Everton boss Dyche is the only current Premier League manager with a direct link to Clough, having been an apprentice and young professional on the books at Forest between 1987 and 1990.
When Dyche reflects on time spent around a man who is often regarded as the greatest manager England never had, he speaks of recognising “genius” in the way Clough dealt with players, approached matches and set sides up tactically.
“When I became a manager I started reflecting back,” said Dyche. “As a person and footballer I learned so much during that period of my life.
“When the boss spoke, you were listening. He had this amazing thing that when he told you that you did well, you just felt 10ft tall and couldn’t fit through the door, but if he told you that you didn’t, you could go under the door with a top hat on.”
Clough did more than just try to mould Dyche as a footballer of the future, with a list of odd jobs also handed out to emerging players.
Running a bath for Clough was a regular occurrence – with Dyche admitting he stressed about never knowing how hot to make it – while tending to the garden at the manager’s house was also part of “silly, mad stuff” he would get up to.
Not that it always went to plan for Dyche, who was almost always referred to as “young ginger” by Clough.
“He once asked me to get rid of five bags of leaves, green leaves,” Dyche said. “When I was a kid, I’m from Kettering, I used to love a fire in the woods and I know green leaves are not going to burn very well.
“I’m at the bottom of his garden and he says ‘young ginger, get rid of these leaves for me darling, I’ll help you start a fire and you can get rid of them for me’.
“He starts it off and goes back up, and he used to make us food – more food than you could imagine – so I’m putting these leaves on and thinking it isn’t going to work. Then the wind starts blowing towards the kitchen and I’m going, ‘oh no’.
“He comes out and says ‘young ginger, get that smoke out my kitchen or I’m going to throw you on the fire’.
“I’m now putting one leaf on at a time and I have five bags, and I’m thinking this is going to be a long afternoon. And I hear him again and I say, ‘but boss I can’t help it, they are green leaves’. Then he went ‘you are right, well done’ and just went back in.
“One minute I’m shaking, then I’m thinking he is all right now.
“As a character, he most certainly broke the mould.”