Sean Dyche is a Liverpool fan who played in front of the Kop when he was 15, annoyed Jurgen Klopp, while his press conferences on lookalikes entertained fans during pandemic

Like millions around the country during the 1970s and 80s, Sean Dyche fell in love with football because of Liverpool.

The Reds boasted a group of superstars who heralded a new era of dominance in England, with Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish helping the club to a combined 11 League titles and four European Cups during the two decades.

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Dyche, who lost his job as Burnley manager this week, even got to play in front of the Kop when he was just 15 at club legend Phil Neal’s testimonial – despite never attending a game at Anfield.

“I was a 70s child so everyone was a Liverpool fan but I lived in Kettering so I couldn’t get up there all the time, I was a distant Liverpool fan.”

For Dyche, Dalglish was the one who put a glint in his eye.

“My first recollection of them was at seven years old, then at about eight or nine when you start zooming in on what it’s really about,” he told talkSPORT of his love for Liverpool growing up.

“You start getting your favourite players, mine was King Kenny – as a kid why wouldn’t he be your favourite player?

“[Graeme] Souness as well,” he added, while hailing the character of the late Ray Clemence. “What a fantastic player, no airs and graces.

“That whole Liverpool thing was quite a powerful thing in the 70s.”

Dyche became known as one of the Premier League’s ‘hard men’ – but in truth he’s just a football nut.

His passion for the game is so deep he even lives with his long-time assistant Ian Woan, whom he has worked with for thirty years.

The pair will now be able to spend more time at their family homes, having split their time to spend a few days a week to live as roommates, with their flat closer to Burnley’s training ground.

And Woan admitted his pal is nothing the brute people perceive him to be.

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“He gets a lot of stick because he looks like a nightclub bouncer,” he told the Daily Mail in 2020.

“People think he must be rough but it couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s well-read, wants to learn and is always asking questions of himself.”

Dyche has endeared himself to fans around the country ever since he took charge of Burnley in 2012.

Just like Jack Grealish became a national treasure during Euro 2020, he appeals to supporters because he is one.

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Unlike most managers in the top-flight, you could see yourself sitting down in a pub with Dyche and point out lookalikes over a pint.

In fact, that’s one of his favourite things to do, as he pointed out in a memorable press conference at the height of the pandemic. “It’s one of the best bits of fun you can have on a night,” he said as he pointed out he gets told he looks like Mick Hucknall from Simply Red.

It was a breath of fresh air as he kept people entertained when there wasn’t a lot to look forward to. Among his lookalike chat, he gave rave reviews to TV dramas Normal People and Bridgerton, whilst also shedding light on the time he met ‘a human version of the man from Up’ during a trip to Sunderland with the Clarets.

He also once gave a ‘team talk’ at a friend’s wedding in the back of a cab alongside Danny Dyer and Serge from Kasabian.

Did that really happen, though?

“Trust me, I wasn’t sure if that really happened, sitting in the back of a cab with Serge and Danny Dyer doing a team talk to a video screen,” he told talkSPORT.

What about his apparent spat with John McGinn, who said his coat was ‘s***’.

“If he did allegedly say that – I’m not going to say whether he did or didn’t – it’s a very nice coat I’ll have him know!

“And I haven’t had it for six years, I’ve had it for about two.”

Dyche may not float everyone’s boat in terms of football style, but keeping Burnley in the top division for so long on a limited budget is a remarkable achievement.

It’s why people loved seeing him tell Klopp where to go when the Liverpool boss chased him down the tunnel at Anfield during one fiery exchange.

“We are allowed to actually try to win,” he said when his opposite number appeared upset at Burnley ending Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield.

He’s become ingrained in the Premier League furniture – it simply won’t be the same without him.