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FourFourTwo
Sport
Joe Donnohue

“I’d pick a worm off the floor and hang it from the side of my mouth while saying, ‘Mmmmm, that’s delicious’” Sean Dyche on truth behind worm-eating legend

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Sean Dyche, Manager of Everton, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Everton FC at Etihad Stadium on December 26, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images).

Ex-Everton and Burnley boss Sean Dyche is no stranger to tough questions - and that was no different when he sat down with FourFourTwo earlier this month.

The distinctive-sounding manager's gruff tones will now echo across the City Ground on matchday as he barks instructions at Forest players, who sit third-bottom of the Premier League table.

The East Midlands club have burnt through two head coaches already this season, parting company with Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou after just eight matches of the 2025/26 season.

Sean Dyche: 'I didn't actually eat the worms'

Sean Dyche is back in the dugout

Now, Dyche is on board to see if he can steer the club away from the drop-zone, whilst leading the team in the UEFA Europa League.

An outspoken character and figure of fun among British football supporters, there are many tales about Dyche over the years, both from his playing career and his managerial days.

Evangelos Marinakis, Nottingham Forest chairman, watches on as his team lose in the Europa League (Image credit: Getty Images)

Few are as bizarre as one told by former Bristol City teammate Soren Andersen, though, in which Dyche supposedly ate worms - giving him his renowned, gravelly voice.

"A mythical story, I’m afraid," the new Forest boss tells FFT. "Soren was a great lad. I had a party piece for the boys that saw me pick a worm off the floor and hang it from the side of my mouth while saying, 'Mmmmm, that’s delicious'.”

"The worm was wriggling and I made it look like I’d swallowed it, but obviously I put it back on the floor. Soren didn’t quite get that, so years later he blamed my croaky voice on me eating worms. Great lad, great player, but he wasn’t known for his banter, to be fair."

Dyche began his career as a youth team player at Forest, during the latter years of Brian Clough's tenure, before moving to Fourth Division club Chesterfield to kick-start his career.

He spent seven years at the Spireites before joining the Robins and went on to represent Millwall, Luton Town, Watford and Northampton Town before hanging up his boots.

Utter Nonsense! with Sean Dyche and Jonny Owen is a talkSPORT podcast available on all platforms

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