Nottingham Forest dressing room ‘confused and worried’ by new manager arrival
Nottingham Forest have endured a turbulent start to the season so far and are now closing in on appointing their third permanent manager.
Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Forest after just 39 days and eight games in charge, having previously been brought in to replace the dismissed Nuno Espirito Santo.
Sean Dyche is now closing in on the Nottingham Forest job, having been out of work since leaving Everton in January, and is expected to arrive imminently.
In the meantime, the Tricky Trees have plummeted to 18th in the Premier League table, and could drop to 19th if West Ham pick up a result against Brentford.
The turmoil behind the scenes, caused by bizarre off-field decisions and constant speculation about the manager’s positions, is now becoming a cause for concern.
Nottingham Forest players in limbo after Ange Postecoglou sack
Football Insider revealed on 7 October that Nottingham Forest players are not happy behind the scenes, with many left disillusioned by this season’s constant changes.
Those concerns have grown once again following Postecoglou’s departure, with the players now set to adapt to another manager’s style of play and demands.
That is according to former Man United and Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Dyche must act quickly to win over the dressing room upon his arrival.
“There’s been so much turbulence at Nottingham Forest,” he told Football Insider.
“The owner makes all of these decisions, and he’ll say it’s his money in the club so he can do what he likes, but clearly the way they’ve gone about things isn’t working.
“It’s not just a problem on the pitch, the constant changes behind the scenes won’t help anybody.
“Think about it from the players’ perspective, they were flying under Nuno, everybody knew their roles and they were confident every time they stepped out.
“All of a sudden, out of the blue, he’s gone and now they’ve got to adapt to the way Postecoglou wants to play, which is completely different.
“A few weeks later, while those changes are still being made and people are still adjusting, now he’s gone too and the players are left in limbo again.
“Now it’s up to Dyche to go in there and convince those players who have no doubt been confused and worried about the situation, that his way of doing things is the right way.
“I think Dyche is the right man to do that, he’s done it before, but speaking from the players’ point of view, it’s just adding to the issues that are already there.”
Alongside the growing uncertainty, however, Forest could be at risk of losing key players with the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White attracting interest.
Sean Dyche set to replace Postecoglou at Nottingham Forest
Dyche is closing in on the Nottingham Forest job, where he will sign a two-year contract to keep him at the City Ground until 2027.
The Forest hierarchy hope he will be able to reverse the issues gained from Postecoglou’s tenure by making them more defensively structured and pragmatic.
Brown told Football Insider on 13 October that Dyche is the “perfect” option for Nottingham Forest should they decide to sack Postecoglou.
Dyche previously turned down the Rangers job as he believed it wasn’t the right opportunity to step back into management, but has been tempted by Forest.
The former Everton boss already lives in the area and is a regular at the City Ground, which many believe will help him make an immediate impact.
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