Nottinghamshire

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Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche says he has to be "realistic" about the club's recent goalscoring troubles and that he and his staff "haven't got magic dust".

Despite finding the net five times in three Europa League matches, Forest are on a run of just one goal in seven Premier League matches - stretching across Ange Postecoglou's short tenure back to Nuno Espirito Santo's final game in charge in August.

"It's certainly a big challenge," Dyche told BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray.

"I'm very experienced nowadays in the Premier League and so are my staff, but we haven't got magic dust.

"You can't just suddenly make people score lots of goals. What you are doing is trying to form a style of play that creates more chances and better chances and then it inevitably comes down to someone putting it in the net.

"It's been an ongoing challenge from last season as well. If you took Woody's [Chris Wood] goals out of it suddenly you go 'woah it's a whole bigger challenge'.

"Towards the end of last season going into this season, if you look at the facts and stats - just to share it honestly there is no brushing it under the carpet.

"We have to look honestly at what the group were, are, and what we have to change it to. We have to be realistic and equally look at the talent we've got and think how can we form more chances and a better quality of chance with what we've got while keeping the back door unlocked - which they did so well last season.

"We have to find the balance but the balance has been clearly wrong since the end of last season to the beginning of this season where the team has not scored as many and conceded more.

"That has been apparent to everyone and now it's our job to tighten up both boxes because that's where the real stuff happens.

"That's the biggest thing we're trying to fathom - what makes us good in our box defensively and what can allow us the freedom to go and attack and create more chances.

"That's what we're trying to sort out here."

Readers can digest on the post below where Colin Fray said the Reds' scoring record is a "horrendous statistic" and brings with it a significant hurdle when battling relegation.

Listen to the full chat with Dyche on BBC Sounds

Listen to live commentary of Nottingham Forest v Manchester United on Saturday from 15:00 GMT on BBC Sounds

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BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray says Nottingham Forest's run of scoring just one goal in their past seven Premier League games is a "relegation statistic".

Forest's only goal in this period was a Neco Williams strike in a 1-1 draw against Burnley under Ange Postecoglou in September.

Sean Dyche confirmed on Thursday that Chris Wood will not be fit to face Manchester United on Saturday and summer signing Igor Jesus is yet to open his Premier League account, despite scoring three times in the Europa League and twice in the Carabao Cup.

"It's got to be worry - scoring goals is what it is about," Fray told the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.

"When you add in pre-season, where they barely scored a goal, this has been going on for some time.

"The outlier at the minute seems to be that opening-day win over Brentford when they scored three goals in half an hour.

"To have gone seven Premier League matches, under three different managers, scoring only one goal is a horrendous statistic.

"It is definitely one that will be worrying Dyche. Yes, they're scoring goals in the cup competitions, but it's not many from open play.

"There is an issue with the number of goals scored and, in recent games, chances created. Against Bournemouth, they created very little.

"There were a couple of games in the early stages under Postecoglou where it was chance after chance so maybe it is a little bit of a confidence issue as well."

Fray added: "There is a bit in Forest where they are just not getting the ball into the penalty area when they are in the situation where they might be able to, or as much as Dyche would want them to.

"They are perhaps looking up and seeing nobody to aim at, or have only got the striker up there with no midfielders getting forward.

"It's a combination of all these factors that is leading to a drought in front of goal in the league.

"It's a relegation statistic - if you can't score goals, you have no hope."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim and Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche both respond to the Englishman's comments from earlier this year that he would win more games as Red Devils manager using a 4-4-2 formation.

This - it seems - is the season of the set piece.

The Premier League debates are more about dead balls than ever before, with some sides enjoying immense success from corner kicks, throw ins or well-worked free-kicks.

What fine timing then for BBC Sport to launch a column with former manager Tony Pulis, a man who seemed to finely extract the fine margins from the game.

You can take in Tony's column on set pieces here

On the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football, BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray and David Jackson take a closer look at Nottingham Forest's new era under Sean Dyche - what is changing in terms of style, structure and mentality.

There is also a discussion about whether Forest have what it takes to stay clear of a relegation battle this season.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester United at the City Ground (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Dyche began by providing an update on Chris Wood's fitness: "Wood is possible for the Leeds game, but won't make this one."

• Elsewhere, Oleksandr Zinchenko's return is "taking longer than we thought", Dilane Bakwa is "still a no but is making good progress", Ola Aina is "making good progress" and Angus Gunn has "opened up his knee ligaments".

• On comments he made on 'The Overlap' suggesting he could have won more games than Ruben Amorim as United boss: "I didn't question him as a person and I would never do that. Clickbait kills anything. The basics may have worked better was my suggestion and they have changed their style, so fair play to him. They are playing quicker forward and longer, a bit tighter in getting back into their shape. That's management, that's coaching."

• On Morgan Gibbs-White: "He's a terrific professional, he comes in with a smile and wants to work. He's infectious in what he does and enjoys what he does. He, among a number of others, have taken to it really well and want to progress and move forward for the team, me, the club and the fans."

• Dyche said his side "flat-lined a bit physically and emotionally" in last weekend's defeat at Bournemouth after the "newness, freshness and new voices" that were present in the Europa League win over Porto in his first match in charge.

• More on the squad's adaptation to his methods: "It's finding that level of consistency daily and getting the players to produce that level daily. There's been a lot of changes for the players, some of them have had three managers in a very short space of time. You hope it works straight away but it is difficult to achieve that."

• On Ryan Yates: "He's been terrific. You want those kind of players to deliver out there on the pitch, of course, and that's where they really make their names but some also make it from inside the camp and what they do around the club too. He's always ready and a shining light for that."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Nottingham Forest v Manchester United on Saturday from 15:00 GMT on BBC Sounds