'Nobody wants to get divorced' – Glasner on Forest challenge after fifth manager unveiling in a year

Nottingham Forest

Oliver Glasner begins his tenure as Nottingham Forest's fifth manager in under a year, acknowledging the club's instability but vowing to bring succes...

90min.footballAI-assisted reporting

16 July 2026, 17:00 UTC2 min read

In short

Oliver Glasner begins his tenure as Nottingham Forest's fifth manager in under a year, acknowledging the club's instability but vowing to bring success. The Austrian, who won the FA Cup and Europa Conference League with Crystal Palace, signed a three-year deal and faces a tough task to end a revolving door that saw Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, and Vitor Pereira all leave in rapid succession. Glasner says he never thinks about being sacked, focuses only on building stability, and remains tactically flexible as he prepares for the new Premier League season.

New Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner joked about his sunburn as he faced the press for the first time at the City Ground. But behind the smiles, the Austrian knows the scale of the task ahead. He becomes the club's fifth manager in less than a year, stepping into a role that has seen more occupants than a holiday rental since Nuno Espirito Santo departed last August.

Glasner's challenge for stability

Glasner, 51, has signed a three-year deal and arrives with an impressive pedigree after guiding Crystal Palace to FA Cup and Europa Conference League success. But the Premier League club's hiring-and-firing culture is stark. Behind the same desk, Nuno revealed a breakdown in relations with the hierarchy, Ange Postecoglou lasted just 39 days, Sean Dyche 114, and Vitor Pereira was dismissed two minutes before a termination clause could expire in June.

Glasner, though, is unfazed:

"Nobody wants to get divorced. I don't know how it's in England but in Austria it's 50% [the divorce rate]. When you ask them at the wedding, they'd say 'yeah, not us' but it happens."

He added:

"Every single club wants to have the same manager for a decade, but that's just not the real world. We hope now that this is the starting point."

A revolving door and a plan

Forest's managerial churn mirrors a wider trend. An LMA study found the average tenure of a sacked Premier League manager is now under a year, down from over three years in 2021-22. Glasner ignores the noise:

"I never sign and think about getting sacked. I just think: 'OK, what do we have to do to bring success to the club?'"

He takes charge of his first pre-season friendly at Notts County on Saturday, and his first competitive game will be at home to Leeds United on 22 August.

Tactical approach remains open

Known for his back-three system at Palace, Glasner promises flexibility:

"We are not here to be Palace 2. I told the players I don't know if we will play a back four or back three. Get to know the players and find the right system."

If he avoids a painful divorce from Forest, his sunburn might be the worst thing to happen to him all season.