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NOTTINGHAM FOREST MANAGER SEAN DYCHE HITS GROUND RUNNING WITH TWO FIRST-DAY BANS

New Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has relaxed his famous 'no white socks' training rule as he implements his methods. However, the manager is still enforcing bans on hats and snoods at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest Manager Sean Dyche Hits Ground Running With Two First-Day Bans
Dyche's players are not allowed to wear snoods or hats in training, but can wear white socks - Photo Credit: Getty Images

In the new era of Nottingham Forest under Sean Dyche, the freshly hired manager has softened a position he held at past clubs while enforcing some of his principles.

On Tuesday, Dyche was announced as Forest's new manager, agreeing to a deal that would last until the summer of 2027.

Nuno Espirito Santo was fired last month, and Ange Postecoglou was fired on Saturday afternoon, making the 54-year-old the third manager at the City Ground this season.

And with all of the chaos at the club so far this season, Dyche is attempting to bring some order back by enforcing rules among the players.

However, by permitting players to wear white socks during practice, the former manager of Burnley and Everton has broken one of his long-standing, traditional no-nos.

When asked how his training sessions at Forest had gone, Dyche told The Times, "It is early still, but I would like to think they do their homework, I would like to think they know enough people in the game and ring about."

During Nottingham Forest's practice, centre Sean Dyche established certain guidelines for his players.

During practice, Dyche permits players to wear white socks but not hats or hoods.

For heaven's sake, I have never permitted anyone to wear white socks, yet I have allowed them to do so. My former teammates will make fun of me on WhatsApp by saying things like, "Gaffer, they are wearing white socks."

That is reasonable, isn't it? However, they are not permitted to wear caps or snoods, so I had to make a compromise somewhere. Do you understand what I mean?

In contrast to his tenure at Everton, he is now wearing white socks. During his unveiling at the Toffees in February 2023, he discussed his previous rule, saying: "This has been going around for years, and it drives me nuts." 

According to the rules, you must wear shin pads when playing on a Saturday and are not permitted to wear hats or snoods, unless you have been away from the game for an extended period of time. It is not that difficult.

Everyone fabricates the fabled tale of Sean Dyche has harsh lines. It is only common sense. 

It does not matter if you are wearing 14 snoods, 15 helmets, leggings, no shin guards, and white socks. You train how you play. "I am going to break these myths for you right now," I said to the players.

Even though caps and snoods are still prohibited during practice, Dyche is optimistic that the small, playful changes will have an impact before their Europa League home match against Porto on Thursday.

It will be Dyche's first game as manager of his new team, and he claims that owner Evangelos Marinakis is aware of the difficulties they face because stabilising the team comes before winning the Europa League.

In order to simulate games, players at Everton were required to wear shin pads and football socks.

Regarding Marinakis' restrained aspirations, Dyche stated on Wednesday, "He is well aware of the challenges." He discussed the difficulty in a very candid manner. He does not seem to think it is a gimme based just on the previous season.

He has a lot of football experience, first with Olympiacos and now here. Stability is the first course of action; however, it is unacceptable for the duration of Nottingham Forest's managerial tenure.

"That is not what I want." "Well, that is OK then" is not what I want to do as I sit here.

I always tell players that "alrightness" is not acceptable. You receive nothing from it. Let us aim higher.

You should want more as a football manager, coach, and player, but first, is it possible to just stabilise the situation?

"In my opinion, the team still has to be reminded of the fundamentals since they have somewhat lost sight of that."

CONOR GALLAGHER CONFIRMED AS "VITAL" STARTER FOR SPURS FOLLOWING BENTANCUR’S INJURY LAYOFF

Conor Gallagher proved the doubters wrong against Man City. Discover why his €40m move to Tottenham is finally paying off for Spurs.

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Conor Gallagher secured first Spurs assist as Tottenham snatched a point at City

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid both decided Conor Gallagher wasn’t worth the trouble. At Chelsea, he had his moments—Pochettino liked him, but the fans never really warmed up. When Chelsea shipped him off to Atletico, it made sense. Enzo Fernandez stepped up, took over Gallagher’s role, and fit in perfectly next to Caicedo, with Cole Palmer adding that extra spark up front.

Things didn’t get much better for Gallagher in Spain. He barely got a chance at Atleti, lost his spot in the starting eleven, and pretty much ended up on the transfer list before anyone had time to blink. Interest was lukewarm at best until the winter window rolled around. Aston Villa wanted him and went after him pretty aggressively, but then Tottenham swooped in late. Spurs needed someone to patch up the midfield after Bentancur’s injury, so they just paid up—40 million euros, no hesitation.

His start at Tottenham? Rough. Honestly, that was to be expected. He’d played well at Palace before, but after his struggles at Atleti, he needed time to adjust. Sitting on the bench in Spain didn’t do him any favours.

Then Gallagher showed up. People doubted whether he could really add creativity and move the ball forward for Spurs, so his early struggles got people worried. But then came the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He suddenly looked like the player both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so desperate to sign.

Against City, Gallagher flipped the script. He set up a crucial assist, drove play forward on the dribble, and kept drawing fouls—everything the Spurs needed. Defensively, he was all over the place in a good way: two tackles, three interceptions, a full 90 minutes, and a huge part of the Spurs clawing their way back into the game.

Tottenham fans loved it. They saw the effort, the attitude, and the hunger to win. Gallagher just wouldn’t quit, and in that second half, he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke ran the show. Four of those guys have been carrying Spurs lately, so Gallagher is fitting right in with them. That’s a pretty good sign he’s going to work out just fine in North London.

AC MILAN MEDICAL FAILURE: THE HIDDEN KNEE INJURY THAT CRUSHED MATETA’S £30M MOVE

Jean-Philippe Mateta's £30m move to AC Milan is OFF. Discover why a failed medical has put his France World Cup dreams in jeopardy.

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Mateta’s "dream move" suddenly turned toxic.

Jean Philippe-Mateta’s got a real headache right now. The Crystal Palace striker just watched his £30 million dream move to AC Milan blow up at the last minute, all because a knee problem showed up during his medical.

The thing is, Mateta’s been carrying this injury for a while. Now he’s stuck: should he go under the knife and try to recover in time for the World Cup? He wants to make the France squad this summer, but nothing’s guaranteed. Even if he has surgery, there’s no telling if he’ll be fit enough—or have enough time on the pitch—to convince Didier Deschamps he deserves a spot.

The injury’s been dragging him down anyway. It’s messing with his form and his game time, and he’s worried he won’t get a real shot at proving himself for France if he isn’t at his best.

It’s tough because he’s coming off a fantastic year at Palace. FA Cup winner, big goals, helped the club reach Europe—it’s been a dream run. But now he might have to go back to Selhurst Park, even though he’s made it clear he’s had enough and wants out.

Honestly, it feels like only a matter of time before he leaves. His contract runs out next summer, and Palace can’t risk losing him for nothing. They’ve already watched Marc Guehi go to Man City for a bargain, just because his deal was running down.

Now Mateta has to sit down with Palace and the doctors to figure out what to do about his knee. Surgery would sideline him for months, probably killing his World Cup chances.

He’s gutted about Milan falling through, especially after Juventus cooled their interest and Nottingham Forest had an offer turned down. Over the weekend, he even unfollowed Palace on Instagram and posted a fed-up emoji. No one really knows if he’ll even make the squad for the Brighton game.

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