‘It is something every manager craves, yet few truly possess. It is both required for success and often only achievable through it. It is perhaps the most precious commodity in coaching but cannot be supplied by a lavish owner, nor is it even quantifiable.

‘Mikel Arteta has it. Whether through his inherent charisma and character, his accomplished playing career, his precocious but promising coaching acumen, his humility or a combination of factors, he has something no transfer budget could ever provide: buy-in.’

He and Arsenal turned out alright. Arteta has used that buy-in to gaslight his squad for the last half-decade while waging psychological war on every opponent who dares to try not losing 1-0, like the deeply unhinged individual he is, capable of making Bayern Munich, Fleetwood and Hull all exactly the same game.

Oliver Glasner might not win the Premier League title by having his own players robbed, wielding lightbulbs or sacrificing Bukayo Saka to the gods. But he does have the “buy-in” he specifically demanded at Nottingham Forest.

“If you lose four of the last five games, it’s not good enough,” the Austrian said after defeat at Brentford left them in the relegation zone. “And that’s why for me, it’s now time that we change things, that I change things, and that’s what I will do.

“I feel I could see a few things from day number one. I feel now maybe I made too many compromises in some stuff. And it’s always compromises. It’s a clear way. I will tell what we want to do, what we have to do.

“And if the players buy in, I think we can have a turnaround. And if not, the sixth manager will come in.”

They still might. Mr. Marinakis can never be stopped doing Mr. Marinakis things. Nothing can really be ruled out at The City Ground.

But victory over Manchester City did feel like a watershed moment for Forest. A line in the sand. Year zero.

There was the before: not scoring at home; the Sean Dyche stuff; the suffering of Ange; Vitor Pereira replying to his July sacking with an automatic OOO email.

This could well be the start of the after: Liam Delap being a £50m striker; a unified club pulling in the same direction again; Ryan Yates being cut and bleeding trees.

“I played more than 500 games as a player. I managed 500 games as a manager. I’ve never heard such an inspiring speech to the team,” Glasner said of a pre-match Yates rally which prompted quite the response.

Forest ran 6.6km further than Manchester City cumulatively. They were quicker to react, braver in tackles, sharper in attack, more composed in defence.

“Oliver Glasner can’t do anything alone,” the manager said last week. “But we all together can do it,” he added.

In that context, his sprint down the touchline to join the players near the corner flag after Delap’s second, result-crowning goal felt like the moment it clicked for Forest.