You would have thought he was browsing in a shop window. Hands by his side, barely a glimmer of emotion, certainly no smile.
But around Sean Dyche, there was happy pandemonium and glee, all capped with a chorus of ‘Forest are back!’ – it might be too early to make such a bold claim, of course, but what a change in the narrative this was for a club who have been spinning around like an out-of-control tumble dryer.
Dyche, in his wildest dreams, would have pictured Nottingham Forest winning his first game as manager though not like this: a penalty each from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus, one in each half, toppled Porto and while he never celebrated either goal, you can bet he was dancing inside.
Evangelos Marinakis, Forest’s combustible owner, has been the subject of much scrutiny of late, not least for his unceremonious ditching of Ange Postecoglou five days ago, but everything about the decision looks right now. In Dyche, it feels, he has the right man at the right club at the right time.
Now the onus is to start making hits. Dyche loves music, always has done, so when he was scribbling out his teamsheet he might well have started to think of the lyrics from Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads, particularly the line: ‘Well, how did I get here?’
His defence contained two Premier League winners on either flank, in the shape of Neco Williams and Oleksandr Zinchencko; his midfield featured Elliott Anderson, whose performances of late for England have caused hearts to flutter, and Gibbs-White, who Forest value beyond £80million.
Sean Dyche managed to secure victory at his first attempt on Thursday night, following his appointment this week
The Premier League side grabbed their first win in 11 matches, having failed to win any of their previous eight games under Ange Postecoglou
Morgan Gibbs-White put the home side in front from the spot in the 19th minute of the clash
Then in attack, he had Callum Hudson-Odoi, who still has the ability of his prodigious teenage years, and Igor Jesus, a Brazil international, both of whom scuttled about with menace – no squad with such obvious ability should be on its third manager before the clocks have gone back.
Yet here Dyche was, diving into the blue again. Some would have it down as a rescue mission but that is nonsense. Yes, Forest’s start has been abysmal and 10 games without a win is a stain on the dressing room, as much as those men who Marinakis has jettisoned, but this is no race against time.
He’s been in that situation, his last job for starters. When he walked into Everton in January 2023, Dyche boarded a boat with some of its hull missing and crew on the brink of mutiny – the work he did to ensure they never capsized during his first four months should not be underestimated.
No. This is a fantastic opportunity for Dyche, a man whose connections to this proud city are deep and whose affinity, as an Academy graduate, for Forest is obvious. His entrance, alongside those Garibaldi stalwarts Ian Woan and Steve Stone, was warmly received and noisily recognised.
You could see he was humbled but he isn’t a man to dwell on sentiment and, as soon as business began, there he was – barking, hollering, leaning back as if he was on a hinge every time a ball went into the opposition penalty area, as he metaphorically tried to head every cross.
There was, inevitably, always going to be a bounce to this performance but for it to come so quickly was remarkable. Porto arrived here with the kind of record that makes you wonder why these Champions League regulars are outside the main event for this campaign.
From 11 games, they had won 10 and the only blemish to a perfect record was a 0-0 draw with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica; 26 goals had been scored, just two had been conceded, the last of which was to Red Star Belgrade’s Vasilie Kostov on October 2. In those 11 games, they had never been behind.
On the banks of the Trent, however, they were dazed and confused. Jan Bednarek, once of Southampton, jumped for a cross in the 17th minute and ended up looking like he was playing Australian Rules. It was a clear handball and an obvious penalty. Gibbs-White did the rest.
Former Southampton defender Jan Bednarek thought he had equalised for the Portuguese giants
Porto were left ruing the review by VAR that chalked off the effort, while the home support celebrated wildly
Igor Jesus, 24, confidently stepped up and secured the points for the Premier League side
Joy unconfined, then. You could hear the desperation for some positivity in voices on the streets outside before kick-off, an end to the results-induced misery that has been like dull toothache, gnawing away in the background and proving oh so distracting.
Once Forest had their noses, Dyche had a foothold, demanding maximum effort to protect the lead. Porto, aesthetically, might have played some nice football – if the reports are right about their coach, Francesco Farioli, he will be in the Premier League one day – but they couldn’t break through.
‘We deserved more,’ Farioli argued. ‘We just have to turn the page.’
When Porto did think they had secured parity, early in the second period, VAR came to Forest’s aid adjudging an offside after Bednarek had prodded in through a melee. The decision to chalk the goal out was almost as noisy as Gibbs-White’s sweetly dispatched spot-kick.
To say this was all smooth sailing, would be wrong. There were nervy moments, tackles needed to be made, and Dyche looked like he was on a turntable at times, spinning to bark exasperatedly at Woan and Stone, who had played in Forest’s last European victory, against Lyon in November 1995.
What happy symmetry they should be on the sidelines for the latest one. It was secured after another VAR intervention, when replays showed that Martim Fernandes had toppled Nicola Savona in the 77th minute. Jesus, gleefully, walloped in from 12 yards.
The drama didn’t end and a red card was shown to Lino Godinho, one of Porto’s coaching staff, but as with the goals and as with the occasion, Dyche didn’t bat an eyelid. Same as it ever was.
