Nottingham Forest are preparing to take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road in a key Premier League clash

Head coach Oliver Glasner remains convinced Nottingham Forest are close to turning their form around after three defeats on the spin.

The Reds are 19th in the Premier League table ahead of Friday night’s trip to face Ipswich Town (8pm kick-off). They have paid the price in recent weeks for not making the most of their chances, and Glasner is keen to avoid a similar fate at Portman Road.

The Austrian was encouraged by what he witnessed in Sunday’s 1-0 reverse to title holders Arsenal. It wasn’t just the manner of his team’s performance that inspired confidence in the Forest boss but also evidence of a strong team spirit.

Glasner has consistently emphasised it will take time to get the club where he wants them to be after becoming the Reds' fifth manager in the space of a year when he took charge in the summer. Owner Evangelos Marinakis remains as ambitious as ever, but there is a need for patience after last term's turbulence.

Asked if he had held discussions with the Forest hierarchy about the start to the season, Glasner said: “We don’t need to have discussions about it, because it’s pretty obvious where we are. It’s pretty obvious that we have just five points.

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“Nobody is pleased with this. Nobody is satisfied with this; no player, no staff member, no one in the leadership.

“But on the other side, everybody sees the effort and everybody sees the performances. That’s why it’s really very quiet in the club.

“I didn’t just feel it, I could see it - and we also showed it to the players today - how we had a fantastic atmosphere within the team and here at the City Ground (on Sunday). For me, it feels like it was a huge game.

“We talked about the home games and the home form, but there was a big belief - in the team and in the stands - until the final whistle that we could get the equaliser. If things worked, the players supported each other and gave high-fives. Even when things did not work, there was positive support and positive vibes within the team. I felt it for the first time that we had this kind of atmosphere and this kind of spirit.”

Glasner took charge at the City Ground after an impressive spell at Crystal Palace which yielded silverware in the form of the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League. The hope remains one day he will oversee similar success on the banks of the Trent.

“We are really going step by step,” Glasner said. “Yes, the results are not satisfying, but I won’t change my principles in life or how I see football, because I can’t.

“This is why I’m sitting here, this is why I’m a Premier League manager. This is why I’m the Premier League manager with the most trophies won over the past 16 or 17 months. So why would we now be having doubts, just because a few results are not how we wanted.

“There is a reason why I’m sitting here, and the reason is because nobody was satisfied with last year’s season - neither with the performances or the results. This is why we want to change something, because if you always do the same, you will always get the same.

“We are, I would say, in the middle of this thunderstorm a few times. But like always, you have to go through it and then afterwards the sun is shining.”