The new Nottingham Forest boss has some particular requirements for training with bans in place for certain items
Richard Garnett
12:41, 21 Oct 2025
Sean Dyche banned snoods and hats from the training ground at Everton
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Sean Dyche banned snoods and hats from the training ground at Everton(Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)
Nottingham Forest players could be in for a new set of training ground rules after Sean Dyche was appointed as their next manager on Tuesday morning.
The 54-year-old has been handed an initial contract until the summer of 2027 after Ange Postecoglou's disastrous 39-day reign ended on Saturday.
Dyche is known for being a hard-working, no-nonsense coach with an emphasis on defensive shape and discipline. That extends to the training ground, with the former Chesterfield defender introducing some blunt protocols at his previous club Everton.
After becoming the Blues' manager in January 2023, Dyche immediately banned snoods and hats from Everton training sessions. He also insisted that every player should wear shin pads. The rules were quickly implemented, but when it was put to Dyche that they were an example of "hard lines" under his stewardship, he simply argued that is was common sense.
Speaking to reporters in a pre-match press conference at the time (as per the Liverpool ECHO), he said: "This has been going round for years and it drives me mad. Unless I’ve been out of the game for too long, you’re not allowed to wear hats when you play on a Saturday, you’re not allowed to wear snoods when you play on a Saturday and you have to, by the rules, wear shin pads. It is not rocket science.
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"Everyone makes the mythical story that it’s hard lines from Sean Dyche. It is just common sense. You train how you play, how can you train how you play if you have 14 snoods on, 15 hats and leggings, no shin pads, white socks, it’s not relevant. I told the players, ‘these myths I’m going to bust them for you right now’.
"I explained to them. There is not a single player here where everything is not explained to them. I’d be surprised if any of them are in the dark on anything. I explain everything to them and the reason behind it."
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It is not yet clear whether the same rules will be implemented at Forest, but given Dyche's forthright views on the matter, the likelihood is high.
Dyche is known for pushing players to their physical limits, which suggests that the Forest squad he has inherited could be in for an intense few days before facing FC Porto at the City Ground on Thursday evening in the Europa League, for what will be the former Everton boss' first game in charge.