Dyche delighted to reach a ton - but 1,000 club is 'improbable'

Sean Dyche reaches a century of games as a Premier League manager tomorrow - but thinks Sam Allardyce's achievement of reaching a thousand games in charge won't be matched again.
Sean DycheSean Dyche
Sean Dyche

While Dyche brings up 100 games in the dugout at the top level against Manchester United, Allardyce becomes the 31st manager of the modern era to rack up four figures in charge, with his seventh Premier League club, and 11th in total, for Everton against West Brom at Goodison Park.

Dyche is closing in on 300, seven shy, after his first, ironically at Turf Moor for Watford in 2011.

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And while he is proud of hitting 100 in the Premier League, he knows the nature of modern management and the relentless hiring and firing means 1,000 games in charge is a monumental target.

Asked about his ton, he said: “I didn’t know that, it is an achievement, it’s a great for one me personally because when I got here five years ago I’d be a liar if I said I thought I’d be at 100 Premier League games as a manager and still going.”

As for another 100, he smiled: “Who knows? The rapid change in the viewpoint in football now is incredible, even in my short time as a manager, I’m approaching year seven, the change is massive.

“It’s the fan change, the mentality change, the demand for instant success, it’s changed amazingly so who knows? Hero to zero, zero to hero, it might have been a 10-game spin previously, know it’s a two-game spin.

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“You can never say know I’m going to do this many games. People talk about where do you want to go in football? I’m quite open-minded because of the reality of the business, it’s just not built like that, you have to be ready to dodge the bullets and find the way.”

But he has a long way to go to join the 1,000-game club: “It’s amazing. Neil Warnock has people who question him, but I think he’s something crazy like 1,700 games if you include his non-league days.

“Harry (Redknapp) has done it, Denis Smith back in the day, a great servant to the game through all different levels, possibly Graham Turner through all different levels.

Danny Wilson was one of the youngest, he was 52 or something and got to 1,000 games as manager. Did you ever have a day off in your life? Get sacked, get a job, it’s incredible. Even more incredible in the way the game has changed to have that longevity.

“I don’t think that’s a thing of the future, I don’t think many managers will be doing 1,000 games.

“It’s improbable, but nothing’s impossible in football.”