Oliver Glasner has issued a stark public warning: if Nottingham Forest's players refuse to follow his tactical direction, he expects to become the club's sixth manager in little over a year.

The Austrian delivered that message after Forest slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday — a result that leaves the East Midlands club 19th in the Premier League, just a point above the relegation zone.

"It's now time not to make compromises, it's now time to show a clear way and everybody has to follow," Glasner told BBC's Match of the Day. "And if they don't want to follow, then I guess the sixth manager will come in."

A troubling pattern

Forest have won only once in their opening nine league matches this season — a record that mirrors their miserable start 12 months ago, when Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, and Sean Dyche collectively managed the same single league victory across the same nine-game stretch.

Since the beginning of last season, the City Ground has cycled through five managers. Glasner, appointed this summer after leaving Crystal Palace, arrived with glittering credentials — he guided Palace to the FA Cup, Community Shield, and Conference League within 12 months — but Forest's early-season struggles have followed him to the East Midlands.

Saturday's reverse came against a Brentford side that had failed to win any of their previous four fixtures, making the defeat all the more dispiriting. Forest now face Premier League leaders Manchester City next weekend.

Chances created, goals missing

The statistics paint a complicated picture. Forest's expected goals tally of 0.85 was nearly double Brentford's 0.46 on the day — and across the season, Forest carry the fourth-highest xG figure in the entire Premier League at 14.33. Yet with only six goals scored, they remain the division's lowest scorers.

Summer signing Liam Delap has been a central concern. The striker, who joined from Chelsea for £50 million, has managed a single goal from eight Premier League appearances. His 24 shots rank eighth in the league, yet 48 players have scored more than him this term.

Nikola Milenkovic's own goal handed Brentford the opener, before Igor Thiago doubled the lead in the 76th minute. Neither side produced a shot on target until that second goal arrived.

Change promised — but job appears safe

Glasner, less than four months into a three-year contract reported to be worth around £10 million per year, is understood to be secure in his position for now. Sacking him would carry a steep financial cost.

The manager himself, however, has pledged a shift in approach. "We can't continue in the same way," he said. "I have to change a few things, and I will change a few things, 100%."

He also offered a touch of dry humour when speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "We start with hugging. If hugging doesn't work, we try the opposite."