Blunt speaking Davies asks fans not to judge Forest until the season starts
ON many fronts, the visit of Lyon to the City Ground tonight will be used as a barometer.
For Nottingham Forest fans, the match will be the chance to assess the strength of their squad, following a remarkable season of success and a subsequent summer of frustration in the transfer market.
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Billy Davies
To some supporters, how they fare against a side who will play Champions League football next season will provide an early indication of their chances of forging another promotion push in the Championship.
But, for Billy Davies – a man who knows the importance of new additions better than most – the match will provide an indication of something rather more basic.
"This is a fitness exercise right now, nothing more," said Davies. "Judge us properly at the start of the season, once the transfer market has settled down and once the ins and outs have been completed.
"Hopefully Lyon will keep the ball well and give us a decent run around, so that we can progress our fitness again.
"We won in Portugal and beat Mansfield and we lost to Tranmere and Peterborough.
"But we had key players missing for these games, most notably in the centre of defence. We have had Dele Adebola, Julian Bennett and Chris Gunter playing as centre-halves.
"But this will be another good test for us."
Davies does not shirk away from the subject of new signings for long, however, as he prepares for a game tonight where Wes Morgan, Kelvin Wilson, Paul Anderson and David McGoldrick will be sidelined by injury.
And he insists additions need to be made if Forest are to achieve his target – which is to secure another top-six finish.
"We are talking about a team that finished third last year and we want to move on from that," he said.
"The next step, for me, should be a play-off place again. That should be our target.
"If we want to do that, we need to be looking at three to five new players.
"If we want to look at automatic promotion, then this club needs five-plus stellar signings.
"Play-offs are a must and, for that, we need three to five stellar signings.
"If we want automatic, we need more than five."
From the outside, the mood at the City Ground has been painted as one of unrest.
The club last night refuted claims that defender Wilson had gone on strike in an effort to earn a move to Celtic.
There has also been endless speculation about Davies' future.
The Scot has already insisted Wilson has merely been sidelined with a shin injury.
And, on his own future, he is equally blunt.
"There have been many things written about me this summer," he said. "Supposedly I have been disciplined by the club, I have resigned and I have fallen out with the board.
"I have not complained or had a grievance, discussion or debate with any of the board or acquisitions committee.
"I have a great relationship with Nigel Doughty.
"At no time at Forest have I had to go to the club with any complaint."
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by Unmoaner, Moan City
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 4:51PM
“nah Gary, it's obvious you support forest as loyal as anyone as your not just posting, your doing your research and posting. I do think your panicing to early though. We need to submit player numbers before a certain date, and since the kit is out, people want names and numbers on their back, and thats the only reason they've filled the team up a bit with nobodies. i remember back in the early 90's, we've done that with other players as well when we were in the top league. so thats nothing to worry about.
Andy, Heanor
your half right abotu what MA/ND said. Well it's was just ND as far as i recall, but i could be wrong about that. Anyway, it said 6mil for this summer, i got the impression they meant for the season, but it didn't directly say that.
The 4 year thing. Thats the route to the premiership. They put together that 4 year plan as we went up from league one. It had the AP in mind, instead of managers buying. and every season since the start of that, we have made progress. We're now going into year 4, and last season we were ahead of schedule, we were supposed to be upper mid table, almost in the playoffs.
The AP is a good scapegoat for problems, and people take advantage of that, but every year they have been incharge, we have done better as a team and got better players, and people seem to forget that.
You just made it click in my mind though about the 4 year plan and that linking up to the AP's reign. Maybe after the 4th year, it's back to the manager to make the choices? Maybe Billy is still around waiting for the AP's contract to run out. If BD did the job this season and got us up, he may be in charge with premiership money to spend, whereas if we went up now, he wouldn't have that control... maybe he kept us down on purpose by playing weird tactics.
meh, just wildly assuming there tbh, but would be interesting if the AP is dissolved after this season. or if they got their contracts extended because they successfully got us in the prem?”
by martyn, hucknall
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 4:13PM
“i didn't say that it said in this article that we was going to sign players. i believe that we will sign new players and we will. but the difference between me and you pair of fools is i don't just moan all day i have faith. so grow up and get a life sado's”
by Red4Ever, over here
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 2:59PM
“I too have been a loyal Forest fan for over 40 years following them home and abroad. Look, tonight our 2 starting Center halves are injured, and we dont have a left back. If that dont concern anyone you must be brain dead. Direby beat stoke, Fester beat Posh 5-1 {thats the same posh who beat us 1-0} Reading beat Wolves, and donny beat WBA, I know they're only pre season but they seem to be fit and ready to go, we are obviously NOT, just by the obvious observation of vital players being out injured, and thats a worry. We MUST sign a left back and another Center back, if we dont,a couple of injuries and we are dead.”
by Andy, Heanor
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 1:32PM
“I appreciate your point Mick, Peterborough but we're still financially secure. You only look at the mess Portsmouth, West Ham, Cardiff etc, etc. are in and appreicate our plight. An additional point is that it wasn't ND or MA that opted for inferior play-off tactics against "poorer" opposition - both Blackpool this time around and Yeovil.”
by Andy, Heanor
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 1:27PM
“There is an underlying frustration but I stand by my view that we need to trust the heirachy. I completly agree with Gary that the sheep and clownty fans shold stick to posting comments on their own teams. Incidentally how did the mighty pies get on last night with their "8" new signings and massive 2,000 supporters?”