Sean Mark Dyche is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Burnley. During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre back, making his professional debut in 1990 and representing Chesterfield – whom he captained and scored for in an FA Cup semi-final – Bristol City, Luton Town, Millwall, Watford and Northampton Town. He was promoted with three of his six clubs. After retiring as a player in 2007 he coached at Watford, including a stint as manager between June 2011 and July 2012. Since being appointed manager at Burnley in October 2012, Dyche has guided the club to two promotions to the Premier League in three seasons, the latter following relegation back to the Championship at the end of 2014–15.
Playing career
Dyche was a youth-team player at Nottingham Forest in the late 1980s, while Brian Clough was manager. When he joined Forest he was and weighed 10 stone, but grew to and 12 stone after a year. He broke his leg early in his career, which Dyche claims held him back. It also left him with a permanent bend in his leg. He left Forest in early 1990 without making a first-team appearance and signed for Chesterfield, where he later became captain. Dyche was part of the team that reached an FA Cup semi-final in 1997. In the FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough he scored a penalty to put his side 2–0 up in an eventual 3–3 draw. Ultimately, Chesterfield would go on to lose the replay 3–0. Dyche left Chesterfield for Bristol City in 1997, helping them win promotion to Division One in his first season. City were relegated the following season, during which Dyche spent time on loan at Luton Town. He moved to Millwall at the end of the campaign, where he won promotion to Division One in 2001 and came close to a Premier League place the following year, losing to eventual promotion winners Birmingham City in the play-offs. In 2002, he began a three-year spell at Watford where he was captain in his final season with the club. He signed for Northampton Town in 2005, and was involved in their 2005–06 promotion from League Two. He fell out of favour after the appointment of Stuart Gray as manager, and was released at the end of the 2006–07 season.
Managerial career
Watford
Having retired, following his release from Northampton, Dyche rejoined Watford as under-18s coach in 2007, and was promoted to assistant manager in July 2009 when Malky Mackay was appointed Watford manager. Mackay left to join Cardiff City in June 2011, and Dyche was promoted to manager. Watford finished the 2011–12 season in 11th place in the Football League Championship, the club's best finish for four years, but a change in club ownership led to his dismissal at the end of the season.
Burnley
Dyche joined the England national under-21 football team as a temporary member of the backroom staffin September 2012, but the following month became manager of Burnley, succeeding Eddie Howe, who had left the club to rejoin A.F.C. Bournemouth. Dyche was named Championship manager of the month for September 2013, and led Burnley to their best start to a season since they were founded in 1882. The team broke a number of long-standing club records, and won promotion to the Premier League, after a four-year absence. Their spell in the top flight lasted only a single season, as they were relegated with two games to spare. On 5 February 2016, he signed a contract extension. He guided Burnley to the Premier League for a second time in the 2015–16 season, with promotion sealed following a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers at Turf Moor on 2 May. On 23 January 2018, Dyche signed a new contract with Burnley to remain as manager until the summer of 2022. He had guided Burnley to seventh place in the Premier League at the time of signing his contract, an impressive start to their second successive top-flight season after finishing 16th the season prior. The season ended with Europa League qualification for the first time for over half a century and secured their best finish to a top flight season since a sixth-placed finish back in 1974.
