EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Premier League's unlikely meme god, Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche

Meet the Premier League's unlikely meme God.

Sean Dyche has enjoyed a wonderful life in football, first as a combative centre back who started his career at Nottingham Forest under the legendary Brian Clough before playing 459 senior games across six clubs.

A bad injury early in his career left him with a bend in his leg while he also went through the trauma of being at Hillsborough in 1989 for one of the most tragic days in world sporting history.

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Dyche was at the Sheffield stadium as a 17-year-old Forest youth player as 97 football fans died in a horrific crowd crush.

"It is difficult to find the words to describe the sadness of what took place," Dyche wrote in 2023.

While Dyche's playing career was admirable, it is in management in which he has really made his name.

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The now 54-year-old guided Watford, Burnley and Everton before coming full circle to land the Forest job in October following Australian Ange Postecoglou's winless, tumultuous 39-day tenure.

Dyche led Burnley to European football for the first time in more than 50 years and is fresh from stunning Premier League champions Liverpool 3-0 last weekend and then backing it up in the Europa League with a 3-0 win against Malmo on Friday (AEDT).

But for all his achievements on the pitch, the affable but straight-shooting Dyche is also something of an internet sensation.

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First he was hailed as the 'Ginger Mourinho,' in a light-hearted comparison to the legendary Portuguese manager Jose.

Dyche welcomed the moniker, while joking in 2017 that his hair colour was preventing him from getting bigger jobs.

"It's gingerist, isn't it? We're oppressed, I think."

Dyche's everyman persona is at odds with some of his buttoned-up, robotic counterparts.

He has no pretence of attempting to play breathtaking, game-changing football and thus Ange-ball immediately went out the window.

"I've never tried to hide behind what's effective," Dyche said in his introductory press conference.

"It's no badge of honour to me. Five years ago people were going: 'Why do you rely on set pieces?' Now they're in vogue. Skinny jeans, flared jeans, skinny jeans, flared jeans… my daughter hammers me for whatever jeans I wear."

Dyche's idea of a good time is a few beers and a good curry - and a game of 'Lookie-likies.'

You what?

"Lookie-likies make the world go round," Dyche claimed in a memorable 2021 press conference.

"Have you never sat in a pub with your mates and just found lookie-likies at the pub? It's one of the best bits of fun in a night. Trust me. Just do it. The next time you're allowed in a pub, sit with some friends and just look for lookie-likies. Brilliant, brilliant fun."

An animated Dyche - who himself has been compared to Mick Hucknall and Paul Scholes - rates spotting a Carl Fredricksen clone - the fictional elderly man from the movie Up - as his pièce de résistance.

"It's the best lookie-likie I've ever had... I love that game."

But the most enduring Dyche meme is utter woke nonsense.

Literally, utter woke nonsense, as some unidentified Photoshop guru married the words to a serious looking Dyche standing in front of a brick wall.

It's a nod to Dyche's supposedly old-fashioned, pragmatic approach to football.

"The thing is, once you are in that box, what is the point of fighting it? There is no point in fighting it, it's just life," Dyche, in his distinctive gravelly voice, told Gary Lineker in March.

"Look at me, I fit in that box. The utter woke nonsense thing that blew up, everyone just put two and two together. Of course, I have got some views of modern society, like anybody else has views. It all just adds to the bundle."

Stan Sport spoke to Dyche for 10 minutes, two days before Forest piled more misery on Liverpool.

He explained the juggling act of having fun with journalists and expressing his personality while not letting unwanted narratives get away on him.

"It's getting more difficult because, you know, after the event they just put clickbait out there," Dyche said from a sunny City Ground.

"And it's no-one's fault, it's the way of the world, so I'm not blaming any of the media outlets. Everyone wants more hits, everyone wants less depth and quicker for the hits.

"So that could be tricky because you try and have a bit of fun... it's a very serious industry. What I do is very serious.

"We know that I work very seriously with players, you know, and that I'm serious about my job, but that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun with it and a bit of dry banter and a bit of playfulness sometimes.

