TO most people, it would be an unusual question.

But to Billy Davies, after around three decades in football, nothing is surprising any more.

The pre-match press conference, ahead of tomorrow's trip to Reading, begins with the manager being asked about the latest remarkable website rumour to gain momentum.

In this case, a Nottingham Forest fan claims he has been seated next to Davies on a flight from Glasgow and alleges that, during the journey, the Scotsman spilt the beans about life at the City Ground – and aimed criticism at everyone from chairman Nigel Doughty to the gathered local media.

Initially, the Reds boss asks that no further questions be broached on the subject, insisting that it is not worth giving it credence by talking about it.

But, as is often the case with the passionate, outspoken character, he eventually drifts back round to the topic, almost involuntarily.

And, when asked how the players have looked in training this week, in the build up to a tough game at Reading, Davies instead begins to reflect on the amount of speculation he has to deal with as manager of Forest.

"It has been just another week in training," he said.

"Every day I have something different to deal with as a manager.

"Every day there are different comments and different speculation; there are comments on the radio and comments on fans forums.

"There are supposedly board fall outs and goodness knows what else. It is just something that you have to deal with.

"You ignore 80% of it and you deal with what you have to deal with out of the rest of it.

"It will never go away, it is constant.

"If you ask any manager in the country they will tell you that they have to deal with this kind of thing.

"You deal with the speculation as it comes, because you know a lot of it is farcical. Particularly when you talk about fall outs, problems with the acquisitions panel, players doing or saying this, that and the other or whatever else."

Davies says he is comfortable with his relationship with the club hierarchy – and says he has even spoken to chairman Doughty about the spectre of speculation.

"I have said time and again that the amount of misinformation is remarkable," said Davies.

"I had a conversation with the chairman three or four days ago regarding what we have to deal with in the press and on internet forums and about what has and has not been said.

"Myself and the chairman agree that it is just something that we will have to deal with.

"We just get on with things."

Never does the flame of speculation burn brighter than on the topic of transfers.

With 11 days to go until the closure of the transfer window, Forest have so far sealed a permanent move for Radi Majewski and captured Ryan Bertrand on loan.

But bids for Darren Pratley and Peter Whittingham have been unsuccessful.

Having been such a vocal critic of the club's acquisitions panel over the summer, Davies seems to have actively taken a step back recently, now choosing to flat bat questions over new additions with gentle, polite platitudes.

Has this been a conscious change of tack from the manager?

"What can I say?" asks Davies. "When people ask me a question and they don't like the answer I give them, well, I am sorry, I can only give you an honest answer.

"At the minute the answer is that we have nothing to report.

"The football club works in a certain way and we can discuss all the same things again.

"It is not a conscious decision not to talk about new signings.

"It is a matter of sitting back and waiting to see what can and cannot be done.

"If there is something to be said I am sure we will make the announcement in due course.

"But, at the minute, there is really nothing to be said."

Instead, Davies requests that the subject gets back to concrete, unavoidable facts – and a tough game at the Madejski Stadium tomorrow.

"Every game is a test, it is Championship football and they are all difficult games," he said. "They have good energy and good players.

"There are no favourites in the Championship. A coat of paint separates everyone. The important thing is that you have to be in the mix come January and get yourself ready for a tough run in."