Nottinghamshire

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New Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche says he is "very pleased and very proud" to return to the club where he came through the youth system as a player.

Dyche did not make a first-team appearance but continued to visit the City Ground as a fan throughout his career.

"Down the years, I've spoken openly about my affection for the beginning of my career at Nottingham Forest under the great Brian Clough," he told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"I didn't quite force my way into the first team but I had three great years here as an apprentice and young pro.

"It's a strange thing to be back but a very good thing, a very pleasing thing, and something I'm hoping to do well at.

"I'm very pleased and very proud to be Nottingham Forest manager."

Dyche replaces Ange Postecoglou, who became the shortest-serving permanent manager in Premier League history following his dismissal after just 39 days.

However, the former Burnley and Everton boss believes the trajectory of the club can continue to rise.

"From Stevie Cooper, I saw the job that he did and how quickly he turned things round and began the process," said Dyche.

"One day it comes that you go and Nuno [Espirito Santo] came in and had a fantastic season. The latest manager has had a tough gig and I understand that. I am not questioning him - each manager has their way to do things.

"I've noticed the growth at the club, both off the pitch with the financial backing and on the pitch with some of the performances and great moments they have had, culminating in a big season last season.

"What a fantastic season. I thought they were excellent last season and I've already told the players. I marvelled at some of their performances, both individually and collectively, and the atmosphere around the City Ground."

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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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There isn't a soul in the world who could have predicted the relief of employing Sean Dyche just eight games into the season. But the chaos caused by losing Nuno Espírito Santo and appointing Ange Postecoglou is a typically Nottingham Forest thing.

Dyche has his detractors, and I think we all really wonder what he's capable of — but he, of course, is here to prove exactly that.

Having thrived at Burnley on meagre resources and saved Everton under difficult circumstances, when the chips are down then everyone knows he's your man.

Forest should be targeting a similar finish to last year but we already find ourselves in a relegation battle. Dyche's first job is to reinstate the defensive resolve that saw one the Premier League's top records, only to crumble away in recent games.

The former City Ground trainee will undoubtedly get us organised again but also bring back the pride that has also disintegrated since September. The new manager knows the club, knows the city and knows the fans — his priority will be to unite all three and put everyone back in the same direction.

Easier said than done but deal with shape on the pitch, the work on and off the ball, and set pieces in defence and attack… then you've got one of the most talented squads in the Premier League who just need to flourish in a system and formation they understand.

Make no mistake, Dyche has a job on his hands — getting out of trouble and then climbing the table — but whether he's a short-term appointment or here for the long haul is a question for the future.

The season is not too evolved to be saved and he knows as well as anyone it's the opportunity of a lifetime — just one that neither he, nor us, expected to present itself. Good luck, Sean.

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Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

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Sean Dyche is a manger who worked wonders with Burnley over 10 years. He has pedigree and I expect organisation from him.

He attracted a bit of criticism for his style at Everton, but he managed to steer them through the point deduction situation - as Nuno Espirito Santo did for Forest.

He will be organised and disciplined. He will focus on being strong at the back and wanting to keep clean sheets.

But, most importantly, he will foster a unifying spirit and bring the fans back on board.

He will - like any other coach - need results, but I can see the Forest squad responding to him and he will help to unify fans who have been disillusioned by the past couple of months.

Listen to full commentary on every Nottingham Forest game, and In The Game every weeknight from 18:00, on BBC Radio Nottingham.

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Nottingham Forest fans never took to Ange Postecoglou - not that they had much time together.

In the 39 days of Postecoglou's reign they turned after just 23, goading him he was going to be sacked during defeat to Midtjylland.

Now, supporters have to get behind Sean Dyche as Forest's third manager in six weeks and if he can do what Postecoglou failed to do in his eight games - win - then it will be a far more harmonious relationship.

Forest, in the Premier League relegation zone, need victories and managers can quickly make friends with three points.

Chief organiser Dyche is expected to quickly bring Forest to order, a side who have conceded 15 and scored just five in the league this season.

Do that and victories should come and once they do any doubters will come on board swiftly enough.

Nuno Espirito Santo - it seems a long time since he started the season as manager - and Steve Cooper had to win over supporters and did it in spectacular style, Cooper earning promotion to the Premier League and Nuno taking the club back to Europe.

One of Dyche's strongest skills is unifying a squad and fanbase and while he may have to win round some supporters, he lives locally and knows the club having been in the academy so he should easily be able to tap into the fans' feelings.

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton gave his evaluation on Nottingham Forest's new manager Sean Dyche on the latest episode of BBC Radio 5's Monday Night Club.

"Sean Dyche has always managed clubs where it has been a struggle," Sutton said.

"He bucked the trend at Burnley and got the best out of the players he had and proved himself to be an extremely capable manager. At Everton, he took over a team in trouble and stabilised the club, he had points deductions to contend with.

