Newly hired Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche’s priority is to bring stability to a team which he believes lost sight of the “basics” during its poor start to the season under his predecessors.
Dyche is Forest’s third manager of the season, with Nuno Espirito Santo and Australian Ange Postecoglou having already been fired over the last two months.
Forest defied expectations by finishing in seventh place last season after spending most of the campaign in the Champions League spots.
Football’s new home, Stan Sport, is the only place to watch the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, WSL, European World Cup qualifiers, J.League, NSWL and K League
Ange Postecoglou of Nottingham Forest. Getty
After eight games this season, the team is in the relegation zone with just one league win so far.
Speaking at his presentation as Forest’s latest manager on Thursday (AEDT), Dyche said he is fully aware after holding talks with owner Evangelos Marinakis that “stability is the next move.”
“That’s not an acceptability for the whole run of being Nottingham Forest manager,” the locally born Dyche said, emphasising that he didn’t want players to accept “alrightness.”
READ MORE: ‘All about him’: Ange habit that fans can’t stand
READ MORE: Bears blow confirmed by agent in ‘crazy’ Munster pursuit
READ MORE: Why AB is pleading with Konstas to shelve this ‘bloody’ shot
Sean Dyche of Nottingham Forest, speaks to the media in a press conference at the City Ground. Getty
“But the first thing is, can we just stabilise the situation? I think everyone knows that… then, can you move it forward? It still needs the basics put back in the team, I think. Because I think they lost sight of that a little bit.”
Forest had a successful season under Nuno’s pragmatic and direct style, before Postecoglou changed things by bringing along his attacking mindset that didn’t fit the players in Forest’s squad.
Dyche’s style is more like more like Nuno’s – and he makes no apologies for that.
NEW PODCAST! Adam Peacock, Craig Foster, Mark Bosnich and Vince Rugari ask what next for Ange Postecoglou after a Nottingham Forest disaster
“We want to play effectively. We’ve got to get back to winning as a starting point,” he said.
“It’s no point me telling you we’re going to play like Spain when they won the World Cup. It’s not that easy… there has to be a base to work from.”
Those tactics are now in vogue in the Premier League with long throw-ins and long punts down the field from kickoffs becoming commonplace this season.
Sean Dyche of Everton gestures as Ange Postecoglou of Tottenham Hotspur looks on. Getty
“I have seen enough fashionistas come in and out of this division,” Dyche said.
“You’ve got to win the games, it’s as simple as that. Long ball, short ball? You’ve just got to play effective football. That will never go out of fashion.
“I did a podcast with (former Stoke City manager) Tony Pulis and Tony is now being lauded for long throws, but before he was getting hammered for long throws. It’s the fashion of football, it changes all the time. I’m not pontificating one way or the other, the bit I like is when you win.”
Dyche’s first match in charge is against Porto in the Europa League on Friday (AEDT).
His first Premier League game with Forest is at Bournemouth on Monday (AEDT).
Dyche said taking charge of Forest “rounds the circle” of his career having been an apprentice at the City Ground in the days of the club’s greatest ever manager Brian Clough.
Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough. Getty
The former Watford, Burnley and Everton manager said he takes a great deal of pleasure in managing the two-time European champions with whom his career began as a youth team player in the late 1980s.
“I have a longer history with the club from 87 to 90 and remember walking down the river (Trent) and Del Boy (Brian Clough’s dog) running past you and the voice of Brian Clough in earshot,” he said.
“All the legends that played at that time and there were some top players, and you know, you’re thinking I just want to pull that shirt on, and now to round the circle and be here as manager is something quite big for me.
“But I’m not just here for a fun time, there’s a job to be done.”
Sean Dyche of Everton gestures as Ange Postecoglou of Tottenham Hotspur looks on. Getty
Dyche, who parted ways with Everton in January after two years at the helm, will be assisted by former Forest players Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Tony Loughlan and Billy Mercer.
“They’ve got a deeper history than me here but obviously it’s fast forward now, it’s a considerably different club.”
Dyche was asked what Forest fans can expect from him.
“We’ve got to get back to winning ways,” Dyche, whose only previous experience of managing a club in a European tie was a Europa League playoff in 2018 with Burnley, said.
“They weren’t winning at the end of last season after they perhaps ran out of steam and it’s not been a great start this season.
“But this is a good group, a very talented group and they showed that willingness and desire last season to the world. Now we have to reignite that.”