Nottingham Forest head to Ipswich Town on Friday searching for a result after a difficult run has left them 19th in the Premier League with five points from their opening matches.
The latest setback was a narrow home defeat to Arsenal, whose late goal settled a contest in which Forest had opportunities of their own. Head coach Glasner believes the performance offered signs that his players are beginning to develop the collective spirit he wants, even if the results remain short of expectations.
“We don’t need to have discussions about it, because it’s pretty obvious where we are,” Glasner said when asked whether he had spoken with the club’s hierarchy about the start to the campaign. “It’s pretty obvious that we have just five points.”
He acknowledged that nobody at the club could be satisfied with the position, but said the effort and performances were still visible internally.
“Nobody is pleased with this. Nobody is satisfied with this; no player, no staff member, no one in the leadership,” he said. “But on the other side, everybody sees the effort and everybody sees the performances.”
Glasner was especially encouraged by the response of the players and supporters during Sunday’s match at the City Ground. He said the atmosphere had given him a stronger sense of togetherness than he had felt previously this season.
“I didn’t just feel it, I could see it – and we also showed it to the players today – how we had a fantastic atmosphere within the team and here at the City Ground,” he said.
“For me, it feels like it was a huge game. We talked about the home games and the home form, but there was a big belief – in the team and in the stands – until the final whistle that we could get the equaliser.”
The Austrian also pointed to the way Forest players continued to encourage each other when attacks broke down, rather than allowing frustration to spread through the side.
“If things worked, the players supported each other and gave high-fives. Even when things did not work, there was positive support and positive vibes within the team,” he said. “I felt it for the first time that we had this kind of atmosphere and this kind of spirit.”
Glasner arrived at Forest after a successful spell at Crystal Palace, where he won major silverware. He has maintained that rebuilding the team will take time, and the current run has not persuaded him to abandon the principles he believes can improve the club.
“We are really going step by step,” he said. “Yes, the results are not satisfying, but I won’t change my principles in life or how I see football, because I can’t.”
He also defended the longer-term direction of the project, arguing that change was necessary after an unsettled previous season.
“There is a reason why I’m sitting here, and the reason is because nobody was satisfied with last year’s season – neither with the performances or the results. This is why we want to change something, because if you always do the same, you will always get the same.”
Forest’s immediate task is to turn those signs of progress into points at Ipswich. Glasner accepts the pressure of the situation but believes the team must work through the difficult spell rather than abandon its approach.
“We are, I would say, in the middle of this thunderstorm a few times,” he said. “But like always, you have to go through it and then afterwards the sun is shining.”