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BD swipes out at ND & MA

PSR

PSR

Geoff Thomas
THE SENSE of grievance did not just belong to Luke Chambers after his red card tarnished Nottingham Forest’s start to the season. The defender’s alleged elbow on Shane Long, which offence was strenuously denied and could be the subject of an appeal, could not have been more badly timed with his manager, Billy Davies, feeling aggrieved about the board’s inability to strengthen his team’s defence.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/0810/1224252313466.html

A frustrated Davies chose his words carefully, mindful that the club have spent in excess of €8 million on nine players, but he also made it clear he is distinctly unimpressed, to say the least, about the way club owner Nigel Doughty and chief executive Mark Arthur allowed the three defenders he targeted this summer to slip through their fingers.

Forest are so stretched in defence they finished this match with Garath McCleary, an attacker by trade, playing in the back four.

Chris Gunter, a right-back, had to fill in at left-back as Reading went for a late winner, but the signing from Tottenham Hotspur is needed by Wales in Montenegro on Wednesday, leaving Davies with only two defenders, Wes Morgan and Joel Lynch, for their English League Cup tie against Bradford City on Wednesday.

“We are looking down the barrel of a shotgun,” Davies said after this evenly contested draw.

“We’re putting square pegs in round holes . . . we shouldn’t be in this position. We have lost out on Daniel Fox (to Celtic), Shaun Barker (to Derby) and Matt Mills (to Reading). I will keep giving (the board) advice, but we have really put ourselves in a difficult position.”

The problem, he says, goes back to the January transfer window when, between them, Arthur and Doughty failed to bring in any players to help a relegation-threatened team. “Don’t forget there was absolute zero activity in January,” Davies explained. “We were left with the youngest squad in the Championship. I have since loaned out five or six young guys who should never have been near the team.

“That left us with 12 players and we have done brilliantly in terms of strengthening the middle and front of the team, but we still have a squad of only 21 players and there are other clubs in this division with 30 or 31 players.

“So I do laugh when I hear about ‘big-spending’ Nottingham Forest this summer. The fact is we have only spent because of our complete inactivity in January.”
 
That's taking his post-match comments and layering them with a big-ass pile of assumptions.

He did sound pissed off, but my take on it was he was more pissed off at the press constantly asking him obvious questions, much like we have about 27,000 'You know what, we need to sign a defender!' threads on here.
 
Winnits said:
That's taking his post-match comments and layering them with a big-ass pile of assumptions.

He did sound p**sed off, but my take on it was he was more p**sed off at the press constantly asking him obvious questions, much like we have about 27,000 'You know what, we need to sign a defender!' threads on here.
Click to expand...
When I read it I started to really feel for Billy, he came here with real ambitions and was hampered by the acquisition committee back in January.

He did fantastically well in bringing in the players over the close season and we was all on a high and wondering where it will end.

Endless rumours about various defenders (almost everyday) kept us all in high spirits.

All forums have had their posters crying out for BD to get defenders in ASAP because the euphoria was now wearing off but this report now shows that Davies has worked his balls off by submitting targets but the acquisition committee has let him and us down once again.

There are strong words in that report but I don’t think it is a rant by BD, I personally think he is telling it like it is and letting us know that our committee are the ones that constantly let us and the club down.

It’s early days yet and things could turn around very quickly but we can’t keep affording to let this committee drag their feet when Davies sees important rolls that must be filled – we either let him manage and take his advice before he decides to walk and show the management up for what they are.
 
That is awful journalism and NFFC should sue them for it.

BD did not say the things there in his post match interview. Some of them he did, but not all of them. They have taken various interviews from a 6 month time period and utilised bits and pieces along with their own opinion and assumption.

Awful and simply an attempt to create friction. Is the writer a sheep shagger supporter ?


Winnits said:
That's taking his post-match comments and layering them with a big-ass pile of assumptions.

He did sound pissed off, but my take on it was he was more pissed off at the press constantly asking him obvious questions, much like we have about 27,000 'You know what, we need to sign a defender!' threads on here.
Click to expand...
 
ive just sent him an e-mail asking 'why havnt we signed a defender yet?'.....

that'll cheer him up.
 
He needs to start swiping out at defenders instead, knocking them out and bundling them in his car boot on route to the City Ground.
 
earthworm said:
He needs to start swiping out at defenders instead, knocking them out and bundling them in his car boot on route to the City Ground.
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I'm all for the Goodfellas approach. If they don't perform after that shoot them. Saying that Poets Corner tried that tactic in their glory days a few years back on Sunday mornings. Even the ref would hit the deck when the manager shouted shoot. So they reverted to just roughing the bad performers up a little, ref's included.
 
VanHooijdonks Son said:
ive just sent him an e-mail asking 'why havnt we signed a defender yet?'.....

that'll cheer him up.
Click to expand...

