question now is whether Glasner can replicate the alchemy he found at Selhurst Park. At Palace, he took a team that sometimes looked disjointed and gave them a clear identity: high pressing, quick transitions, and a refusal to play safe football. Forest have the raw materials if they can be kept fit and focused. The big worry is the instability that has plagued the club for years. Can one man, even one with a European trophy on his CV, really steady a ship that has been tossed around by relegation battles and boardroom drama Glasner seems to think so, and he is betting his reputation on it.For the Forest faithful, this is a moment of genuine hope. They have seen enough false dawns to be cautious, but there is something different about a manager who walks in with a plan rather than a panic. Glasner will not be drawn on overnight success, and that realism might just be the most refreshing thing about his appointment. Sweet honey, indeed. But first, the hard graft of a gruelling Premier League campaign.
