Sean Dyche said Nottingham ForestSurprise winners reap a reward for bringing Chris Wood came back to life by paying tribute to his former Burnley striker for responding to his criticism.
Wood scored 10 Premier League goals, a total surpassed only by Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Alexander Isak, to help Forest finish third with their Boxing Day victory against Tottenham.
Dyche made the record purchase of New Zealand international Burnley when he paid Leeds £15 million for the striker in 2017 and Wood became the Clarets’ top scorer in the Premier League with 49 goals.
He now has the same status with Forest after being prolific for Nuno Holy Spiritbut only after a spell at Newcastle where he scored just five goals in 39 appearances and a slow start to life at the City Ground.
And Dyche, whose Everton The host team at Wood’s Forest on Sunday, were quick to praise the high-flying team, saying: “I was impressed with what they did – very organised, working to plan the counter, well break and defend well. They did it very well. They brought to life Woody, who I know well, and the goals he scored, and they became a very strong team.
Dyche sees similarities in the way Nuno uses Wood and how he did during their time together at Turf Moor, as he said the striker’s attitude was a key factor in his revival.
“Maybe his maturity in the game, his knowledge of the game,” he added. “He’s got a different format that they’re working on there, which he seems to like. He has wide players, they have strength behind them and they pass the ball to him quickly.
“It seems like a good thing for him and not much different to what we were trying to achieve at Burnley. But yes, I think it is to his credit, to his professionalism for remaining in control of himself. He had a quiet period when he first went there and (there were) some question marks about him. This can happen with strikers. He’s been through this before and he got through it. He’s certainly a very good player and someone I have a lot of respect for.