"Most people see it and unfortunately there's always someone out there who wants to try and make a 'reverse story' at the moment and sell it differently. And that's the way it goes. I prefer to just be authentic with myself and I like to work with a smile. I like the players to play with a smile.

"So therefore I just try and, as you say, have a bit of fun with it when I can, and if it's appropriate, of course."

The life of a Premier League manager is incredibly demanding and cut-throat.

Dyche's boss, Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis, is infamous for his lack of patience, with Postecoglou and predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo already shown the door at Forest this season.

Dyche knows the drill and says he has become used to the pressure cooker, and the fishbowl, over the years.

"I mean it's changed now, the social media platforms, the media intensity is much, much more difficult," he said, revealing that Nottingham was now awash with Dyche lookie-likies.

"Apparently I'm in every pub, every pub's my local apparently, as you can imagine around Nottingham," he told Stan.

"I was in Dubai recently, for the international break for a few days. I was at the golf there and a fellow from Nottingham... absolutely insisted that his pub was my local. I did let him know that I've been in there once, in all my time in Nottingham. I lived here from '87-'94 and I've lived here for four years now.

"So I've been in there once and he insisted that I'm in there every week. So I get a bit of that, which can be interesting. Mostly people are fun with it though. They don't mean any harm, but... when the Premier League's so big and because I live in the area, people do want that familiarity of saying, 'oh yeah, I know him.'

"And I'm thinking, 'no you don't.' Oh, you know, 'he drinks down my pub,' and I'm like, 'no I don't'."

How does Dyche unwind?

"I do like a beer and I love curries and Indian food, so I like that mixture. A few beers and a curry, that's brilliant in my world. But in the better weather I like a game of golf and I like watching other sports. I love going to gigs, so I watch a lot of bands," he says.

"My son plays as well, he plays for Northampton Town in Division One, so I try and see him when I can."

Dyche's alarm clock usually goes off at 7am and he fuels up at Starbucks before arriving at the City Ground before 8am.

He typically spends half an hour at the gym before a shower and breakfast and a staff meeting at 9am.

Dyche will then meet with Forest's medical team to run through his players' fitness or otherwise before putting the finishing touches on his plan for an 11am training session.

The physical demands of today's session are relatively light, two days before playing Liverpool.

Forest are also in the Europa League so the schedule is hectic and Dyche must keep his players fresh.

Dyche runs a video-heavy tactical session before lunch and then fulfils his various media duties.

Today he is holding a press conference for local and national reporters before jumping on a Zoom call.

Dyche's chat with Stan is followed by 10 minute slots with official broadcasters Viaplay (Denmark), Nova (Bulgaria) and Canal+ (Poland).

When done meeting the press, Dyche will return to the training ground with his assistants and do some individual work with players.

A variety of meetings, including with the club's director of football, will follow and Dyche expects to leave the ground between 6.30pm-7pm.

Forest, of course, picked up a new legion of Australian fans when they hired Postecoglou as Nuno's replacement in September.

But why should they keep supporting the club now he is no longer there?

"I'd encourage them to stick with it," Dyche tells Stan.

"It's the history of this club, it's got a big history, of course, and the main figure, famous figure being Brian Clough... he was a natural comedian, although he probably wouldn't admit to it. And he was a bit of a genius as well."

Forest are sitting 16th of 20 teams in the league heading into Monday's (AEDT) home game against Brighton.

They finished seventh under Nuno last season.

"Obviously a challenge going on this season, compared to the last couple," Dyche admits.

"We certainly want to keep them (Australian) fans... they probably realised that at some point Ange's time had come, where he wasn't the manager, like that happens to us all.

"There was no question of the club being in good shape or anything. I trust all managers, they just do it in their style, you know. I've just got a different way of working, that's all, but I'm certainly not questioning any manager.

"Every manager has their own way of working, their own style of training and prep, and we have ours, so we're just mainly focusing on our style of doing things."

Time for one final question then. Skinny jeans or flared jeans?

Dyche cracks up with laughter.

"My daughter says bad genes anyway, dad."