Sean Dyche under mounting pressure after Nottingham Forest lose to relegation rivals Leeds

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche is coming under mounting pressure following their dismal 3-1 defeat at relegation rivals Leeds.

As previously reported by talkSPORT, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis expected a bigger upturn in results when he appointed Dyche in October.

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The Tricky Trees have won only two of their last nine league games and face a crunch clash at home to bottom club Wolves in mid-week.

Dyche is Forest’s third different manager of the season after Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.

While making another change in the dugout would be an extreme step even for the hard-to-please Marinakis, Dyche only has a contract until the summer of 2027.

Marinakis is a long-term admirer of Marco Silva, who is yet to commit his future to Fulham beyond the end of the season.

After the loss to Leeds, talkSPORT’s Hugh Woozencroft asked Dyche if he felt the Wolves match was now must-win as his side sit perilously above the relegation zone.

He said: “They’ve been saying that every game since I’ve been here. Don’t worry about it, it’s just for you guys. When they just keep rolling out every game is a must win.

“Didn’t say that at Anfield when we went 3-0 there or Tottenham when we went 3-0 against them. No one said it then.

“Just points on the board. That’s what it is, getting more points on the board.”

Any decision would come just days after the end of the January transfer window.

Dyche was able to bolster his squad with the loan signing of Italy international Lorenzo Lucca from Napoli.

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It could eventually lead to a £30million transfer as the Tricky Trees have an option in the deal.

He would have done his chances of this no harm as he scored Forest’s only goal against Leeds.

Lucca’s towering front post header was as good as it got at Elland Road, despite a promising start at a tough Premier League stadium.

Forest’s defence were at sixes and sevens against Leeds, though, and Dyche may rue failing to land Brighton captain Lewis Dunk who the club had been interested in.

The Tricky Trees have certainly had mixed results under the ex-Everton boss since his arrival.

Wins over Liverpool and Tottenham were standout performances but they have also lost to Wrexham in the FA Cup third round on penalties.

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Dyche’s survival hopes were also hit by the untimely injury to goalkeeper John Victor in early January.

There was also a controversial 2-1 defeat to Man City where he felt Morgan Gibbs-White had been fouled in the build-up to Rayan Cherki’s winner.

“Very disappointing, very frustrating, actually,” he said to talkSPORT. “More frustrated by the officials’ performance today.

“As managers, we try not to mention it but it had such an impact on the game today, because the players have given a real shift. Tactically, the energy and the commitment to the cause, but also some of the quality today when we can play.

“It’s hard against these sides, Man City keep the ball and they probe, and they work, and I think you’ve got to find your chances when you can. I think in the first half, we had the best chance of the game.

“I think our ‘keeper hadn’t done anything in that period. And then the second half, they had a couple of chances but we find a fine goal to get back in it.

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“Then they score [after a foul]. I’d love to think that you get parity, but I said to the fourth [official, Gavin Ward] all the way through the game, ‘As long as we get parity, no problem.’

“But guess what, Morgan Gibbs-White is clearly pushed to the floor. VAR apparently, I don’t know, whether they don’t see it or whatever they’ve given it for, I’ve already asked for the report because I cannot fathom VAR at the minute, I’m sure lots of us can’t.

“It’s clearly obvious Morgan Gibbs-White gets pushed to the floor for no reason at all.

“So now [if] that’s a ‘keeper, do you think they give a foul? Of course they give a foul, so why isn’t it given as a foul?

“Then they score, another big one for them in the title race, but hard on us, it always seems that the big clubs get those decisions.”