The badge is bigger than any manager,” the new Forest boss stated at his introduction as the club's manager, wearing a training kit with his monogram. Subsequently, amended his statement. “Well, there was a single manager who was probably as big as the badge – everyone recognizes who that was.”} Then came, an impression of the legendary manager, an attempt at that distinctive accent. “‘Young ginger, well done,’” he recalled, reliving his three years as a youth player at the City Ground, the days he spent wandering down the Trent, with Del Boy, dashing past him and his boss's voice invariably within hearing range.
The coach tells a anecdote of how, as a youngster, he and a couple of mates looked after the manager's yard at his residence in Quarndon. “We were on £28.50 a week and he paid you a ten pounds to tend his garden. So we really thought: ‘This is decent.’ He’d cook for you and ensure you were well looked after. It was rather enjoyable, not too much yard work.”
For Dyche, the appointment has been a years in the planning. He resides in the city and has a fondness for the team. In recent years, he and his longstanding coach Ian Woan, who was a member of the Forest side the previous occasion they were in Europe, in 1995‑96, have sometimes popped into the local coffee shop where club icons such as a former player, another stalwart and Garry Birtles gather every week to talk stories from past and present. He will have to skip it this week to get ready for the arrival of the Portuguese side, unbeaten this campaign, in the European tournament on this week.
I can't wait to seeing the miracle men,” said Dyche, who replaced Ange Postecoglou to become the team's latest manager of the term. I'll get an earful if I fail to deliver, so I better win some games for them. Those fellows mean a lot to me. A great deal of supporters recognise the legacy of this club. I’ve got my own and now I’ve got a opportunity to reinvent my own story, I suppose, as manager.”
The new boss oversaw the team training for the initial session on this week, three days after Postecoglou oversaw a three-nil at home loss by the London club that left the side in the Premier League drop zone. the club captain, who came aged eight, admitted these are early days but Dyche and his staff have eased some of the gloom.
Dyche’s backroom team features one more club icon in a former player, as well as Billy Mercer and Tony Loughlan, who played for the team. In my view a massive asset of this club is getting the bond between the supporters, players and manager and, let’s be honest, the last few weeks we haven’t had a positive feeling around here,” the captain stated. Dyche and his assistants have brought that sense of life and enthusiasm.”
He emphasized he doesn't understand the club like the back of my hand” considering his latest encounter at Forest has been as an rival boss, but he thinks he has a broader understanding of the environment and demands. The house rules have been set. “I’ve let them wear white socks, for goodness sake,” the manager said. “I’ll have my former teammates criticizing me on WhatsApp. But they’re forbidden to wear neck warmers or headgear … I had to do a deal somewhere.”
Forest have been defeated in their past four matches and failed to secure a victory since the start of the season. Dyche said the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, recognised the importance of stabilising things. Dyche faced the Greek billionaire in the European competition with Burnley, when his side lost in a qualifier against the Greek side in 2018. Following the initial match Dyche expressed frustration at Olympiakos dignitaries, among them the owner, confronting the referees at the break in Piraeus. We laughed about it,” he said.
Part of his attraction is his reputation for constructing sides with strong foundations, relevant for a team without a clean sheet in 20 matches. “I’ve been put in many boxes, I’m not concerned,” he said. I don't avoid behind what’s effective. It’s no point of pride to me. In the past people were going: ‘Why do you depend on set pieces?’ Now they’re popular. Tight trousers, wide-leg pants, slim fits, flared jeans … my daughter hammers me for any trousers I wear. It seems on online platforms even I got some criticism for my trainers arriving at training [on Tuesday] … was surprised by that. Tom Ford [trainers] but, anyway, prefer not to bring it up it.”
Dyche is proud that his early career were at Forest but thinks that should not mean he or his team are evaluated in a special way. “There’s no shortcut with the fans, but we do care, that’s one thing I don’t think can ever be doubted,” he said. “All I dreamt of was wearing the jersey, but I never got to achieve it. Stoney and Woany did, Billy played as a temporary goalkeeper, Tony featured and netted a goal. I was the sole person who failed to and they constantly tell me of that.
“For me to have that part of it is a big thing for me individually. But it doesn’t give me a divine right, trust me. The supporters expect me to succeed. If I’m not winning, the crowd are going to criticize me because how supporters work and I’ve got no issue with that because it's the truth. I was here as a kid and didn't get to wear the shirt, the emblem. Now, currently, I’m here with it wearing it.”
