Why Nottingham Forest back Dyche to reverse Postecoglou disaster | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest appointed Sean Dyche with a quite pointed statement on Tuesday morning, one which could be read as a subtle dig at predecessor Ange Postecoglou.

The club stated that the former Burnley and Everton boss has “the perfect blend of character, tactical acumen and proven achievement” to lead the team. He has “built teams defined by defensive organisation, resilience, and strength from set pieces – qualities that align closely with the current squad’s attributes and the club’s footballing identity.”

It’s not hard to read between the lines. The dog on the street knew that Postecoglou was a terrible fit for the Forest squad, which excelled for a period under the ultra-defensive Nuno Espirito Santo. It floundered badly when his successor tried to implement a free-flowing style of football.

To be fair to Postecoglou, the finishing gods were not smiling on him during his 39-day reign. Forest created 47 chances in five Premier League games, but only turned one of them into a goal. They missed a host of great opportunities to score against Chelsea, but fell to a harsh 3-0 defeat. There’s not much a manager can do when the ball simply won’t go in the net, but an eighth straight game without victory in all competitions sounded the death knell for him.

The appointment was a huge gamble on Evangelos Marinakis’ part. The team needed an evolution after Nuno’s tactics had been found out by the end of last season, but by hiring his compatriot, the Greek shipping magnate went for full-blown revolution.

The search for a third manager of the season spoke to the confused nature of Forest’s operation. Forest also looked at Marco Silva and Roberto Mancini, revealing no discernible strategy. What exactly were they looking for?

They are all pragmatic coaches to an extent, although Dyche falls more under the dogmatic category. But it nonetheless feels like Marinakis drafted a shortlist of managers that he personally likes and that was extent of the criteria laid down.

Read – Postecoglou pays price for diving back in at the deep end

Why Forest back Sean Dyche to undo Ange Postecoglou disaster

Regardless, it seems like there was at least a recognition that the club needs to get back to basics to pull them out of the mire. Dyche has extensive experience in this area.

Burnley were relegation candidates in his first full season at Turf Moor, but he guided them to Premier League promotion instead. During his decade-long spell as manager the Lancashire outfit spent all but two seasons in the top flight and qualified for the UEFA Europa League once.

In January 2023, Dyche was tasked with steadying an Everton ship that was taking on water at an alarming rate. Although he was unpopular with the fans towards the end of his two-year stint at Goodison, he brought stability to a club in crisis on and off the pitch. That, and the easing of their financial woes, have been the springboard for an impressive run under David Moyes.

Forest fans would bite your hands off for a similar outcome at the City Ground. Five points from eight league games leaves them third from bottom in the table. With the promoted sides being more competitive than expected, relegation is a legitimate fear.

The Tricky Trees have ambitions beyond mere survival, but they have to be realistic about the current situation. Dyche may not have been the ideal choice, but it’s the one they had to make right now.

Read – The shortest managerial reigns in Premier League history

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