Forest to part company with Billy Davies (again)

grenache

The biggest drubbing for 116 years at the hands of bitter rivals Derby County is one thing. Blanking 2,700 loyal, hurting supporters is another thing. Turning your back on thousands more by taking the decision not to partake in an interview when the club is crying out for a leader to show some front and bottle, is frankly unforgivable. Continually sending assistant manager David Kelly out to face the press and creating a whole siege mentality by fighting with all local media. Fed up of it. Davies only has himself to blame.

Neil 'Colin' Warnock is firm favourite to take over as manager on an interim basis.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/nottingham-forest-to-fire-billy-davies-after-50-drubbing-by-derby-county-9211199.html

Sunday 23 March 2014

Nottingham Forest are expected to confirm on Monday morning that Billy Davies has been sacked after 13 months at the City Ground. It will be the second time the combustible Scot has been fired by Forest in three years having been dismissed in 2011 after successive play-off failures.

Davies only signed a four-year contract extension in October and looked set to take Forest back into the top flight as recently as six weeks ago as they homed in on the automatic promotion places after a 13-match unbeaten run. However, they then lost to League One Sheffield United in the FA Cup and have since taken three points from 21 to slip out of the play-off places.

Fawaz Al Hasawi, the Kuwaiti owner, is understood to have lost patience with a man of whom he said in October, "I look forward with great excitement to working alongside him for many years to come as we aim to bring success back to this magnificent club."

The_Kew_Tour

Any past players in the background willing to take the boss seat?

I mean Neil Warnock? Really?

grenache

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Any past players in the background willing to take the boss seat?

I mean Neil Warnock? Really?

No ex-players names being mentioned at all. And if Stuart Pearce's name is brought up, I'll scream. Legend of a player, first class servant to the club, but awful manager. Keane's name for once can't be in the frame as he's unlikely to leave the Ireland camp. Nigel Clough is doing a decent job at Sheffield United, and wouldn't be welcomed anyway by most Forest supporters after previous comments he made about the club.

Warnock didn't have the best time of it at Leeds, but that was largely down to a poor squad he inherited. McDermott has struggled too with the same players. Warnock has 8 promotions in his time as manager. That has to count for something! Not necessarily a fan of his abrasive style, and there's certainly no love lost between him and the Forest fans. But we could do much worse.

The_Kew_Tour

Far worse managers then Warnock I agree and he is at a level where his record is good.

The problem is ye need a manager who aint going to take crap, but also not let a circus to continue. I fear Warnock would.

A Frank Clark type would be ideal imo. The problem is I cant think of standout at present.

grenache

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Far worse managers then Warnock I agree and he is at a level where his record is good.

The problem is ye need a manager who aint going to take crap, but also not let a circus to continue. I fear Warnock would.

A Frank Clark type would be ideal imo. The problem is I cant think of standout at present.

We have ten games to save our season. What we need is a manager who will raise their spirits and ride that "good feeling" wave that new managers bring. I have no idea if Warnock could do that.

dfx-

I was wondering how long this would take. That sort of media blackout that he had been conducting is mental.

grenache

Mental isn't the word. "Fascist like" would be more apt:

"This season should all be about Davies's bid to lead the double European Cup winners back to the top flight for the first time since 1999 and completing his "unfinished business" at the club.

But since his return in February 2013 there have been multiple sackings of club staff, journalists banned, a near media blackout and a suspended solicitor, and cousin of Davies, acting as his closest adviser.

One Championship chief executive has referred to the club as "the Midlands version of North Korea" and there have been enough complaints to the Football League for its chief executive to seek a meeting with the club's Kuwaiti owner, Fawaz Al-Hasawi.

Forest's hostile attitude is difficult to understand, not least because senior figures at the club have all but refused to speak to the media all season. Davies speaks only to the club's official website and a regional TV station, and journalists present at post-match press conferences are filmed by a club employee.

Even away from the City Ground, Davies attempts to retain control. In December he confronted Dan Westwell, a freelance photographer working for the local newspaper, the Nottingham Post, who was taking pictures of him at Millwall.

"I just sat there in stunned silence not knowing if he was going to hit me or threaten me or what he was going to do," Westwell said. "I was just thankful that the Millwall stewards were on the scene straight away."

Forest claimed Davies had challenged Westwell because he had behaved "unprofessionally" -- although it was not clear how -- but the incident typified the club's aggressive approach.

When asked to explain the club's attitude in August, Davies said: "We've seen people making up stories that are very much not true. But the manager of the football club and general manager going on Twitter shows that we are trying to be very open to the fans. We've tried to make the access to supporters as good as we possibly can."

But Forest's behaviour has undoubtedly divided those supporters. Some believe Davies is getting his own back for what he perceived as poor treatment from the press during and after his first spell in charge at the club, when he was dismissed by the late Nigel Doughty in June 2011, and the Scot has provided excitement at a time when the glory years under Brian Clough seem aeons ago. A growing number, however, appear to have had enough of the soap opera that surrounds him.