He will pass it on to Marthur who I'm sure will send you the answer Post-Haste.
 
Wee Billy Krankie just covering his ass if and when you start conceding goals. If you dont, he will hail himself as a god for the brilliant job he's doing, win-win situ as advised by us and Preston fans, you were warned.
 
superam said:
Wee Billy Krankie just covering his ass if and when you start conceding goals. If you dont, he will hail himself as a god for the brilliant job he's doing, win-win situ as advised by us and Preston fans, you were warned.
Click to expand...

Great, look what crawled out to kick us where we're down!
 
superam said:
Wee Billy Krankie just covering his ass if and when you start conceding goals. If you dont, he will hail himself as a god for the brilliant job he's doing, win-win situ as advised by us and Preston fans, you were warned.
Click to expand...

Well, no. If we start conceeding goals, it's because we have 3 fit defenders, not because of Billy Davies...
 
Apparantly Mills wanted to move further South, so it was nothing personal against us just a geographical issue.
 
superam said:
Wee Billy Krankie just covering his ass if and when you start conceding goals. If you dont, he will hail himself as a god for the brilliant job he's doing, win-win situ as advised by us and Preston fans, you were warned.
Click to expand...
Just talking a load of SH!T
 
superam said:
Why do you think it is that those 3 defenders turned you down?
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They were guarenteed spots at other clubs, for one.

Barker was a late bid, you were courting him for ages, so it's understandable he'd choose the club who'd actually wanted him more.

Did we have bids accepted for Mills and Fox? No, too expensive.

It's just unfortunate Wilson has got injured when he has or we'd have been just about ok.
 
superam said:
Why do you think it is that those 3 defenders turned you down?
Click to expand...

Because we didn't offer what the papers said we offered. Barker was a deal that your lot had worked on for a long time, we were being cheeky trying to nick it. Anyhow, you worry about your own team. You took the scalp of mighty Peterborough. You'll hammer the smaller teams like Boro, west brom, SUFC I guess.
 
I personally think this thread judging by the title is a total over reaction after what I'd call a decent draw at Reading.
We need a couple of defenders that much is obvious but lets cut this crap about in-fighting bearing in mind what happened in the latter half of last season.
 
I think it has been shown with our dealings that we have not bidded 'BIG MONEY' for anyone, remember how surprised we all were at how cheap these players came compared to their rumoured price tags? No player is worth spending over the odds for really if you can't afford it. It is widely known Donny wanted a ton for mills and I don't blame mattock for joining WBA over us, as for Barker we were quite 'rude' in a sense sniffing at him.
 
I get the impression that Billy isn't a political animal and will tell things as they are. ( Or maybe I'm wrong and he's playing a very cunning political game). Noone knows of our strengths and weaknesses more and he'll be doing all it takes to make sure that the club are supported in the best way possible.

There are clearly reasons why we haven't signed further defenders and we can only guess what these reasons are. We have to trust that Billy, Arthur and Doughty have nothing but our best interests at heart and will act upon our situation accordingly.

Doughty employed Billy to do a job and it's upon the results we achieve that his performance as manager will be judged. If this means getting agitated and expressing his displeasure and frustration openly then I am pleased to hear it. More than that, I want to see decisions and actions which is the only way to quieten the critics and endear himself to the fans.
 
Beasty said:
I think it has been shown with our dealings that we have not bidded 'BIG MONEY' for anyone, remember how surprised we all were at how cheap these players came compared to their rumoured price tags? No player is worth spending over the odds for really if you can't afford it. It is widely known Donny wanted a ton for mills and I don't blame mattock for joining WBA over us, as for Barker we were quite 'rude' in a sense sniffing at him.
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£2m for Mills was a little bit much I thought. And 1m for Barker. Shittu is a good player, but again I wouldn't pay £2m for a player that was signed for £2.2 and never gets a game. £1m max. Mebbe less. Same with the young Leicester lad. Our league doesn't warrant £2m defenders. £1m- but why would Leicester sell to us? Or WBA for that matter, even if they are a yoyo club. When year they'll go YO and find it a few years before they return. Rob Jones was a disapointment going to Scunny but again, untested in this league. Ball would be a good signing as would Sol if they accept they not great now and should be thinking life after football whilst still doing a job for someone. Centre backs can play longer and Balls only 29 still.
 
superam said:
Wee Billy Krankie just covering his ass if and when you start conceding goals. If you dont, he will hail himself as a god for the brilliant job he's doing, win-win situ as advised by us and Preston fans, you were warned.
Click to expand...

Which no other manager does of course! :dry:
 
Our focus on performance-related payments are always likely to put off a certain section of players, arguably ones I would rather lose out on. That said, in Barker's shoes (ignoring my own preferences for the clubs in question) I would probably take the 'easier' money.
 
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