Billy Davies – A Deadman Walking

Billy Davies is still manager of Nottingham Forest, but you have to ask the question, for how much longer? How much longer will he put up with the incompetence of his employers and also how much longer will they put up with his continued frustrations and attacks on them?

Although both sides in this ongoing war of attrition knew the shortfalls in each others characters before they came together, it appears that neither have the ability to get on and do what’s best for Nottingham Forest Football Club. Davies always says his role is to advise and recommend on new players and that the AP and the board continually fail to deliver. On the other hand, the club have been at pains to stress that they have done their best and tried really, really hard to sign the players that Billy Davies wanted, ‘but you can’t force players to leave their clubs”, says CEO Mark Arthur.

There doesn’t look like being an end to this sorry saga and at the end of the day, it’s going to cost someone big. That cost will more than likely come with the best manager we’ve had in a decade, parting company with the club. Whether that be by mutual consent, the bullet or him walking is presently up for grabs, but the word on the street, is it’s only a matter of time before he’s gone.

His comments in today’s’ NEP, suggest he may have already thrown in the towel. Speaking about the lack of signings he said. ‘I am shell-shocked and stunned, they are the two best words I could use. I am very disappointed for the fans. I was hoping that, in my term at the club, we would see a steady progression. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to be the case’.

He went on to say that he didn’t think the current squad were good enough to achieve promotion and even went as far to say that they ‘overachieved’ last season. Not the best moral booster he could give his troops ahead of an important game on Saturday, even if it is the truth. The interview sounds like the words of a beaten man and we’re only 4 games into the new season.

There are no winners in this current dilemma, only losers and the biggest loser of all, is the club and it’s well being. I’d like to think that there is hope for the two sides to come together and find a way to work in peace, but for that to happen the club have to find a way of getting players to sign for us and Billy has to learn to wind his neck in. Unfortunately I can’t see either side changing their ways, so something has to give.