Oliver Glasner, the most successful manager in Crystal Palace's history, is set to take charge at Nottingham Forest — and the reaction from supporters in south London has ranged from disbelief to outright dismay.

Glasner departed Selhurst Park at the end of his contract after two and a half transformative seasons with the Eagles. In that time, he delivered the club's first-ever FA Cup title, their first taste of European football, a Community Shield, and ultimately the UEFA Conference League trophy — three pieces of silverware in a remarkable 12-month period.

The Austrian received a hero's send-off on the final day of the Premier League season, saluted by supporters who recognised what he had built at the club. But the news that he is now poised to step into the dugout at Forest has complicated that warm farewell considerably.

Why Forest are no ordinary next destination

The hostility between Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest stems from events following Palace's FA Cup victory over Manchester City in May 2025. With the trophy came the prize of Europa League football — a historic first for the club. However, UEFA ruled that Palace had violated multi-club ownership regulations because then co-owner John Textor simultaneously held a stake in French club Lyon, who had also qualified for the competition.

During the process, Nottingham Forest wrote to UEFA to raise concerns about Palace's eligibility, knowing that if the Eagles were removed from the Europa League, Forest would take their place. That is precisely what happened. Despite an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Textor selling his stake to Woody Johnson, Palace were demoted to the Conference League while Forest stepped up into the Europa League.

Palace chairman Steve Parish called it