Nottingham Forest have rapidly moved onto their third manager of the season, dispensing with Ange Postecoglou after a mere 39 days. They appointed Sean Dyche just three days later. Forest have been on a real rollercoaster over the past quarter of a century or so and it is showing no signs of slowing down.
They ended the 20th century in the Premier League but by 2005 were in the third tier. They were pomoted at the third attempt and then spent well over a decade in the Championship before earning promotion in back to the top flight for 2022/23.
They struggled to avoid relegation for two seasons but then under Nuno Espirito Santo last term they rocketed to seventh and qualified for Europe. Then maverick/crazy owner Evangelos Marinakis decided to fall out with and sack Santo, appointing “Big Ange”.
Thirty-Nine Days of Turmoil
Despite the losses racking up under the avuncular Aussie, many Forest fans claimed to prefer life under the new boss, with the promise of exciting football, rather than the more staid, counterattacking style delivered with such great effectiveness by his predecessor. Not all fans felt the same though, and with results truly abysmal, sections of the club’s support began to chant against the manager.
And so it came to pass that on the 18th of October, after just eight games in the job, Postecoglou was sacked. Appointed on the 9th of September his 39-day tenure as Forest manager was ended with a surely not-coincidental 39-word statement from the club within 17 minutes of their 3-0 loss to Chelsea. His spell now goes down in history as the shortest of any permanent boss in the PL. That said, with the way football is these days, we wouldn’t bank on that record lasting too long.
Is Dyche the New Big Sam?
Something strange in the neighbourhood? Call Ghostbusters. Run a PL team that seems destined to relegation and the managerial equivalent of Bill Murray and co used to be Sam Allardyce. However, Big Sam is now 71 and his stock has fallen somewhat after he failed to keep West Brom and Leeds in the top flight. In fairness to the former England manager, he was catapulted into the Leeds role in May and before that the Baggies job in December, with the club 19th.
Even so, there is a very good case to be made that Dyche is the new Allardyce, although the man himself would certainly feel he has loftier ambitions than merely being an emergency call to keep clubs up. The manager most closely linked with Burnley did a sensational job in his last role.
Everton appointed him when they had all sorts of issues going off the pitch. Against a terrible financial backdrop and a fanbase that had turned against the club’s hierarchy, the former central defender managed to keep Everton in the top flight on the final day in 2022/23 and 2023/24. Generally operating with a net profit in the transfer market, the Kettering native did a fine job at Everton but the football was at times close to unwatchable.
However, with Forest down in 18th place in the Premier League table, it seems clear that Marinakis has opted for pragmatism. One win in eight games is dreadful stuff and the two-time European champions have conceded a whopping 15 goals already. Their defending at set pieces is especially bad. Postecoglou famously does not believe defending them is something that should be worked on but Forest’s stats under him suggest otherwise.
In his eight games (all competitions) with the club, they conceded a massive 11 goals from set pieces. This is an area where Dyche excels and he will improve the defence in general and especially in terms of corners and freekicks. It is a different metric, but Dyche’s deadball expertise can be seen by the fact that almost 42% of the goals scored in the top flight by his teams have come from set-piece actions.
Forest fans who were unhappy with the football played by Nuno might want to hibernate for a while. However, come next August, there is every chance their side will still be in the Premier League.
Dyche’s Record
One massive thing in Dyche’s favour is his Forest connections. He was with the club as a youth and while he didnt make it, he will be bringing two assistants with him that most certainly did. He has worked with Steve Stone and Ian Woan for a long time and the presence in the dugout of three Forest old boys will certainly help.
However, Dyche also brings a wealth of Premier League and managerial experience. He has managed over 550 games in all, with most of those while at a top-flight side. He did brilliantly with Burnley and his win record there of over 35% was first class given their limited finances.
The gruff-voiced gaffer earnt them two promotions into the PL and they enjoyed six consecutive seasons there at one stage. The highlight of that was 2017/18 when Dyche guided them to seventh and a spot in Europe. Marinakis and co will one hoping for more of the same from the pragmatic, straight-speaking boss, who should also be able to get the best out of Chris Wood given his preference for a target man up front.