Latest Nottingham Forest news as Sean Dyche's Reds prepare for crunch Premier League clash against Leeds United
13:45, 07 Nov 2025
Sean Dyche watches from the touchline during Nottingham Forest's Europa League clash with Sturm Graz
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Sean Dyche watches from the touchline during Nottingham Forest's Europa League clash with Sturm Graz(Image: PA)
Sean Dyche has emphasised the ‘reality’ of Nottingham Forest’s situation as they prepare for a crucial game against Leeds United.
Balancing competing in Europe while trying to move away from trouble in the Premier League is the task for the Reds this season. They face a quick turnaround from Thursday night’s 0-0 Europa League draw away to Sturm Graz, with the newly-promoted Whites visiting the City Ground on Sunday (2pm kick-off).
Eighteenth-placed Forest are still stuck in the relegation zone ahead of this weekend’s match. They are four points from safety and five behind their next opponents, and Dyche knows there is no hiding from the challenge.
Asked if it is too early to read much into the table, the Reds boss said: “No, the table doesn't lie. The table is what it is.
“I’ve heard bits of how we didn’t take this or that chance before I was here. We’ve had a little bit of that with the lad (Amad Diallo) scoring a great goal for Man U (to hold Forest to a 2-2 draw at the City Ground) - if that doesn’t go in, we win. On the other hand, we clear one off the line and both teams have a couple of moments.
“These are all the debatable things. But the league table is what it is. The schedule is what it is, it ain't going away - all these games are not going away.
“I do always remind the fans, everyone wanted European football; everyone wants the challenge. But then the reality is, you can't suddenly change things. It’s there, that’s what’s happening.
“We've come in after other managers to try to put it right. So far, I think there are positive signs about the performance levels. But I'm not naive, the performance levels have got to win.
“We need to get players fit and we need a competitive squad to then go and take on the challenge. And in the meantime, working as hard as we can to get players fit, get them out there and get them winning games. It's a process. It's very rare it happens just like that.”
The Reds know all about battling for survival in the Premier League. Their first two seasons after promotion were spent scrapping at the bottom end of the table before they finished seventh last time around.
“That's part of being a professional footballer,” Dyche said of dealing with being in the bottom three. “That is the challenge. People forget, after one good season it doesn't solve everything.
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“You're not just suddenly guaranteed to be a top-10 Premier League club; it takes a long time to make sure you are thought of as that. It's a process.
“Three seasons ago, staying up was close. Two seasons ago, it's close again. Then suddenly, you jump. That doesn't mean that you jump forever.
“I'm not naive, I know how tough the Premier League is, I've been in it for a long time. It's a constant shift. Add in European football - which everyone wants - and the challenge just keeps increasing. That’s got to be put into the thinking.
“When I was on the outside looking at it and fans were telling me, ‘we’re going to do this and we're going to do that’, I said I don't think it's that easy. Once I saw them get into Europe, I said, trust me, it's not going to be that easy.
“It’s not bona fide guaranteed that you are now absolutely 100 per cent a top-10 Premier League club. It doesn't happen like that. There's a process for the club, as well as for the players and the fans.
“The fans have been terrific since I've been here and are finding a bit of balance. They have maybe looked at it a bit differently and thought ‘OK, this guy is at least just telling us the truth, he wants to be here, he loves the badge, he wants the badge and he wants us to do well.’
“I'm not just saying that, that's what fans are telling me. But they've got to understand, there isn't magic dust. You can't just make it happen overnight, there's a lot of work that needs to be done. That's what we're doing and that's what we intend to do.”
It is early in the campaign, but Sunday’s game has an important feel about it going into the international break. Dyche has played down its significance, though.
“Trust me, they are all big games. I'm not being flippant,” he added. “When you come in as a manager in this situation, it's not like I came in here green and naive. I knew the stats and facts.
“I've been surprised by some things, especially the injury list. We’re looking at the how with all these injuries and the stats and facts physically.
“I said recently, we haven't got magic dust. You can't suddenly make players who are not used to having that killer edge score 20 a season. It's not that easy or else we'd all be doing it.
“On the other hand, I think there are positive signs with the way the team are playing to go and create better chances - and from open play. There was a lot of noise about not making so many chances from open play, but we’ve certainly been showing better signs of that and getting clean sheets along the way.
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“I came here with the absolute open mind for the reality. That is my job; it's not all the myths and hearsay and social media, trust me. It's looking at the actual stark facts of where they are at physically, where are the stats at, where's the analysis at, who's delivering performances, who needs polishing up a bit, who needs to get ready and who are not quite ready.
“That's all part of the process on a daily basis. We work with all the staff here to ensure we're putting a team out there that can win.”
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