Forest's conduct over the past six months has concerned and exasperated the League to such an extent that Shaun Harvey, the chief executive, met with Al-Hasawi in London last month.

Many issues were raised, including Forest's relationship with other clubs, their treatment of the media and even concerns over their handling of the Elite Player Performance Plan.

More recently Davies was banned from the touch line for 5 games for a confrontation with referee Anthony Taylor during half-time when Forest played Leicester at the City Ground in February."

Charlie19

Dream team management of O'Neill and Keane

grenache

Charlie19 wrote: »

Dream team management of O'Neill and Keane

Would have been nice! Two ex players of the club too.

Charlie19

grenache wrote: »

Would have been nice! Two ex players of the club too.

I wonder will there be any spec of them doing it along with the Irish job.

grenache

Charlie19 wrote: »

I wonder will there be any spec of them doing it along with the Irish job.

I can't see John Delaney or Denis O'Brien going for that!

COYVB

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Any past players in the background willing to take the boss seat?

I mean Neil Warnock? Really?

Warnock is a promotion specialist

The only problem is that he's awful in the top flight

Lennonist

Surely Nigel Clough would be in the running for that job.

eyescreamcone

COYVB wrote: »

Warnock is a promotion specialist

The only problem is that he's awful in the top flight

Very harsh!
The promoted teams are always going to struggle a bit in the premier.
It's very hard to establish yourself quickly at the top level. Many teams yo-yo for a few years!

grenache

No show from him and his staff this morning at the training ground. He's gone.

http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/26712368

Davies and staff absent from training

24 March 2014 Updated 09:44 GMT

Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies and his staff have not reported for training at the Championship club.
BBC East Midlands Today say Davies's absence is the clearest indication yet the Scot will be fired by the club. (external)
It follows reports that Neil Warnock, the former Leeds United manager, met with Forest's owners on Sunday, and is in line to replace the 49-year-old. (external)
Davies's side lost 5-0 to rivals Derby on Saturday, leaving them outside the play-offs without a win in seven games.

Keano

COYVB wrote: »

Warnock is a promotion specialist

The only problem is that he's awful in the top flight

He may well get to keep the job if we get up but the minute it's only till the end of the season. Delight BD is gone, never wanted him and he split the fans and the club. Him and his dodgy agent can go and jump

grenache

Henry Winter ‏@henrywinter 4m

"Billy Davies sacked. No sympathy. Charmless man. Hope #nffc fortunes lift now. Looking forward to going back there to cover games again"

Rob Dorsett ‏@Dorselator · 26s

"This is more than just a manager sacking at #nffc. BD helped decide appointments right through club - I'm told Fawaz will now start the cull"


As predicted, the media are gladly feasting on Davies' still-warm corpse. But that's what happens if you douse yourself in spices and set yourself on fire for them.

grenache

Warnock has pulled out of talks with the club.

*breathes a deep sigh of relief*

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/nottingham-forest/10720165/Nottingham-Forest-fail-in-bid-to-lure-Neil-Warnock-to-City-Ground-following-the-sacking-of-manager-Billy-Davies.html

Nottingham Forest's bid to appoint Neil Warnock as manager collapsed on Monday night, after Billy Davies's unpopular reign was brought to an end.

Warnock was in discussions with the Championship club for the past 24 hours over a deal to succeed Davies until the end of the season but the 65-year-old pulled out of negotiations to drive back to his Cornwall home.

Forest were keen to offer Warnock a huge £1.5 million promotion bonus and the promise of a possible director of football role next season yet the potential appointment ran into problems over alleged concerns with the demands of the club's owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi.

Warnock had agreed to sign defender Lee Peltier from former club Leeds on loan but that deal was dramatically scrapped on Monday evening, leaving Forest now set to consider other candidates.

Telegraph Sport understands Warnock held reservations over Al-Hasawi's plans over team selection while proposals over a number of other loans, including another Leeds defender Stephen Warnock, were dismissed by the Kuwaiti.

He said on Monday night: "I did not feel the conditions of the job were right for me to manage. I wish them well for the rest of the season.”

The_Kew_Tour

Lucky Forest!

grenache

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Lucky Forest!

Lucky isn't the word!

Zola is now the bookies' firm favourite.

The_Kew_Tour

grenache wrote: »

Lucky isn't the word!

Zola is now the bookies' firm favourite.

Good choice imo.

Fans will take to him imo.

Dozen Wicked Words

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Good choice imo.

Fans will take to him imo.

And so will the press. If they go for Zola, they have gone for the polar opposite of their previous manager, he bought the press tea and biscuits outside his house when he was sacked at West Ham! He must be "nicest guy in football" tm

LowOdour

Collymore with his two cents today
m.rte.ie/sport/touch/soccer/english/2014/0325/604459-collymore/

Couldn't see it happening!

grenache

LowOdour wrote: »

Collymore with his two cents today
m.rte.ie/sport/touch/soccer/english/2014/0325/604459-collymore/

Couldn't see it happening!

Nothing more than wishful thinking. Even if they were both willing to do it, Delaney & O'Brien would put a stop to it.