Everton 2-0 Nottingham Forest: Toffees boss Sean Dyche opts for tracksuit to spur his players on
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Everton 2-0 Nottingham Forest: Win was an 'important clean sheet' - Dyche
Everton manager Sean Dyche ditched his trademark white shirt and dark tie for the angry PE teacher look as an indication that the party was over for his humiliated players and everyone else at this under-siege football club.
Dyche appeared just as likely to order 10 press-ups as bark tactical instructions in his tight-fitting t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms but there was method behind his striking sartorial switch.
In a week spent soaking up the embarrassment of the 6-0 loss at Chelsea, Dyche and his staff explored all aspects of what could provoke a reaction and improvement, not only from his struggling squad but those in the technical area.
And Dyche can look back on a winning start with his new shop floor image after a vital 2-0 win against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park.
"I knew it would be a talking point," said Dyche. "I'm not precious either way but we looked at everything. I always thought it was correct to wear a shirt and tie but I just thought I'd play my part in what I was looking for from my players and staff."
Everton certainly produced a sleeves-rolled-up performance, long-range strikes from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil in each half edging them five points clear of Luton Town in the relegation places with a game in hand.
It was not pretty. It was never going to be. It was a dogfight, a tense, error-riddled match between two clubs who have suffered points deductions for breaching profit and sustainability rules this season - both still hoping appeals will further aid their fight to avoid relegation.
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Forest's feeling of disappointment was heightened by their sense of injustice that major decisions went against them. They certainly had a case when Ashley Young handled just before the break with the score 1-0 and then when the veteran, who sailed close to the wind all game, clumsily tumbled into Callum Hudson-Odoi as he raced into the area after the break.
The club's very public expression of discontent on social media just after the final whistle touched on Forest's fury as it said: "We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn't change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options."
What options Forest can consider is open to question but what they must think about is the cold reality of the fact they are now deep in trouble, only one point ahead of Luton Town. They must hope for respite from their appeal against the points deduction but they cannot count on it.
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For Everton, things suddenly look a little rosier following the 6-0 Chelsea debacle after a winning start to a potentially decisive week in their season, with a Merseyside derby to come against Liverpool at Goodison Park on Wednesday before a home meeting with Brentford on Saturday evening.
Yes, they rode their luck but this was a deserved victory carved in the same image of most of the wins Dyche has enjoyed at Goodison Park. Gritty, unspectacular but, in this case at least, hugely important.
Everton would be sitting pretty if they had not been deducted eight points. They still have work to do but this win means there is some light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel on and off the pitch this season.
Jarrad Branthwaite showed once again why he has been so valuable this season, and may be such a hot property in the summer, with another towering defensive display and the goals from Gueye (a rare shot on target from a player who does not count that as one of his qualities) and McNeil lit up what was, for long periods, a drab game.
Dyche will have relished the manner of this win and how he needed it with Everton's unfailingly loyal followers not only concerned by results but also the stodgy playing style that has led them into trouble.
It means they might just be in better heart as they attempt to stick a spoke in the wheels of Liverpool's title bandwagon on Wednesday.
The big question now is, after a change of clothes brought a change of luck, whether Dyche reverts back to his suit on what might be a chilly Merseyside night. If the tracksuit brings another win neither Dyche nor Everton's fans will feel the cold.
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