Latest Nottingham Forest news as Reds head coach Sean Dyche prepares for key Man United clash at the City Ground
07:00, 01 Nov 2025
Nottingham Forest head coach Sean Dyche on the touchline
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Nottingham Forest head coach Sean Dyche on the touchline(Image: Getty)
Sean Dyche wants to see Nottingham Forest bag a few ‘scruffy goals’ as they work to address their goalscoring problem.
The Reds have found the back of the net just once in their past seven Premier League games. Three different managers have held the reins during that run, with Dyche inheriting the issues that vexed predecessors Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.
Forest’s struggles up front were evident toward the end of last term and in pre-season. They put three past Brentford on the opening day as they triumphed 3-1, but have not won in the league since.
Dyche will attempt to put that right against Manchester United this afternoon (3pm kick-off), having overseen a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth last Sunday in his first league match at the helm. He will be without the injured Chris Wood, leaving summer signing Igor Jesus or Taiwo Awoniyi to get the nod to lead the line.
"We are still learning about Igor,” Dyche admitted. “And he is still learning about himself and his game.
"Taiwo is slightly different. He has been around a bit longer. He can hold it up and get it in the box, but you have got to get quality into the box.
"That is one thing I questioned heavily about Bournemouth - we hardly put any crosses in. We were in terrific areas to cross it from and yet we didn't do that.
"We put a cross into the right area against Porto (a 2-0 Europa League victory) and got a penalty. It is not always about a clean goal, it is also about the scruffy ones.
"Over the season, you want scruffy goals. The good ones take care of themselves, what about finding the scruffy goals? What about finding set-pieces and balls bouncing around the box? They are as important as any goal. We are reminding the players of that.”
Wood, who was Forest’s top scorer last term, is expected to return from a knee injury for the meeting with Leeds United on Sunday week. The New Zealand international is yet to feature in the Garibaldi for Dyche but the two worked together at Burnley - with great success.
"I think it's about style of play. I knew what Woody needed before he took fire here,” Dyche said. “I used to sit with the (Forest) Miracle Men on a Thursday afternoon having a cup of tea and I said: 'Trust me, they are not playing the way he needs to be played.'
"That's it, in a nutshell. Some players are incredibly adaptable and some need a certain way of playing.
"For me, Woody wants the ball there early. He wants it up there early, he wants to be facing the opposition goal, he wants the ball in the box early, in my opinion.
"Forest did that last year, a lot. It's not quite as simple as that, of course. He's got a lot more than I'm offering there, but that's the simplest format I can give you in words.
"He is obviously a good finisher. He's got an instinct and can smell a goal.
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"His defensive responsibility has improved enormously. I thought he was absolutely outstanding last season - pressing lines, looking around him, making sure he was aware of the opposition's deep-lying midfielder. He was outstanding with that off-the-ball stuff.
"It is more detailed, but the basic format is get the ball up there early or get it wide, get it in the box and then he will find you a goal. That's his style.”
In Dyche, Forest now have a manager who is keen to get back to basics and make the team hard to beat. Tightening up at the back is a priority.
He is in a similar mould to Nuno, in contrast to the more attack-minded Postecoglou. But he shrugs off any attempt to label him as playing a certain way.
“I’m not bothered. It’s dead easy to put managers and players in boxes - I don’t even answer to it,” Dyche said when asked if he is unfairly pigeonholed.
“I know what I do. I know I’ve been in the Premier League for a relatively long time as an English manager.
“It’s not easy, there are so many foreign owners and players now, they often want a foreign manager. Just to be an English manager in the Premier League is tough.
“I’m pushing 330-odd games. I’m in the top five or six English Premier League managers (for games managed).
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“I’ve never felt harmed by other people’s comments. This is a worldwide industry.
“You’ll be put in one box or another. But if I’m doing my job right, I don’t really need to speak much about the rest of it.”
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