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Can Sean Dyche prove that he is more than just a fire fighter?

Sean Dyche has developed a reputation as the manager called exclusively by teams in relegation trouble at the bottom of the Premier League. In that sense, he has picked up that baton from Sam Allardyce, and it will be hard for him to prove he can be anything other than that, but he may have the chance at Nottingham Forest.

Famously, Allardyce railed against the tag he was given as a long ball and defensive coach who represented little more than stability. It was harsh in his prime with Bolton, whom he guided into Europe with a perfect blend of style and substance, but by the time he was taking jobs with the likes of Sunderland, West Brom and most recently Leeds, it was hard for him to avoid. Never one to undersell his own ability, he said if his name was “Sam Allardici”, he would coach Inter or Real Madrid.

While that may be farfetched, there is merit to the idea that stereotypes like name and appearances can feed into how managers are viewed. Dyche has embraced how he is seen and seems to revel in it; after turning Burnley into a stable Premier League side and even guiding them into Europe, he went on to keep Everton in the top flight at a time when they were blighted by financial issues leading to little backing in the transfer market and even points deductions due to a failure to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Many pundits have previously asked why Dyche has never been given a “project” with a strong squad and money to spend. Forest could finally be that for him; their miserable start to the season has led to the same comments about a lack of ambition and desperation to avoid relegation by hiring him off the back of sacking Nuno Espirito Santo and, after less than 40 days in charge, Ange Postecoglou. Evangelos Marinakis, love him or hate him, has overseen the club’s growth into one of English football’s most exciting teams, free of their own PSR issues, with some extremely talented players at their disposal.

Perhaps the narrative can be flipped. Forest need to turn themselves around quickly, but it is still early in the season and with the quality they have, it shouldn’t be too hard to stabilise. Style wise, part of the reason it has been so difficult for them was Postecoglou’s complete contrast in philosophy to Nuno, who oversaw the formation of the squad, building it to play counter-attacking football. After weeks of trying, and failing, to adapt to Postecoglou’s more “dominant” approach, Dyche is a return to the status quo. Postecoglou lost every game in charge, while Dyche won his opener in the Europa League against FC Porto on Thursday.

There are many other reasons he is a fit for Forest. Living locally, he was a season-ticket holder on and off having been a youth product at the club under Brian Clough. The supporters, who embraced the football played under Nuno, relate to him and seem to love his straight talking demeanour, and Dyche has made it clear he knows this is his biggest test yet.

“The players are aware of [my style],” he said before the win over Porto.

“I took a lot of feedback from the players and not just me. They are very proud of what they did last season. Now can we mould it slightly differently but keep that winning mentality? Long ball, short ball? You have just got to play effective football. That will never go out of fashion.”

“To take a small club like Burnley and get to Europe was incredible. But it’s all past me now. The staff, the team, the ownership – they are all in an awkward place for the first time in a number of seasons. It’s our job to find a way back from that.”

It can be easy to suggest Forest have gone for a safe appointment in Dyche, but actually, this is his chance to show he is more than just the Allardyce-like fire fighter. There have been calls for him to be given a big job with expectation and players capable of delivering on it, now he has that and must prove himself.