Dyche urges 'common sense' and won't weigh players

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has urged his players to show "common sense" over Christmas and says he will not follow Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in weighing his squad on their return.

Forest host City on Saturday (12:30 GMT) and Guardiola has said his players will be weighed when they return to training to check their fitness has not dropped over the festive period.

"Is Pep weighing himself, do you think?" joked Dyche, when asked if he would be taking a similar approach to the City manager.

"As I always say to the players, on your passport it says professional footballer. They're not just footballers.

"Everyone wants to be a footballer but what about the professional side of it?

"The players just need to use a bit of common sense. I don't mind them having a Christmas dinner, why not?"

Forest were beaten 1-0 at Fulham on Monday and are one place and five points above the relegation zone.

Dyche says "there is a lot more attention to detail" in the modern game and, while he is "big on that", he also wants to have a certain amount of trust in his players.

"Sometimes, the psychology is as important as anything with athletes and, within reason, you want them to enjoy their Christmas Day. I certainly do. It's a big part of their life," he added.

"It's fair to say that I do consider figures important but I'm not obsessed with it, weights and all that sort of stuff, but I've got my eye on it.

"They'll be encouraged to enjoy their day. They have got the day off but should use a bit of common sense I think.

"These players now coming through the academy, they should all know - and they certainly do - what to eat, when to eat, how to look after yourselves, good sleep and all those sorts of things."