Information
Podcast Billy!
09/01/09 09:23
In the first 'Coca-Cola' Football League podcast of 2009 Mark Clemmit is joined by new Nottingham Forest Manager Billy Davies, who discusses his return to the management hotseat after an absence of 13 months.
Hartlepool United's Ritchie Humphreys talks about his life with Pools and time at former club Sheffield Wednesday, as well as his plans for when his playing days come to an end. Birmingham City's new signing Robin Shroot reveals why swapping life at Harrow Borough for the Blues has meant he now prefers to get a lift into work and Barnet's Director and former Manager Paul Fairclough reveals why the time was right to move upstairs at Underhill.
Between now and the end of the season the Coca-Cola Football League Podcast will feature all 72 League clubs, so make sure you listen to the show this week and every week.
http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/Home/0,,10794,00.html
Click here to listen to the latest episode in full now
All you ever wanted to know about Billy Davies!
02/01/09 12:11
William McIntosh "Billy" Davies (born 31 May 1964) is the new Forest manager.
Playing career
As a schoolboy Davies was associated with Manchester United and was offered a contract by then manager Dave Sexton, but left without ever playing a first-team game.
He started his professional playing career at the Scottish club Glasgow Rangers where he spent six years before a brief spell with Swedish team IF Elsborg. He later played for St Mirren, Leicester City and Dunfermline Athletic before finishing his playing career with Motherwell back in his native Scotland.
Management career
Motherwell
Davies went on to manage Motherwell and he took them to the brink of European Football but was subsequently sacked after poor form saw Motherwell gain just 3 points from 7 matches at the start of the 2001-02 season.
Preston North End
Following his dismissal as Motherwell boss, Davies moved south to England and took on the role of assistant manager to former Scotland national coach Craig Brown at Preston North End. Following Brown's departure in 2004 he was installed as caretaker manager [1] before being given the job on a permanent basis.
Davies took Preston to the brink of the Premier League via the play-offs in May 2005 but lost in the final. Despite a difficult start to the 2005–06 season, Preston went on an unbeaten run, from September until February, which saw them go 22 games unbeaten - equalling the record set in the 1888 season by the double-winning 'Invincibles' side, leading some sections of the media to dub them 'The New Invincibles'. This helped the club qualify for the play-offs for a second successive season although Davies and Preston again failed to win promotion when they were knocked out by Leeds United after losing the semi-final second leg.
Davies's success at Deepdale saw him linked with a number of other jobs. He was interviewed for the position at Charlton Athletic when it was announced that Alan Curbishley would be stepping down after 15 years as manager, but Davies was unsuccessful and the job went to Iain Dowie instead.[2] Davies then accepted an offer to manage Preston's Championship rivals Derby County in June 2006.[3]
Derby County
In Davies's first season as Derby manager he led them to third place in the league and then won the play-offs after defeating Southampton in the semi-finals and then West Bromwich Albion at the New Wembley, ending Derby's five year absence from the top flight. Despite signing a one year extension to his contract, Derby struggled in the Premier League, gaining only six points from fourteen games. After criticising Derby's board for lack of investment, Davies left Pride Park in November 2007, with the club bottom of the league. Things got worse under Davies's successor Paul Jewell, as their early win over Newcastle was their only win of the season as they went down in bottom place, also setting new lows for goals and points.[4]
Davies was later linked with the managerial positions of the Scottish national team after Alex McLeish stepped down to take charge of Birmingham City[5] (he would eventually withdraw his interest from this post),[6] Leicester City (after Gary Megson defected to Bolton Wanderers, as well as Dundee and Hibernian. He was also considered a candidate to become assistant manager to Everton boss David Moyes, a role which came vacant when Alan Irvine left to take charge of Davies's old club Preston.[7][8]
Nottingham Forest
On 31 December 2008, it was announced on the official Nottingham Forest website that the club is in negotiations with Davies to succeed the recently sacked Colin Calderwood.[9] He was confirmed as their manager on 1 January 2009.[10]
Club awards
Preston North End
Derby County
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- Winners (1): 2006-07
Individual awards
- SPL Manager of the Month (1): November 2000
Source: WIkipedia