It’s the start of another new era at Nottingham Forest after Sean Dyche was officially appointed as their head coach, but Chris Sutton isn’t sure what to think.
Dyche was confirmed as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement on a deal running until the summer of 2027, and he will be supported by Forest legends Ian Woan and Steve Stone.
Evangelos Marinakis acted swiftly to sack Postecoglou just minutes after the defeat against Chelsea, and TBR Football revealed Forest held talks with Dyche over the weekend.
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However, not everyone agrees with the owner’s decision, and Sutton has now predicted how the club would have fared if the Australian hadn’t been sacked.
Former Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou looks on from the touchline during the defeat to Chelsea
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Chris Sutton says Ange Postecoglou would have kept Forest up
Nottingham Forest are 18th in the Premier League after winning just one of their opening eight fixtures, and Dyche will first be expected to steer them away from the relegation zone.
But Chris Sutton is confident the club would not have gone down under Postecoglou anyway for one simple reason.
“So it seems to be a sensible appointment in that respect,” the pundit said on the BBC’s Monday Night Club. “And they won’t go down.
“I mean, they absolutely won’t go down because, you know, I think they would have stayed up comfortably, had Ange Postecoglou stayed on.
“I think that they just have too many good players.”
Despite being able to call upon an array of talented players, Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked just three matches into the campaign, while Postecoglou won none of his eight games at the helm. The onus is now on Sean Dyche to spark a rapid turnaround and start picking up points.
What Nottingham Forest can expect under Sean Dyche
His arrival is more in tune with the club’s initial move for Nuno back in December 2023. They play a similar style, a back-to-basics approach proven to work in the Premier League.
On paper, the new manager should help to calm the choppy waters around the club and introduce a solid defensive structure, before working on lightning counter-attacks.
Forest excelled using this blueprint under Nuno last season, so there is no reason for Dyche to reinvent the wheel.
Supporters can therefore expect the new-look Forest to be happy to surrender possession, remain compact and then look to attack at speed.