Sean Dyche has insisted he will give Nottingham Forest the “freedom to play” attacking football after being appointed as the club’s third head coach of the season. The former Burnley manager has replaced Ange Postecoglou after the Australian’s calamitous 40-day tenure.
Dyche has signed a deal until 2027 at the City Ground, where he started his career as a youth player but never reached the first team. He has brought the club legends Ian Woan and Steve Stone back as part of his backroom staff. One of the key reasons Forest chose Dyche was because of his record of building defensively solid teams at Burnley and Everton but he will be aiming to utilise the attacking talent available to him too.
“The basics have always got to be in place,” Dyche told Forest’s media channels. “Strong, fit and organised is always a good place to start, but I want the players to have the freedom to go and play. There’s some real talent here, so our job now is to find that balance – the risk and reward of going forward to score goals and excite the crowd, but equally the solid base which has been such a big weapon for the club, particularly last season. Finding that balance will be key.
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“It’s been important to familiarise ourselves with the players, get a feel for them, and for them to get a feel for us – but more importantly, we want to get them going again and bring that vibrancy back among them.”
Dyche and his staff, which also includes Tony Loughlan and Billy Mercer, oversaw training on Tuesday. Dyche has been out of work since being sacked in January by Everton, where he was in charge for two years, and will get his first taste of the home dugout against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.
“There was a nice edge to them in our first session, and we want to keep that going and take those plans into the schedule,” he said. “We’ve reminded them how good they are, what they’ve already achieved, and how we can build on that to bring consistency.”
The Fulham manager, Marco Silva, and the former Manchester City head coach Roberto Mancini were also considered but Forest opted for the experience of Dyche. Evangelos Marinakis was interested in appointing Silva, with whom he worked at Olympiakos, but a deal to bring him from Fulham mid-season was deemed too difficult.
In the background, the global head of football, Edu, and the technical director, George Syrianos, had been carrying out due diligence on potential candidates, with Dyche and Mancini regarded as the most compatible with the squad. The clarity of messaging from Dyche and his staff impressed Forest’s hierarchy in the hiring process.
A Forest statement said: “Dyche brings the perfect blend of character, tactical acumen and proven achievement to guide the club through its next chapter. Having managed more than 330 Premier League matches in his career to date, Dyche 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.
“As a former Forest youth player who lives locally, Dyche also has a deep understanding of the values and pride of Forest and its supporters.”
Dyche takes over a side 18th in the Premier League with five points from eight games after they lost 3-0 to Chelsea on Saturday in Postecoglou’s final match. Forest’s chaotic season follows Nuno Espírito Santo leading them back into Europe with a seventh-placed finish last term.
