'Taken snippets' - Premier League man likened to Nottingham Forest legend

Nottingham Forest news - Michael Kightly has spoken about how his former boss learnt from Clough while at the Reds and has carried that advice with him throughout his career

Sean Dyche has been likened to legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough by one of his former players.

Michael Kightly played under Dyche at both Watford and Burnley, and said the 48-year-old brought elements to his management that he learnt under Clough.

Dyche came through the youth ranks at Forest while Clough was in charge of the first team, but couldn’t break into that side, before he moved to Chesterfield.

His playing career also included Bristol City, Millwall and Watford, before turning his hand to management with the Hornets and Burnley.

Dyche’s work at Burnley perhaps goes under the radar, firmly establishing them as a Premier League side on a fairly limited budget.

“During my time at Burnley, Dyche would speak about his time at Nottingham Forest and he had a little role under (Brian) Clough when I think he was a youth team player,” Kightly told talkSPORT.

“He just spoke about how Clough was as a manager; how he did things and how he liked to keep things simple. You could see that in Dyche’s management.

“He (Dyche) has obviously taken snippets of every manager he’s probably played under, so I do think there are similarities. You can become overawed with tactics and positioning and trying to get the best out of players and I think Dyche is very good at keeping it simple.

“The main thing I like about him is that he’s never too up and never too down; if you lose a game 3-0 on Saturday, he’s not going mental and having you in on a Sunday.

“But, at the same time, if you win 3-0 and you play really well, he’s not saying you’re all brilliant. He keeps a level ground of how he is and that consistency leaked into the squad.”