IT has been some time since the City Ground was a bastion of European football, since the banks of the River Trent hosted nights of glorious, historic success.

More than two decades have passed since McGovern, Birtles, Burns, Lloyd, Robertson, Shilton and co put the city of Nottingham on the global map in a way that only Robin Hood had achieved before.

But the shadow of Brian Clough still looms large over a stadium that, despite extensive renovations before Euro 96, echoes with the same sense of history and achievement.

For some who have occupied the manager's office since, no amount of redecoration and refurbishment has managed to erase the memories of Clough's accomplishments.

Gary Megson famously insisted that the photographs which once proudly adorned the stadium's corridors were taken down, so that people looked to the future rather than the past.

But Billy Davies has taken a different route.

Having embarked on a European adventure of his own over the past 12 months, the Scot has learned to appreciate the value of history and tradition.

And from the moment he walked through the doors at the City Ground, it is something he has positively embraced.

At Derby County, Davies was in charge of a club with a modern stadium and a state-of-the-art training facility.

But he already feels more at home in his new surroundings.

And unlike some of his predecessors, he is positively enthusiastic about the club's past.

"The word I am looking for is cosmetic," said Davies, from the confines of a press room in which almost every wall is covered with sepia-tinged team pictures of the players of yesteryear.

"Derby is a more cosmetic place than Forest. They have a new stadium and new facilities.

"From the moment you walk into the City Ground you can smell Brian Clough in here.

"In the boot room, in the dressing room, you can just feel it – this is a traditional football club that is steeped in history and has been at the very highest level in world football.

"It feels it and looks it.

"I don't know if artificial is the right word, but it is more cosmetic when you look at the new facilities Derby have.

"And sometimes facilities don't make football clubs, people do.

"Wonderful facilities do not make a wonderful team. Not for me."

The source of this belief is not just his experience of life at Pride Park, but the knowledge gained from an extensive tour of America and Europe that took Davies to training sessions at some of the biggest clubs in the world.

It was a journey that led him to believe that often, bowling green pitches and high-concept training techniques are not the factors that bring success to a club.

"I went to watch Real Madrid and they were training on gravel pitches," he said.

"I spent seven days there watching them training on the bumpiest pitch in the world and on artificial pitches.

"I never saw an outstanding training pitch. It is a tradition out there, they train on gravel or on bumpy grass pitches.

"All the great players never trained on great academy pitches.

"Now players over here have never cleaned their own boots.

"I can understand where we are going with it all, but are we producing players with personality, players that have that bit about them in their make-up?

"They have it too good. They get five-star lunches, they get treated unbelievably well.

"My point is that I don't always think having top facilities is the answer.

"I found that at Madrid. I stood looking at the top players training on those gravel pitches and, when the ball was bouncing all over the place, suddenly you started to realise why they have been winning European Cups over the years. That was the answer.

"If they can control the ball on pitches like that, they won't have an issue on a proper surface."

Clough was famous for literally running Forest from top to bottom.

But, while Old Big 'Ead did not answer to anyone, Davies believes he can forge a positive relationship with chairman Nigel Doughty.

"I have great respect for the chairman, firstly as a person but secondly as an owner and a leader of a club," said Davies.

"His heart is in the right place and his intentions are clear. People have a lot of respect for him.

"This is an ambitious club and I have no complaints about the budget, I have no complaints about financial constraints.

"All I ask for is that we create our roles and responsibilities and agree to them – and once that happens stick to it.

"If we can do that we will have a great working relationship."

In the short-term, Forest's success or failure could be decided by Davies's ability to replicate one of Clough's greatest traits – being able to coax the best out of his players.

Having inherited a very young squad, injuries to key players have left the manager's options looking more youthful by the minute.

And the Scot admits he is concerned at having to pitch inexperienced players into the heat of a relegation battle.

He said: "Good young players are good when you are not under pressure to stay in the league. Then it is easier to give them their opportunity and allow them to play.

"But asking young players to step in when you are in this situation, and make the mistakes that they are going to make, can be very difficult.

"Fans need to understand that these young players need a consistent run in the side, and that there are going to be times when they play badly and make mistakes.

"But we can't afford too many mistakes at the moment – that is the problem we have."

In the short-term, Davies is aware that he has a tough job.

But then, as he would not be afraid to observe, when another man took over the club in the dim and distant past, Forest were languishing in the second-tier of English football, without a great deal of optimism for the future.