Sean Dyche was axed as head coach after Nottingham Forest's dismal 0-0 draw with Wolves at the City Ground
05:00, 12 Feb 2026
Sean Dyche shouts from the touchline during Nottingham Forest's draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers
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Sean Dyche shouts from the touchline during Nottingham Forest's draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers(Image: PA)
Evangelos Marinakis’ frustration was all too clear as Nottingham Forest toiled without success on Wednesday night.
The Reds owner was seen slamming his hands down in exasperation as chance after chance went begging against Wolverhampton Wanderers. At one point, he had his head in his hands as if he could not believe what was unfolding in front of him. It did little to suggest anything other than the writing was on the wall for the man in the dugout below him.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This season was supposed to be one of pushing on, of building on a seventh-placed finish and embracing a return to European football.
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Instead, ahead of the first leg of their Europa League play-off with Fenerbahce on Tuesday, Forest are searching for their fourth head coach of the campaign. Confirmation of Sean Dyche’s dismissal came at 12.30am - three hours or so after the final whistle had blown on a dismal 0-0 draw with bottom club Wolves.
Dyche had appeared resigned to his fate when he faced the media to dissect his team’s goalless stalemate. Only a few days earlier, he had been bullish amid talk about his job being under threat. He seemed to know what was coming on Wednesday night, though.
“If the owner wants to make a change, then that's up to him, and that's the way football is now. That's just the reality of it,” Dyche had said.
The 54-year-old had continuously pointed out Forest find themselves in a better position than when he had arrived in October as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement. But that rather overlooked the fact they are still perilously placed in the table.
Just three points separate them from a West Ham United side beginning to find their groove under Nuno Espirito Santo. The fact it is a fired-up Nuno breathing down the Reds’ neck will certainly not have gone down well with the club’s hierarchy.
Dyche was brought in to steady the ship after a disastrous start that had seen Nuno fired after three games and Postecoglou axed after a winless 39-day stint. To an extent, the former Forest academy man did what he said on the tin.
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Expecting him to mastermind a rapid rise up the table was unrealistic. He did notch up some impressive victories against the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Porto. But he also oversaw some absolutely dire performances and results, too - a forgettable double against Everton, Wrexham, Braga, Leeds United and finally Wolves.
On Wednesday night, the hosts had 35 attempts at goal but never really looked like scoring against the team propping up the division. Not since 2016 when Manchester United had 38 shots in a 0-0 draw with Burnley had a Premier League side registered such a high tally without finding the back of the net.
Perhaps even more damning was the 62.9 per cent possession Forest had. It was the 10th occasion a Dyche team in the Premier League had seen at least 60 per cent of the ball - but he hadn’t come out on the winning side in any of them. That says a lot.
Boos and jeers echoed around the City Ground at full-time on Wednesday. Dyche, as is his custom, made a quick exit down the tunnel afterwards.
The players did stay behind to applaud the crowd, but some senior members of the dressing room were reportedly called to a meeting with Marinakis soon afterwards. Such scenarios generally point to only one thing.
Having rolled the dice again, Marinakis’ next move has a huge amount riding on it. With games running out, the margin for error is rapidly decreasing.
Manager of the month nomination one minute, sacked in the next breath. Dyche had dismissed such a scenario with a laugh in his pre-match press conference. He should have known better.
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