Glasner tells Forest players to buy in or leave after Brentford defeat

Oliver Glasner has told his Nottingham Forest players to buy into his methods or leave, after a 2-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday left the club 19th in the Premier League, one point off the bottom.

Forest's goals were not hard to follow. Nikola Milenkovic scored an own goal, and Igor Thiago made it two in the 76th minute. Forest had 12 shots but only two were on target, according to The Independent.

Glasner, the head coach, did not hide from the result. He said he had made too many compromises and that the time for them was over. "If they don't want to follow, then I guess the sixth manager will come in," he said, as BBC Sport reported. He also said there would be "no more hugs" for his players, according to The Athletic.

The sixth manager line is pointed because of the club's recent churn. Forest have had five different managers since the start of last season: Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, Vitor Pereira and Glasner. Glasner joined in the summer after leaving Crystal Palace. He said he could become the fifth manager sacked by Forest in little over a year.

The numbers explain the mood. Forest have won one of their opening nine league games this season. In their last five, only a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town has not ended in defeat.

Glasner refused to blame his players for the poor start. He took full responsibility for the results instead. In his press conference, which lasted 14 minutes, he said he was "not here to be liked", and that the squad had to show a clear way forward for everyone to follow.

Next up is a far harder test. Forest host Manchester City, the league leaders, next weekend. For a club looking for its first real run of results, the question is whether the players will follow the new message before the chance to change the picture slips away.