Wikipedia

Billy Davies

For other people with the same name, see William Davies (disambiguation).

William McIntosh Davies (born 31 May 1964) is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager. He won the 2007 Play-offs with Derby County, finished as runners-up in 2005 with Preston North End, and reached the semi-finals in 2006 (Preston), 2010 and 2011 (both with Nottingham Forest).

Billy Davies
Davies in 2006
Personal information
Full name William McIntosh Davies[1]
Date of birth (1964-05-31) 31 May 1964 (age 60)[1]
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland[1]
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Pollok United
1980–1981 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1986 Rangers 13 (1)
1986 Jönköping
1987 Elfsborg 18 (1)
1987–1990 St Mirren 74 (5)
1990 Leicester City 6 (0)
1990–1993 Dunfermline Athletic 104 (10)
1993–1998 Motherwell 116 (9)
Total 331 (26)
Managerial career
1998–2001 Motherwell
2004–2006 Preston North End
2006–2007 Derby County
2009–2011 Nottingham Forest
2013–2014 Nottingham Forest
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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As a schoolboy, Davies was associated with Manchester United and he was offered a contract by then manager Dave Sexton.

Davies started his professional playing career at the Scottish club Rangers. He made his debut aged 17 years, 115 days against Brechin City on 23 September 1981, but rarely featured for the first team in his six years at Ibrox.[3] He then had spells with Swedish teams Jönköping[4] and Elfsborg. Davies went on to play for St Mirren, Leicester City and Dunfermline Athletic before he finished his playing career with Motherwell in his native Scotland.[2]

Management career

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Motherwell

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Davies went on to player-coach and then manage Motherwell, helping them first avoid relegation with few games remaining in his first season in charge. In the next season he took them to the brink of European football. The subsequent season was less successful, due mainly to the club's financial situation. The club sold nine first-team players in the off-season and Davies resigned on 18 September 2001 after poor form saw Motherwell gain just 3 points from seven matches at the start of the 2001–02 season.[5][6]

Preston North End

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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 on 29 August 2004, Davies was installed as caretaker manager[7] before being given the job permanently on 27 September.[8]

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, a 25-game unbeaten run meant Preston went on to qualify for the play-offs for a second successive season although the side again failed to win promotion as they were knocked out by Leeds United after losing the semi-final second leg, after he famously left Elland Road following the first leg issuing the quote "Job Done" to the media, only to lose at home and be knocked out.[9]

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.[10] Davies then accepted an offer to manage Preston's Championship rivals Derby County on 2 June 2006.[11]

Derby County

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In Davies's first season as Derby manager he led them to third place in the league and won the play-offs after defeating Southampton in the semi-finals and then West Bromwich Albion at Wembley Stadium, ending Derby's five-year absence from the top flight – the scorer of the winning goal, Stephen Pearson, was a former youth player from Davies's time at Motherwell.[12] Davies signed 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 by mutual consent on 26 November 2007 with the club bottom of the league.[13] Some critics believed that Davies was a victim of his own success after overachieving in his first season at Pride Park,[14] while others cited his apparent tactical inefficiencies at top flight level,[9] poor big money signings (including £3m Claude Davis)[15] and suggested Davies had engineered his own departure, in the form of an outspoken rant against the board[16] so as to avoid having a relegation on his CV.

Davies was later linked with the managerial positions of the Scotland national team after Alex McLeish stepped down to take charge of Birmingham City[17] (Davies would eventually withdraw interest from the post),[18] Leicester City (after Gary Megson left to manage Bolton Wanderers), as well as Dundee and Hibernian. Davies 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.[19]

Nottingham Forest

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On 31 December 2008, it was announced by Nottingham Forest that the club was in negotiations with Davies to succeed the recently dismissed Colin Calderwood.[20] Davies was appointed as their manager on 1 January 2009, officially taking over on 5 January.[21]

In the summer of 2009 Davies made several additions to his squad and spent around £4m. Despite having six first-team strikers, the season did not get off to the best start, with Forest playing well but failing to get the results many thought their performances deserved. However Forest embarked upon an 18-match unbeaten run starting at the end of September and including 10 wins, 5 of which came successively, to climb the table rapidly into a play-off position at the end of November.[22]

