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“This badge is bigger than every manager,” the new Forest boss declared at his introduction as Nottingham Forest’s head coach, wearing a training kit with his initials. Subsequently, amended his statement. “Well, there was one manager who was likely as important as the badge – everyone recognizes who that was.”} Then came, an imitation of Brian Clough, a crack at that distinctive accent. Lad, well done,’” he recalled, reliving his time as a trainee at the club's stadium, the period he spent strolling down the Trent, with Del Boy, whizzing past him and his boss's voice always within earshot.

The coach tells a anecdote of how, as a youth player, he and a couple of mates looked after Clough’s yard at his residence in Quarndon. “We were on £28.50 a week and he paid you a tenner to tend his lawn. So we actually thought: ‘This is pretty good.’ He’d prepare food for you and make sure you were cared for. It was rather enjoyable, not too much gardening.”

For Dyche, the appointment has been a years in the making. He resides in the city and has a fondness for the club. In lately, he and his longstanding assistant Ian Woan, who was a member of the Nottingham Forest side the previous occasion they were in Europe, in the mid-90s, have sometimes visited the local coffee shop where Forest legends such as a former player, Colin Barrett and Garry Birtles gather every week to talk old and new tales. He will have to give it a miss this week to get ready for the arrival of the Portuguese side, undefeated this season, in the European tournament on Thursday evening.

I can't wait to meeting the club legends,” said Dyche, who succeeded the previous coach to become Forest’s latest head coach of the season. I'll get an earful if I fail to deliver, so I better win some matches for them. Those guys are important to me. A great deal of Forest fans appreciate the legacy of this club. I have personal ties and now I’ve got a chance to reshape my personal history, I suppose, as coach.”

Dyche oversaw the team practice for the first time on Tuesday, three days after Postecoglou watched a 3‑0 at home loss by the London club that placed the side in the top division relegation zone. Ryan Yates, who joined as a child, acknowledged these are early days but he and his staff have alleviated some of the gloom.

Dyche’s backroom team features another club icon in Steve Stone, as well as a coach and another staff member, both of whom played for the team. “I feel like a massive asset of this club is fostering the connection between the fans, squad and manager and, frankly, the last few weeks we lacked a positive feeling around here,” Yates stated. “The new manager and his staff have introduced that feeling of life and energy.”

Dyche made clear he does not understand the team like the back of my hand” given his latest experience at the club has been as an rival boss, but he believes he has a broader grasp of the place and expectations. The house rules have been set. “I’ve let them wear light-colored footwear, for heaven's sake,” the manager commented. “I’ll have my ex-players caning me on WhatsApp. But they’re forbidden to wear snoods or hats … I had to do a deal somewhere.”

Forest have lost their past four fixtures and not won since the start of the season. The coach said the proprietor, the Greek businessman, recognised the importance of steadying things. He encountered the Greek billionaire in the European competition with his former club, when his side lost in a playoff against the Greek side in recent years. After the first leg Dyche voiced frustration at Olympiakos dignitaries, among them the owner, confronting the officials at the break in Piraeus. We laughed about it,” he said.

Part of Dyche’s attraction is his reputation for constructing sides with strong bases, pertinent for a side without a clean sheet in 20 matches. “I’ve been put in many boxes, I’m not concerned,” he stated. “I’ve never tried to hide behind what’s successful. It’s no badge of honour to me. In the past people were saying: ‘Why do you rely on set pieces?’ Now they’re popular. Skinny jeans, wide-leg pants, slim fits, bell-bottoms … my daughter criticizes me for whatever jeans I wear. It seems on social media even I got some criticism for my shoes arriving at training [on Tuesday] … was surprised by that. Tom Ford [trainers] but, anyway, don’t like to bring it up it.”

Dyche is pleased that his early career were at the club but thinks that should not mean he or his staff are judged differently. No easy path with the fans, but we do care, that’s one thing I don’t think can ever be doubted,” he said. “All I dreamt of was wearing the shirt, but I didn't manage to achieve it. Stoney and Ian Woan succeeded, Billy Mercer played as a temporary goalkeeper, Tony Loughlan wore it and netted a strike. I was the only one who failed to and they keep reminding me of that.

“For me to have that part of it is a big thing for me individually. But it doesn't grant me a special privilege, trust me. The supporters want me to succeed. If I’m failing, the fans are going to criticize me because how supporters work and I’ve got no issue with that because that’s the reality. I was here as a youth and never wore the kit, the emblem. Now, now, I’m here with it on me.”