http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...at-The-James-Nursey-Column-article366479.html
Billy Davies has by his own admission a reputation for being “a pain“ but he has my sympathies over his current predicament with the Nottingham Forest board.
By anyone’s standards Davies has done a brilliant job since arriving at the City Ground in January 2009 with the club near the foot of the Championship.
He kept them up last season and has turned them into genuine promotion contenders this term after investing shrewdly in the summer in the likes of Dexter Blackstock, Paul McKenna and Lee Camp.
After performing similar feats at both Derby and Preston, Davies is clearly a talented manager who knows the division better than most.
Consequently it must be exasperating to have to get all his player targets approved by Forest’s ’transfer acquisition committee’.
The panel includes ’football consultant’ David Pleat, who is a close pal of the club’s owner Nigel Doughty, plus chief executive Mark Arthur and chief scout Keith Burt.
And I don’t blame Davies for being upset that the very existence of such a committee indicates the club don’t trust him enough to sign who he wants.
Their meddling arguably helped ensure Davies failed to bolster his young squad at all in January when they made unsuccessful bids to sign Crystal Palace winger Victor Moses, Swansea City midfielder Darren Pratley and Aston Villa defender Nicky Shorey.
And the club’s failure to land any new players in January will look a dreadful mistake should the club miss out on promotion.
I also actually think it shows a total lack of respect by Pleat, who is a former manager himself, to even accept the post as ’football consultant’ in the first place.
A director of football is one thing but Pleat’s position would cast a worrying shadow over any manager - and especially the fiery Davies.
It is hardly going to help attract players to the club as Pleat has been off scouting players himself, like Barnet’s Albert Adomah.
So you then get a situation where players like Adomah don’t know who really wants him - Pleat or Davies.
Davies made his unhappiness at the situation clear yet again after Tuesday night’s win home over Crystal Palace.
And it is becoming quite evident that the City Ground will not be big enough for both Pleat and Davies for much longer at this rate.
Billy Davies has by his own admission a reputation for being “a pain“ but he has my sympathies over his current predicament with the Nottingham Forest board.
By anyone’s standards Davies has done a brilliant job since arriving at the City Ground in January 2009 with the club near the foot of the Championship.
He kept them up last season and has turned them into genuine promotion contenders this term after investing shrewdly in the summer in the likes of Dexter Blackstock, Paul McKenna and Lee Camp.
After performing similar feats at both Derby and Preston, Davies is clearly a talented manager who knows the division better than most.
Consequently it must be exasperating to have to get all his player targets approved by Forest’s ’transfer acquisition committee’.
The panel includes ’football consultant’ David Pleat, who is a close pal of the club’s owner Nigel Doughty, plus chief executive Mark Arthur and chief scout Keith Burt.
And I don’t blame Davies for being upset that the very existence of such a committee indicates the club don’t trust him enough to sign who he wants.
Their meddling arguably helped ensure Davies failed to bolster his young squad at all in January when they made unsuccessful bids to sign Crystal Palace winger Victor Moses, Swansea City midfielder Darren Pratley and Aston Villa defender Nicky Shorey.
And the club’s failure to land any new players in January will look a dreadful mistake should the club miss out on promotion.
I also actually think it shows a total lack of respect by Pleat, who is a former manager himself, to even accept the post as ’football consultant’ in the first place.
A director of football is one thing but Pleat’s position would cast a worrying shadow over any manager - and especially the fiery Davies.
It is hardly going to help attract players to the club as Pleat has been off scouting players himself, like Barnet’s Albert Adomah.
So you then get a situation where players like Adomah don’t know who really wants him - Pleat or Davies.
Davies made his unhappiness at the situation clear yet again after Tuesday night’s win home over Crystal Palace.
And it is becoming quite evident that the City Ground will not be big enough for both Pleat and Davies for much longer at this rate.
