Interesting Times Article on our Billy

[yam]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article6870212.ece

I must admit I didn't know that his sacking was pre planned (if true) and the Jewell was already waiting in the wings when they got promoted.

Mind you he's been a bit selective in his memory when he's says he got no money, perhaps he means in comparison to the amount Sunderland spent to stay up.

Even as he walked into the Wembley press conference after a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion, he admits now, he knew his taxi was waiting.

“Although it was one of the happiest days of my life, it was also one of the saddest,” he said. “I knew about Paul Jewell [his successor six months later], I knew about the change of ownership, so I went into the play-offs knowing that our time was up. I couldn’t tell you that I’m getting sacked in a few weeks’ time.”

 

[Capital Girl]

Considering the play-off final was in May 2007, and the Yanks took over in January 2008, a full two months after Billy left, I'd say it's more than a selective memory.

 

[Deleted User]

as much as i'm happy with the way forest are going this season i still have this nagging feeling that BD talks out of his arse and it's all been luck so far.

 

[Jonathan]

as much as i'm happy with the way forest are going this season i still have this nagging feeling that BD talks out of his arse and it's all been luck so far.

I don't think he talks out of his arse.

He talks a bit too much I think, but not all from his arse!

 

[Deleted User]

yeah i suppose that is fair but i'm definitely not convinced yet.

 

[Si Coe]

I would have thought that the most interesting and controversial quote in this article is BD's insistence that he doesn't want promotion this season. He tempers this by implying that he'd take it if it happened, but it's a strange comment.

 

[winnits]

I like the bit about him not talking to Nigel Clough lol

 

[Rigler]

I would have thought that the most interesting and controversial quote in this article is BD's insistence that he doesn't want promotion this season. He tempers this by implying that he'd take it if it happened, but it's a strange comment.

What's strange about it? He's saying he wants to build a squad capable of competing in the Prem and staying there before he gets promoted. I'd say that's a sensible attitude to take.

 

[Rudgey]

Considering the play-off final was in May 2007, and the Yanks took over in January 2008, a full two months after Billy left, I'd say it's more than a selective memory.

Adam Pearson was apointed prior to the takeover by the new American owners and already had Paul Jewell waiting in the wings.

 

[Capital Girl]

Adam Pearson was apointed prior to the takeover by the new American owners and already had Paul Jewell waiting in the wings.

The same Adam Pearson who was still at Hull until July 2007? So, logically speaking, by the time of the play-off final, Billy knew that Jewell, who had recently resigned from Wigan, was being lined up to take over at Derby by a man who was still chairman of another club, who was also going to bring in new owners the following January?

Wow. Billy knew all this, but didn't resign and say so at the time with his stock extremely high? But instead spent millions on poor players, won 1 game, gave his reputation a bashing, spent a year out of football and only chooses to say it now? :

 

[Rich]

If he ahd said anything, he'd have walked away with no money.

A year out of football, with the wages for a 3 year contract isn't too shabby.

I don't know either way, but in football management, engineering a firing makes a lot mroe sense than resigning, financially speaking.

 

[petaco]

Paul Ince and Roy Hodgson were the first choice management team. That fell through when Fulham sacked their manager.

Its all davies' selective memory. He does it a lot. Gets the fans on his side and creates a bit of a seige mentality.

FACT- while on the pitch at wembley he demanded a new contract. the then chairman says he wished he sacked him there and then for being a ****.

 

[earthworm]

FACT- while on the pitch at wembley he demanded a new contract. the then chairman says he wished he sacked him there and then for being a c**t.

He might have just joked "ha ha ha, well, you'll have to give me a new contract after this, eh gaffer?" Nowt wrong with that is there? If he did actually said, "I've got you promoted, I am the king, give me a new contract, now" then that'd be different.

 

[petaco]

he did it live on sky. There's clips on youtube i think

 

[earthworm]

he did it live on sky. There's clips on youtube i think

No sign of him being an arse in this ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nRv2Cm6Pac

That said, it does make me want Forest to win the play-offs sometime soon. Atmosphere sounds belting.

 

[forestbanter]

The same Adam Pearson who was still at Hull until July 2007? So, logically speaking, by the time of the play-off final, Billy knew that Jewell, who had recently resigned from Wigan, was being lined up to take over at Derby by a man who was still chairman of another club, who was also going to bring in new owners the following January?

