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Sports | Opinion | Nottingham Forest
The City-Ground based side’s chaotic season took another twist this week, as Sean Dyche replaced Ange Postecoglou after his disastrous eight-game stint as the head coach. Another tactical reset, and desperate bid by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to improve results on the pitch.
The Birth of a Problem
From the moment Ange Postecoglou first walked through the City Ground gates, the shredder seemed to be on standby. The appointment by Nottingham Forest’s chair, Evangelos Marinakis, was a confusing one at best.
A man who forced Nuno Espírito Santo out the door because he publicly stated that their relationship was faltering. A show of great defiance by the Greek, to rid himself of the man who finished 7th in the Premier League last season, and secured Forest’s first European adventure in over 30 years in the process.
Then, just days after giving Nuno the boot, choosing Mr “high line for life, mate“ to replace his once effective but extremely pragmatic – if in doubt, kick it to Chris Wood – tactics was not a changeover that anyone expected to lead to a positive outcome.
Forest didn’t just change their manager — they ripped up an entire identity overnight.
The Final Score
A desperate attempt to revive Forest’s stale attack, but one at the brutal expense of last season’s defensive brilliance, which saw goalkeeper Matz Sels claim the joint-most clean sheets.
To hire a man who may have brought his last club Tottenham a trophy, but at the cost of a laughable 64 goals conceded and a 17th place finish in the league, was a confusing turn of events.
A truly baffling tale of two paths – one that was never going to end with the happy second season trophy syndrome that Ange was used to.
So, when the full-time whistle blew last weekend, after their 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, the inevitability of the Aussie’s home in Nottingham collapsing seemed obvious. In fact, a walk down the tunnel and a quick chat to his squad, and he was already gone.
Marinakis had pulled the plug, just 19 minutes after the score was finalised – another display of power to add to the Forest owner’s growing list. A complex that seems to have started banging through the dressing room door.
The Forest squad look clueless and in the midst of an identity crisis that Mr Marinakis can’t place his finger on. They have lost the defensive strength that proved to be the heart of their success last year, and the loss of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle over the summer is limiting last season’s top goalscorer Chris Wood’s effectiveness more than he’d like to admit.
There’s a New King in Town
After Ange’s nuclear disaster, it’s clear that Forest don’t have the players to support a positive brand of football. A shift back to something similar to Nuno was a must – but choosing ex Burnley and Everton boss, Sean Dyche to hold the throne was not the similarity that Forest fans were expecting.
To rely on a man whose CV shows he brought Burnley to relegation and almost relegated Everton, simply because he’s a fan of the club, is a hard case to favour – and a huge risk nonetheless.
But maybe one that makes sense under the current circumstances. Sometimes a step backwards is necessary in order to move forward.
There is no doubt that Dyche has a talented group of players to work with, and one that is much better than they’ve shown during the majority of this season.
Two Steps Forward, and Three Points Back?
In order to see the impact that Dyche’s style has on the players, he must be given a chance – and that can only be done through training sessions and 90-minute football matches.
He has a lot of work to undo the damage caused by Postecoglou’s eight-game tenure, which saw him win zero games. But to aid his success, it is vital that he immediately makes his identity clear – especially with the amount of eyes hooked on the City Ground.
It offers a fresh start to season strugglers Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood, to restart in a return to a counter-attacking style that served them so well under Nuno. A new beginning for the defence that thrives when forced to defend their own goalposts, and one that fans hope will drag them above the 18th place they currently occupy.
A new chapter to add to the growing list of breaking news that keeps on flying out of the club.
A chance for Dyche to win over fans, and stamp his name into its history – one that begins tomorrow night, as Nottingham Forest host Porto in the Europa League, in what will be his first match in the dugout.
