For Nottingham Forest, this was never just a friendly. It was the first live look at Oliver Glasner in the dugout, the first step in a five-week build-up to the Premier League season, and the first chance to see how a new manager wants his team to move, defend and compete.
Glasner’s first match in charge came at Meadow Lane against Notts County in a 3pm kick-off, with Forest using their first summer friendly to start the work of turning a return to football into something more concrete. The immediate aim is not complicated: get ready for August 22, when Forest are scheduled to begin their Premier League season against Leeds United at the City Ground.
That gives the new head coach a clear early task. This week, Forest officially got back to work, and Glasner’s opening days are all about shaping the squad before the season starts in earnest. After this match, he was due to take the team to Portugal for a 12-day training camp, which makes the Meadow Lane fixture part of a much bigger preparation block rather than a standalone event.
The broader ambition is even clearer. Forest are not just looking to get through pre-season; they are trying to build toward another strong campaign after last season’s run to the Europa League semi-finals. That context matters, because the standards at the club have shifted. A first friendly can still be messy, but it also tells you what the manager is prioritising and how quickly the group can absorb it.
In that sense, the main takeaway is less about the result and more about the start of the process. Glasner has 15 players and 11 starters to organise from here, and the first match against Notts County was his first proper chance to begin that work in public. The next five weeks will be about turning early impressions into a team ready for competitive football.
Forest’s summer officially begins here, but the real story is what comes next: the training camp, the final adjustments and the opening league match that will show how far the new manager has already taken them.
