In July, Oliver Glasner was appointed as Nottingham Forest’s fifth head coach in the space of a year.Following a period of chaos and instability, the club’s hope is that the FA Cup and Europa Conference League-winning former Crystal Palace manager will bring some much-needed calm. The hierarchy believe he can last for much longer in the role than some of his recent predecessors.So, as the Austrian prepares to take charge of his first Premier League game with Forest when Leeds United visit the City Ground on Saturday, what has his early impact been?The Athletic has spoken to people behind the scenes, some of whom asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, to find out.Work hard, play hardDuring his two years at Crystal Palace, Glasner forged a close bond with his players.That was because he came across as an open, honest character who would consistently tell players what he thought, even if they might not always like what he had to say.“The players really liked him, even those who were fighting for an opportunity in the side respected him, because he always let them know where they stood,” says one source with knowledge of his time at Selhurst Park.“He is a man who likes to have a close relationship with his players; who would be very open about what he was thinking and clear in the approach he wanted. He won their respect because he was a serial winner.”Players in the Forest dressing room already regard him as grounded, down-to-earth and approachable. Although that is not to say the 51-year-old is in any way soft.Oliver Glasner’s arrival has been received well by Nottingham Forest’s players (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)He has already warned his players he will not tolerate needless moaning on the training ground. He is not a fan of excuses, with his mantra being that winners just “get on with it”.Some previous Forest managers have opted to hold a big meeting with staff from all departments to introduce themselves. Glasner’s approach has been more personal, taking the time to interact with those outside of his immediate coaching staff and players when the opportunity arises naturally, sparking up conversations by the coffee machine, in the corridors of the training ground or on the padel court.Glasner likes to play tennis, padel and golf to wind down — and uses padel as a social tool, with frequent doubles games often involving people from outside his immediate circle. Like one of his predecessors, Nuno Espirito Santo, Glasner is a hugely competitive player.The mood at the recent training camp in Portugal felt decidedly similar to the one Nuno instilled in 2024, when Forest then made a surprise challenge for Champions League qualification, before finishing seventh. There was plenty of sweat, but also smiles.Like Nuno, people who have witnessed Glasner at work say he demands a high level of professionalism and focus — the brand of high-fives and horseplay that were occasionally evident under Sean Dyche are a thing of the past — but that he is more relaxed and approachable once training is done.Glasner freely admits he is a workaholic. His first few weeks in the job have seen him work for up to 16 hours a day at times.He has five senior coaching staff. They are his long-serving assistant Michael Angerschmid, goalkeeper coach Michael Gspurning and performance and sports science expert Michael Berktold – often introduced to people as the “three Mikes” — as well as Emanuel Pogatetz, the former Middlesbrough defender who is another assistant head coach, and transitions coach James Holland.Angerschmid was a team-mate of Glasner at SV Ried, where they played together from 1992 until Angerschmid had to retire because of an Achilles injury in 2006. The 52-year-old was Glasner’s assistant at Austrian side LASK, Wolfsburg and Palace, and the duo joke they have spent more time with each other than with their families.Oliver Glasner with assistant Michael Angerschmid (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)“I like to be hands-on (in training sessions),” Glasner said in an interview with journalists, including The Athletic, in Portugal. “It is what I like most — being with the players.” He added that he “completely trusts” his coaching staff to “deliver the same messages to the players”.Glasner has regular contact with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who flew out during that camp — where the duo discussed their plans over dinner. The Austrian has played an active role in recruitment, holding near-daily conversations with George Syrianos, the club’s influential chief football officer.Handing McAtee the reinsThe 3-4-2-1 formation Forest have played with throughout pre-season will be familiar to Palace fans. But Glasner does not want his Forest side to be a replica of what he built in South London. He firmly believes a manager’s ethos should be shaped by the players at his disposal.The outlook he has laid out to his team is that they will play with a back three, with wing-backs providing width and two No 10s providing creative influence and a goal threat.One regular instruction heard by players is for Forest to play good football, but also to “get to the goal as quickly as possible”. But shaping the team into exactly what Glasner wants may be a longer-term project.The key change Glasner wants to make is to get his side playing with a higher pressing intensity and tempo. But he understands the pitfalls of too much change, too quickly. Forest learned that lesson the hard way when they went from Nuno’s counter-attacking style to Ange Postecoglou’s high-risk philosophy last September.Glasner, however, believes he has a group who can take on his ideas.James McAtee has been identified as a potentially key figure in a deeper midfield role. Glasner and his coaching staff have worked with the 23-year-old extensively throughout pre-season to help him adjust, highlighting what they want from him — a key message being that he should be on the ball as much as possible.Forest and Glasner have so much faith in the former Manchester City player that they have, for now, scaled back their efforts to sign Lucas Bergvall from Tottenham Hotspur.