Wow. Billy knew all this, but didn't resign and say so at the time with his stock extremely high? But instead spent millions on poor players, won 1 game, gave his reputation a bashing, spent a year out of football and only chooses to say it now? :

If he ahd said anything, he'd have walked away with no money.

A year out of football, with the wages for a 3 year contract isn't too shabby.

I don't know either way, but in football management, engineering a firing makes a lot mroe sense than resigning, financially speaking.

Yes, but he wouldn't have a clue about Jewell because he was going to take the Ireland job before Derby come in for him so it's not like it was all done and dusted back in May 2007!

 

[forestbanter]

Now sign of him being an arse in this ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nRv2Cm6Pac

There was definite interviews. There's no denying this, however much we try say it live on sky after the game, I've seen it myself.

So why was he not dismissed upon promotion, if the new American board wanted new personnel? “How can you shoot the king? He’s just got them into the Premier League,” Davies asked rhetorically. “So wait 14 games into the new season, don’t give him any money, then announce you’re sacking the manager.

This quote probably shows Billy was not talking the whole truth. The board wasn't in place then and "don't give him any money" isn't entirely true (Earny £3m, Davis £3m, Feilhaber £1m, Miller £2m) amongst others

 

[Jonathan]

Thing is, though, of those players, you'd only say that Claude Davis was overpriced at the time.

Kenny Miller should have been much better than he was. As should Earnshaw.

Davis was excellent for Preston and Billy bought a player who he thought would excel in the Premiership. And £9m isn't that much money to spend in the top division if you want to stay up. Especially when it's worth £60m.

 

[Capital Girl]

Billy also signed a new contract just after the play-off final, again not the actions of a club who already had a manager lined up to replace him. ;D

 

[Brolin]

Davis was excellent for Preston and Billy bought a player who he thought would excel in the Premiership. And £9m isn't that much money to spend in the top division if you want to stay up. Especially when it's worth £60m.

Absolutely agreed.

Sunderland stayed up by a point after spending £45m the other season, and they had a stronger and more Premiership ready squad compared to what Derby had.

 

[petaco]

Thing is, though, of those players, you'd only say that Claude Davis was overpriced at the time.

Kenny Miller should have been much better than he was. As should Earnshaw.

Davis was excellent for Preston and Billy bought a player who he thought would excel in the Premiership. And £9m isn't that much money to spend in the top division if you want to stay up. Especially when it's worth £60m.

With Earnshaw, he's the last player a struggling premiership team should be looking to buy. His goals to shots ratio must be one of the worst in the country.

 

[Jonathan]

With Earnshaw, he's the last player a struggling premiership team should be looking to buy. His goals to shots ratio must be one of the worst in the country.

That's a completely stupid stat to use.

Try this one for size...

League record:

Cardiff City - Starts: 141, Goals: 85
West Brom - Starts: 22, Goals: 12
Norwich City - Starts: 41, Goals: 27

Altogether, that's 204 starts and 124 goals before he even joined Derby - an average of about a goal every 1.6 games.

 

[petaco]

it's a completely valid stat to use. If a striker needs 5 opportunities to score a goal, then it's blatently obvious that in a sie at the bottom of the league he's going to struggle as they won't be creating very many opportunities.

 

[Jonathan]

In his full season at Norwich, they finished 16th and he scored 19 goals in 28 starts and in his full season at West Brom, he scored 11 in 18 starts.

Cardiff, albeit in lower leagues, he scored 19 in 21 starts, 12 in 30, 31 in 42 and 21 in 44.

Need I go on?

 

[forestbanter]

Thing is, though, of those players, you'd only say that Claude Davis was overpriced at the time.

Kenny Miller should have been much better than he was. As should Earnshaw.

Davis was excellent for Preston and Billy bought a player who he thought would excel in the Premiership. And £9m isn't that much money to spend in the top division if you want to stay up. Especially when it's worth £60m.

He spent more than that though, that was just off the top of my head. To add he got Teale, Fagan, McEveley, Pearson and some others in January because he thought they would compete in the Prem.

Absolutely agreed.

Sunderland stayed up by a point after spending £45m the other season, and they had a stronger and more Premiership ready squad compared to what Derby had.

Yet, the season after Hull stayed up? After spending about £4.5m. Burnley have already passed the record Derby set that season, and would you of honestly said either was set up for the Premiership when they actually went up? No.