Oliver Glasner’s biggest challenge at Nottingham Forest may not be the team itself, but maintaining a positive relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
That is the view of Bryan King, the experienced former scout who has worked with Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Glasner has already come under pressure at the City Ground after winning just one of his first six matches of the season.
Marinakis has developed a reputation for making swift managerial changes, having dismissed four managers last season alone: Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira.
Pereira was controversially sacked at the beginning of July despite successfully guiding Forest away from relegation. Glasner was subsequently appointed as his replacement after leaving Crystal Palace at the end of his contract. During his time at Selhurst Park, Glasner won both the FA Cup and the Conference League.
‘Will Nottingham Forest ever be challenging for the title?’
Marinakis’ tendency to make decisions quickly is not limited to Nottingham Forest. A similar situation has occurred at his other club, Olympiacos.
Jose Luis Mendilibar was dismissed earlier this month after only seven games of the new campaign, despite having led the club to a domestic league and cup double the previous season.
King believes Glasner’s main concern should be managing his relationship with Marinakis rather than simply focusing on results.
Speaking to Football Insider, King said the pressure on Glasner appears to stem from expectations that Forest should be competing at the very top of the league. He questioned whether that is a realistic expectation for the club.
King also pointed to the wider lack of stability surrounding Marinakis’ managerial decisions. In his view, managers such as Sean Dyche have done a reasonable job but have not been given sufficient time to establish consistency.
He argued that Forest’s managerial instability is more closely connected to the club’s leadership than to the individual managers themselves. According to King, Marinakis appears to have ambitions of winning the Premier League, but those expectations can make it difficult for managers to receive the time they need.
What has Glasner said about Marinakis?
Glasner has previously spoken positively about his relationship with Marinakis, although he will be aware of how quickly the owner has changed managers in the past.
When discussing his decision to join Forest in August, Glasner revealed that the club had repeatedly approached him before he eventually accepted the job.
Initially, he was reluctant because Forest were not playing European football, something he had become accustomed to during his managerial career. However, after taking a closer look at the club, he identified two reasons for changing his mind.
First, Glasner believed the Forest squad had considerably more potential than it had demonstrated. Second, he was impressed by Marinakis’ ambition.
Glasner said the two had a productive dinner during which they discussed their ambitions for the club in detail. He stressed that Forest should not simply aim to qualify for Europe once; instead, the objective should be to establish themselves as a regular presence in European competition rather than becoming a one-season success.