“This is why we didn’t have immediate signings,” said Glasner in his pre-Leeds press conference. “We changed the system and maybe it was a little bit easier for James to play in this role than to play as a ‘6’ when you play with a back-four. This gives him a little bit more freedom and it looks like it suits him very well.“We decided it’s not target No. 1 to replace Elliot (Anderson) because maybe we can do it from our own squad and spend the money on other positions.”James McAtee is seen as crucial to Oliver Glasner’s plans (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Glasner previously said he intended to make his own mind up about the players he inherited. Arnaud Kalimuendo — who had one foot out of the door, with Eintracht Frankfurt holding an option to make his loan move from the second half of last season permanent — is one of those who has played his way into the manager’s thinking. Glasner told reporters on Thursday “our goal is to keep him”.He is also a big fan of Dan Ndoye — Palace held an interest in the Switzerland international during his time in charge — and the pace and directness he brings. The coach is keen to ensure Forest have players who can get in behind opposition defences. If Forest are to sign another forward, Glasner wants them to share those qualities. Liam Delap, who is one of Forest’s primary targets, ticks many of those boxes.There is a relaxed mood about the club not signing a host of new players, as they have in some recent transfer windows.Ousmane Diomande’s arrival in a €40million (£34.3m; $46.2m) deal from Sporting CP is regarded as being particularly significant, while former RB Leipzig midfielder Xaver Schlager has helped the other players understand Glasner’s mentality, having previously worked with him at Wolfsburg.And, from day one, the priority has been on working to instil that philosophy. The squad underwent intensive work in Portugal, where players generally had one long, demanding morning session, before being given time to recover, often with yoga and massages.Forest’s own chef travelled to ensure they received the right nutrition — with live cooking stations (where food was prepared in front of the players) helping to keep things more interesting. There were lengthy analysis meetings at the team hotel in Vilamoura and those have continued, as Glasner and his staff look to impart as much information as possible.Oliver Glasner laid out his methods during Nottingham Forest’s training camp in Portugal (Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)Glasner is not shy about calling out players if he feels their attention wavers in meetings — or if standards drop on the training ground.“He is very demanding. It is hard work. It has been intense. But he is very good,” Omari Hutchinson told The Athletic. “He is the kind of character who you can have a chat with. We do a lot of analysis, we look at things in detail, and he picks our brains a lot.”Further improvements have been made to the training ground, including an increase in size to the canteen area — Glasner believes it is important to promote a sense of togetherness by giving the players somewhere to relax, where they can play games including pool, table tennis and darts.“Leicester City have one of the best training grounds in the country. But it is also so big — everything is spread apart,” said a Forest source. “At the Nigel Doughty Academy, it feels as though everyone is together, because we are naturally working so close to each other. That feels like an asset.”The offices of many of Forest’s senior figures are all based along the same corridor, which those behind the scenes say has helped create a social environment that promotes communication.Giving ‘top talents’ a chanceGlasner’s intention is to have a compact senior squad of 20 to 22 senior outfield players, backed up by youngsters. There are likely to be several departures before the window closes, either on loan or permanently — and there will be opportunities for B-team and academy players to make the step up.Glasner sought the advice of former Forest midfielder Andy Reid — who has been appointed as the head of football development this summer — to ask which of the young players were ready to be involved in Portugal. Similar conversations will continue on a daily basis during the season.The facilities for academy and B team players are also being improved, with a new two-storey building being finished that houses changing rooms, classrooms and meeting spaces. There is a belief that working close to the senior players can be a source of inspiration for the club’s youngsters.Grady McDonnell is one of Nottingham Forest’s youngsters tipped to impress (Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)“They can see where they want to be, not across town, but right in front of them, it has to be a motivation.” Reid, 44, tells The Athletic, adding that Glasner has made a positive first impression.“He is a top coach, he has an incredibly high level of detail. There are no grey areas. Looking at it through the eyes of the player I was, he would have been music to my ears: ‘Tell me what you want from me, and let me go and do it’. I would have liked to play for him. What players crave is clarity. They want to know what is expected of them.“Having that level of clarity around the message that is being communicated on the training ground is something that has been immediately evident. It is something I have witnessed and something that has been very impressive. He has a directness — he is so clear in the message he wants to deliver.”It could mean some of those academy charges are given chances. Forest are leaning towards keeping Zach Abbott, partly because of his professional attitude and eagerness to learn, even if he may find game time harder to come by at the City Ground. Canadian-born Republic of Ireland under-19 midfielder Grady McDonnell has impressed.Glasner is aware of Forest’s proud record of having an academy product in every matchday squad since 1941.“For your top (young) players, there needs to be a chance that they get minutes for the first team — otherwise you don’t need an academy,” Glasner said in that interview in Portugal. “We have to find the space for these top talents.”