Davies was nominated for the manager of the month award for October after guiding Forest to three successive wins and a draw, but he missed out to Dave Jones of Cardiff City.[23] Following failure in the play-offs for the second season running,[9] on 12 June 2011 Davies was dismissed as manager of Nottingham Forest.[24][25]

Return to Nottingham Forest

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On 7 February 2013, Davies returned to Nottingham Forest as manager, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal, 20 months after being dismissed by the previous Forest board.[26] Davies took charge of his first match since returning as manager on 16 February 2013, a 1–1 draw against Bolton Wanderers at the City Ground.[27] The first victory of his second spell came three days later, a 6–1 win at home against Huddersfield Town.[28] This was followed by his first away game at Charlton Athletic where Forest won 2–0.[29] Under Davies they won six games in a row, including a 2–1 away win against second placed Hull City, placing them fifth in The Championship table and in a play-off position.[30] Forest were unable to sustain their form and eventually finished eighth after losing 2–3 to Leicester City on 4 May 2013.[31] On 18 October 2013, Davies signed a four-year contract extension at the City Ground. The chairman and club owner, Fawaz Al-Hasawi said "This is a fantastic day for Nottingham Forest. 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."[32]

Davies' second spell proved to be a controversial and damaging one.[9] He dismissed long-serving club staff without explanation, shouted at a photographer taking photos for the club's matchday programme after a match at Millwall, banned journalists as part of a "near media blackout", and employed his cousin, Jim Price, a suspended solicitor, as his closest advisor.[33]

After an eight-game winless run left Nottingham Forest one place and two points outside of the play-off positions, and having seen his side lose 5–0 to local rivals Derby County two days earlier, Davies was dismissed on 24 March 2014. A statement on Forest's website read simply: "Nottingham Forest Football Club have confirmed the termination of manager Billy Davies' employment."[34][35]

Louise Taylor of The Guardian pointed to Davies' "paranoia", "self-destructive insecurities" and "obsession with conspiracy theories and old grudges" as the reasons behind his downfall, suggesting that he had "shattered" his reputation.[36] The Daily Telegraph's John Percy, who was one of a number of reporters who were "accused of being in league with his former employers" for questioning decisions Davies made, said that Davies was "destined for failure" because he was "obsessed" with conspiracies and hidden agendas. He pointed to the "huge funds" Davies was given to get Forest promoted and suggested that he "could have got away with" the "unsavoury" behaviour, had Forest been winning.[37] John Payne of The Metro said that Davies owed the Forest fans an apology for his behaviour after failing to acknowledge them at the end of the defeat to Derby and "insulted fans' intelligence" by refusing to answer straight questions on the rare occasion he gave press interviews.[38]

As of August 2023, Davies' role at Nottingham Forest remains his most recent;[9] an interview for the position at Heart of Midlothian in 2017 did not lead to an offer.[39]

Personal life

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Billy Davies is the elder brother of John Davies and the brother-in-law of John Spencer.[40] Davies signed both his brother and Spencer when he was manager of Motherwell.[40]

Davies frequently refers to himself in the third person during interviews as a running gag.[41]

Managerial statistics

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As of 24 March 2014
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
P W D L Win %
Motherwell 14 October 1998 18 September 2001 123 41 31 51 033.3 [42]
Preston North End 29 August 2004 2 June 2006 101 45 35 21 044.6 [42]
Derby County 2 June 2006 26 November 2007 69 31 14 24 044.9 [42]
Nottingham Forest 5 January 2009 12 June 2011 126 53 36 37 042.1 [21][42]
Nottingham Forest 7 February 2013 24 March 2014 59 25 21 13 042.4 [42][43]
Total 478 195 137 146 040.8 —

