Will Dyche steer Forest away from danger?

So why, if the facts suggest a generally positive trend, is the mood turning?

Following the loss to Wrexham, Dyche questioned his players - asking them to look in the mirror, external - and he is yet to get a fully consistent tune out of an expensively assembled group.

Some of Dyche's critics on the terraces have labelled him 'Dycheosaurus' with supporters losing faith in him and his tactics as the bond he initially had - having come through the Forest academy - wanes.

One seasoned observer commented the eyes told a different story than the facts, with defeats to Braga, Fulham, Everton - twice - Leeds and the FA Cup exit to Wrexham testing fan patience.

However, supporter frustrations are a symptom of a wider problem, opposite number Rob Edwards believes. The Wolves manager has defended Dyche.

"There are not that many sets of supporters that are happy at the moment," he said. "There's a lot of anger around.

"I think now you've got to win consistently and play well consistently to avoid any sort of criticism.

"It's really hard to maintain that [challenge at the top] because the big, big, big clubs will always be there and then a couple almost threaten it and can't quite maintain it because they get picked off for some of the best players.

"Then it's like: 'why aren't you fifth and challenging for Europe?' It's an impossible task to keep everyone happy. I think he's [Dyche] a brilliant manager and he's having an amazing career. "