The former Everton manager had a disappointing start at Goodison Park, but will have an even better team at his disposal at the City Ground.
Andy Dunn is the Mirror’s chief sportswriter.
Nottingham Forest’s statement confirming the appointment of Sean Dyche earlier this week was a bit strange and unintentionally funny in parts. It was hard not to smile when the announcement began with global head of football Edu Gaspard and global technical director George Sirianos touting their role in a “thorough recruitment process”.
The ‘Global’ duo came up with someone who lives just down the road from the City Ground. And while there is no doubt that the process was thorough, an available manager was still found and committed to the role for some time. The tone of the statement was a little strange.
“Dyche has built a team defined by defensive organization, resilience and strength from set-pieces. These qualities align closely with the current team attributes and the club’s football identity.”
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How these qualities align with Forest’s ‘football identity’ is anyone’s guess. Of course, the announcement of a new manager always has a positive vibe. You have to do that. It is the beginning of a new era.
The club has a duty to say that Dyche’s “appointment represents the best opportunity for a successful and competitive season in both domestic and European competitions”. The club has a mandate that Dyche “brings the perfect blend of personality, tactical acumen and track record to lead the club into its next chapter.”
And in his first interview as Forest manager, Dyche, who brought in club favorites Ian Warne and Steve Stone as assistants, made an impressive impression. That’s not surprising.
He is a very likeable character who is very charming and able to form a strong connection with fans. And he is a great manager, winning the Championship with Burnley in 2015-16.
He’s also a very confident manager, which is probably half the battle. But while he prepares to lead Forest into the ‘next chapter’, Dyche is still a manager who must convince people he can be progressive in the Premier League.
Despite receiving points deductions, he performed admirably to maintain Everton’s Premier League status. As he once said, Dyche led the club through a “wild storm”.
But the bottom line is that Dyche has won just three of his last 20 Premier League games. That’s what Ange Postecoglou is like. The winning percentage in 332 games in the Premier League is 28%. For most of my time at Everton, football wasn’t pretty.
Such an approach may have been necessary out of necessity, but it still wasn’t nice to watch. The investment from Evangelos Marinakis means Dyche will almost certainly have more talented players at his disposal than he previously had at Burnley or Everton.
And from a Forest team like this, supporters, and indeed the owners, will likely expect a little more in addition to “defensive organization, resilience, and strength from set pieces”.
Before the ball is kicked, Dyche and his staff look very suitable for Forest… but even after the first ball is kicked, Dyche will still be a manager with a lot to prove.
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