Managerial honours

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Derby County

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Billy Davies". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b Billy Davies (player), MotherWELLnet
  3. ^ (Rangers player) Davies, Billy, FitbaStats
  4. ^ Säsongen 1986 [1986 Season], Södrasajten (in Swedish)
  5. ^ "Motherwell part with Davies". BBC Sport. 18 September 2001. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  6. ^ Billy Davies (manager), MotherWELLnet
  7. ^ "Brown leaves Preston post". BBC Sport. 29 August 2004. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Davies lands Preston job". BBC Sport. 27 September 2004. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e Billy Davies: A Constant Battle to Conform, Football Bloody Hell, 21 June 2019
  10. ^ "Charlton opt against Davies moves". BBC Sport. 25 May 2006. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  11. ^ "Davies unveiled as new Derby boss". BBC Sport. 2 June 2006. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  12. ^ Davies reveals the joy of Pearson's progress, Motherwell Times, 22 February 2016
  13. ^ "Derby split with manager Davies". BBC Sport. 26 November 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Billy Davies leaves Derby County". BBC Derby. 27 November 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  15. ^ "Gerald Mortimer: No sad farewell to Davis". therams.co.uk. Northcliffe Media. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  16. ^ Jackson, Jamie (25 November 2007). "Davies rages at Derby dilemma". The Observer. London. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  17. ^ "McAllister rules out Scotland job". BBC Sport. 27 November 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  18. ^ "Davies out of race for Scots job". BBC Sport. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
  19. ^ "Ex-Derby boss Davies in line for Everton job". tribalfootball.com. 8 March 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  20. ^ "Official Statement". nottinghamforest.co.uk. Nottingham Forest F.C. 31 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  21. ^ a b "Davies appointed Forest manager". BBC Sport. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Remaining Focussed". nottinghamforest.co.uk. Nottingham Forest F.C. 4 December 2009. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  23. ^ "Manager of the Month Nominations". football-league.co.uk. The Football League. 4 November 2009. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  24. ^ "Nottingham Forest talk to McClaren after sacking Davies". BBC Sport. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  25. ^ "Billy Davies Contract Terminated". nottinghamforest.co.uk. Nottingham Forest F.C. 12 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  26. ^ "Davies appointed Forest Manager". BBC Sport. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  27. ^ "Nottingham Forest 1–1 Bolton". BBC Sport. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  28. ^ "Nott'm Forest 6–1 Huddersfield". BBC Sport. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  29. ^ "Charlton 0-2 Nottm Forest". BBC Sport. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  30. ^ "Nottingham Forest 2012/13 Fixture List". Nottingham Forest. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  31. ^ Phillips, Owen. "Nott'm Forest 2 – 3 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  32. ^ "Billy Davies: Nottingham Forest boss signs four-year contract". BBC Sport. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  33. ^ "Billy Davies thriving under Nottingham Forest's siege mentality as West Ham await in The Cup". The Daily Telegraph. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  34. ^ "Billy Davies: Nottingham Forest sack manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  35. ^ "Club statement". Nottingham forest. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  36. ^ "Billy Davies left to reconsider his style by Nottingham Forest sack". The Guardian. London. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  37. ^ "Billy Davies was destined for failure at Nottingham Forest after a year of drama, fallouts and media blackouts". The Daily Telegraph. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  38. ^ "Say sorry! Why Billy Davies owes every single Nottingham Forest fan an apology". The Metro. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  39. ^ Billy Davies on Rangers, the vicious smear campaign against him and why he didn't land Hearts job, Daily Record, 9 September 2017
  40. ^ a b Walker, Andy (28 November 1999). "Support from the sidelines". Sunday Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  41. ^ "Former Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies claims 'whispering campaign' has sabotaged Premier League ambitions". The Independent. London. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  42. ^ a b c d e "Managers: Billy Davies". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  43. ^ "Bristol City 2-0 Nott'm Forest". BBC Sport.
  44. ^ Fletcher, Paul (28 May 2007). "Derby 1–0 West Brom". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  45. ^ "SPL / SPFL Manager and Player of the Month Award 2000-01 to 2020-21". My Football Facts. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  46. ^ "Davies is Championship's top boss". 2 February 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  47. ^ "Davies handed Championship award". 4 May 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  48. ^ "Rams manager earns November prize". 7 December 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  49. ^ "Davies claims manager award again". 8 February 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  50. ^ "Modest Davies plays down manager award". 12 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  51. ^ "Manager award for Forest's Davies". 10 February 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  52. ^ "Davies named Manager of the Month". The Football League. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
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