"Nottingham Forest want to stay in the league so it seems a sensible appointment. They won't go down, they have too many good players."

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Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

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Sean Dyche isn't coming to Nottingham Forest alone; joining him on the coaching staff are long-time lieutenants Steve Stone and Ian Woan, both of whom have deep roots at the club. Dyche has added two more familiar names to his backroom staff: Billy Mercer as goalkeeping coach and Tony Loughlan as an assistant.

For younger Forest fans, the pair of Stone and Woan were integral figures during the 1990s. Woan, a cultured left midfielder, was known for his superb delivery and long-range goals, including a stunning strike against Bayern Munich in the 1996 Uefa Cup that remains etched in Forest folklore. He was also the only player to play for Forest in each year of the 1990s.

Stone, meanwhile, came through the club's youth system and went on to make more than 200 appearances, earning England caps during one of Forest's last sustained spells in the Premier League under Frank Clark.

Meanwhile, Mercer has been a long-serving member of Dyche's coaching team, having worked with him throughout their successful spell at Burnley, where they achieved multiple Premier League seasons and a European qualification campaign built on defensive discipline and cohesion.

Loughlan, on the other hand, is another link to Forest's past. A midfielder who came through the ranks at the City Ground in the late 1980s before going on to play for Leicester City, he reunites with Dyche and Woan after previously serving under the manager at Burnley.

For Forest, the appointments carry a strong sense of continuity and nostalgia - a backroom team steeped in shared experience and with deep connections to the club's identity from the 1990s, now tasked with guiding a new generation through a challenging Premier League season.

Nottingham Forest have appointed former Burnley and Everton boss Sean Dyche as their new manager.

Dyche sat down with the team at Shut Up And Show More Football in 2023 to discuss the quirks of football, music and life.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

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We asked for your views on Nottingham Forest announcing Sean Dyche as the club's new head coach.

Some of you are thrilled:

Martin: Spot on - should have hired him straight after Nuno. Will get us organised and bring out the best in the star players - and the new players, who must be wondering what they signed up to!!

Patrick: Dyche is a solid appointment given where we are and the other options out there were not great. We have played the 'sexy football' card already with Ange and it turned us into a complete mess. You cannot keep gambling, Forest need to stay in the Premier League.

Amol: Sean Dyche will offer stability that Nottingham Forest need. But, their fans might miss out on the success and the style of football they enjoyed under Nuno.

Chris: Whilst it's not a great appointment. I think it's exactly what Forest need right now to sort the team out and give them the confidence back.

Others are no so happy:

Ben: Will Dyche be the manager to propel Forest on to more than we achieved last year? No. Is he going to steady the ship enough and manage the relationship with the fans better so that we don't have an absolute calamity of a season? I really hope so.

Bill: Sean Dyche is an adequate Premier League manager but his appointment shows a lack of ambition at Forest who are likely to remain a bottom half of the table team under him.

Rob: They must be desperate. Dyche is the most boring manager ever. Nobody else would work for Marinakis.

David: What a joke football is now, especially the Premier league. Managers circulate from club to club. We will never have a Robson or Ferguson again because they never get a chance to bed in and make their mark. The fear of a lack of success is so great.

Nottingham Forest are "the most owner-defined club since Abramovich's Chelsea," said Rory Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"Loyalty of the fans almost seems to skip the manager and is with Evangelos Marinakis because of everything he has done for the club.

"By that I mean taking them up to the Premier League, keeping them up and pushing them back into Europe. You can see why they adore him so much.

"But there is a price to pay for a man, who is used to getting his own way, being allowed to define the club by what he wants because this is when you do get a bit of managerial chaos."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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Sean Dyche is Nottingham Forest's new head coach.

He will be joined by his coaching team of Ian Woan and Steve Stone, who together made more than 400 appearances for the club in the 1990's.

Dyche, who has overseen over 330 Premier League matches in his career to date, has signed a contract until the summer of 2027 and will take charge against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.

Is Dyche the safe pair of hands that you wanted? And what do you make of the contract length?

Get in touch with your views here

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BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club are in agreement that the expected appointment of Sean Dyche would be a sensible choice for Nottingham Forest.

"I think it is a great job for Dyche to walk into," said former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock. "When you look at the attacking players they have and the structure behind the scene, then I think he is the ideal manager.

"He is the safe pair of hands. He will stabilize them and make sure they are OK for next year."

Forest have five points from their opening 11 games and sit third from bottom after a poor start to the season.

The Observer's Rory Smith added: "He will get a good squad at Forest and he has got an owner who will invest too, so I think it is an amazing opportunity for Dyche.

"We think Fulham's Marco Silva is the one that they really like, so it might be that Evangelos Marinakis and Edu are looking at him as the long-term target but Dyche to stabilize the club.

"I wouldn't have thought Dyche would only want to sign an eight-month contract, though? And what if he does really well? They can't then get rid of him."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds