Nottingham Forest dealt reality check as front runner for head coach job revealed if Ange Postecoglou is sacked

Dyche has emerged as the leading candidate to take the helm at the City Ground should Forest choose to dismiss Postecoglou, according the Telegraph. He would also become the third man to take charge of Forest this season, following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of last month.

Postecoglou has been on thin ice for a number of weeks following his poor start to life in the Midlands. The fans did not take to him quickly and he has done little to prove them wrong, even if he has overseen just seven games in charge. Under his leadership, Forest are yet to win a game, but have been on the losing side five times, managing just two draws – against Sunderland and Real Betis.

Postecoglou suffered the humiliation of his own fans chanting that he would be ‘sacked in the morning’ and, ever since, has been fighting a losing battle. His task was not made easier by having to fill the shoes of the popular Santo, who had been shown the exit door despite guiding them to European qualification last season.

Postecoglou, known for his all-out-attacking football, struggled to stamp his philosophy on the Forest squad more attuned to Santo’s pragmatic approach. The Australian had complained that he had not had the time to work with his squad, owing to their mid-week Europa League fixtures, but football can be an unforgiving business and the die looks cast for Postecoglou.

The appointment of Dyche would suggest the Forest hierarchy are bracing themselves for a bit of a relegation scrap and quite the fall from the heights reached last season. They sit 17th in the table, just one point above the drop zone, and even though there are plenty of games left to climb back up the table, Forest might not fancy taking on that risk.

Their decision will have been influenced by the overperformance of the newly promoted sides, particularly Sunderland, who suggest they will not go down without a fight, as Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester did last year.

The prospect of relegation to the Championship would be devastating to Forest, who had established themselves as a solid, Premier League side. The qualification for the Europa League would also have had fans dreaming of replicating the continental success they enjoyed under Brian Clough in 1980.

Few would expect Forest to end up being relegated, even if Postecoglou remained in charge for the rest of the season, but Evangelos Marinakis is unlikely to want to take that risk. Dyche would be seen as a safe pair of hands to guide the club away from the drop, given his success at staving off relegation at both Burnley and Everton.

The Telegraph stated that Dyche is not the only candidate under consideration, but may be the only one available. The report explained that Forest had wanted Fulham boss Marco Silva to take over from Postecoglou, but given the money it would take to pay out the Portuguese coach’s contract at the Cottagers, they have turned elsewhere.

Former Forest boss Steve Cooper was also earmarked as a potential replacement, but he is also under contract at Danish side Brondby. Cooper, who was sacked by Forest’s rivals Leicester last campaign, has been enjoying a small renaissance in Scandinavia and may not fancy returning to a place he was fired.

The international break is well underway and is often a time in which boards opt for a change of management. Dyche will be waiting in the wings should Postecoglou be sacked and may have to start drawing up plans for his first game pretty quickly.

Forest’s first game back after the break is a home game against Chelsea, a tricky encounter for any incoming boss. A positive result against the inconsistent Blues would lift a lot of the clouds hanging over the City Ground, but one result won’t be enough to stave off fears of relegation.