Nottingham Forest: The fans are loving Billy's second coming
AS the Reds faithful frequently sing with gusto, there is no mistaking it – Nottingham Forest have got their Billy back.
Short of actually going back in a time machine, the sense of familiarity could hardly have settled over the City Ground more comprehensively.
-
Forest are on their best run of form since, you've guessed it, a certain Scotsman was last at the helm and talk of promotion is being uttered with ever increasing volume.
At least, it is in most quarters. Because, while Davies' old habit of inspiring the best from his players has immediately been demonstrated, so has his unique – and valuable – ability to play down expectation levels off the pitch.
start with 10 qualifying laps and then line up for 2 x 20 lap races ALL FOR £40 ( normally £50)
Terms:
*terms and conditions apply
Age and height restrictions apply
Minimum of 4 people per race
Contact: 01623 702148
Valid until: Saturday, June 15 2013
Five wins on the bounce have lifted Forest into the play-off places for the first time since last September and carried them to within nine points of second-placed Watford.
And there is no other manager who could have injected the sense of hope and optimism than Davies. His return has galvanised both team and supporters.
But that is not the only recognisable trait that Davies is demonstrating. When the subject of promotion is brought up, Davies' is not the sort to stoke the fire, to fan the flames of optimism. Nor does he exactly chuck a bucket of water all over them.
Instead, he expertly diverts attention to something else – by insisting that his primary emotion is one of relief; happiness that Forest have avoided the threat of relegation, which is a threat that few others had given even a single moment of concern.
"I was concerned about staying up. With the tempo of the training in the first training session, with the way we trained, with the discipline – I was very concerned," he said.
"There is no doubt that we have very good players – on paper. There is no doubt that we have a great bunch – on paper. But there is also no doubt that we have a lot of work to do."
With nine games left, there is much work to do. Forest are a long way from securing a place in the Premier League. But, with Davies in charge, it already feels as though they are a lot closer than they were even a matter of weeks ago.
A team that had won three games in their previous 14 fixtures has now claimed 16 points from a possible 18. A team that had been nine points off the play-off places now find themselves nine points off the top two.
And a club that had found itself plunged into a mood of chaos following a string of knee jerk decisions suddenly feels united, probably for the first time since the decision was taken to sack Sean O'Driscoll.
Forest fans will also not need reminding that Davies has been here before, he has an intimate knowledge of the physical and psychological demands of a play-off push. He will also know about the pressure that builds as the season comes to a crescendo.
When he arrived, while his suggestion that the threat of relegation was a serious one feels a little exaggerated, it is also fair to say that many had also written off any hopes of promotion.
That is not the case any longer. But now, with hope comes expectation; with ambition, comes a pressure to succeed.
When asked what he had done to inspire such a reaction from his players, Davies said simply: "I have managed people, I have managed expectation. I have changed a lot here, an awful lot. From staff roles to both small and large details throughout the club."
His biggest achievement, without over complicating matters, has been to coax the best from a group of players that has just as much, if not more, quality than the one that twice secured a top-six finish in his previous tenure.
With Billy Sharp likely to return from illness next weekend and both Dexter Blackstock – who limped off in the first half with a hamstring problem – and Darius Henderson (knee) hoping to recover from injury, Forest will not be short of attacking options next weekend.
So, with the exception of a pacy winger, there are no obvious holes in the Forest side and, while Davies might talk about the pressure being off his strikers until they do add more width to their ranks, you would also question how much he would want to change their style of play right at this minute.
Because, while the front men may have only netted two goals between them this year, Forest are hardly short of goal threat.
The reason for that is the outstanding form of every one of their midfielders.
Henri Lansbury grabbed the headlines with as superb pair of goals against Wolves on Saturday, twice demonstrating an unerring accuracy from the edge of the box, to put Forest in control either side of a headed equaliser from Matt Doherty.
While Lewis McGugan, for the second game running, came off the bench to score, this time with a spectacular effort of his own – fired in off the underside of the bar – after Stephen Ward had been sent off for denying Greg Halford the chance to sprint clear.
It was enough to cap off a tight, but certainly deserved 3-1 win over a Wolves side that seemed lacking in confidence when it mattered most – an accusation that cannot be levelled at the Reds.
Since Davies returned, in six unbeaten matches, Forest's midfielders have scored 12 goals between them, with Radi Majewski hitting five, Lansbury notching four, McGugan two and Andy Reid one.
And it is not as if Forest's front men are playing poorly. Simon Cox has played a part in the creation of at least three recent goals, with his energy and work rate integral to Forest's success.
Davies has identified an approach – and a 4-1-3-2 formation – that gets the best from the players he has at his disposal, with the three more advanced midfielders given license to do what they do best.
A trip to Hull, one of the sides immediately above them in the table, will provide the biggest test yet since Davies return, on Saturday afternoon.
And, if Brighton win at Barnsley tomorrow, they will head into the game against the Tigers in seventh place, rather than sixth.
But, while Davies is likely to continue to try to keep a lid on expectation, there is no question that, once more, Forest are now daring to dream of a Premier League future.
The Reds have got their Billy back, but they have also witnessed the return of a little hope and optimism.
49 Comments
View all
by redone1
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 1:15PM
“and huey that post was carefully worded - you said billy would obviously learn from the past but couldnt quite go as far as to say he would learn from his mistakes? :)
this isnt aimed at you huey but i just cant work out why a lot of people from both sides of the argument seem to be looking forward to us losing or having a few hiccups and resurrecting old arguments with other fans ??? its much better to enjoy the form we are in and the atmosphere that is around the club COYR”
by redone1
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 1:08PM
“huey i think your grouping two distinct groups into one here - there is no doubt a minority of fans who dislike billy and seem to be willing and intent to go out of their way to put the man down BUT the other group of fans that seem to be dragged into the anti billy brigade are good honest fans who want the best for the club but are (or were?) still concerned that billy may revert back to some of his old ways which imo were not always good or productive for the club.He is handling the media in a much more productive manner and it goes without saying the players and fans have reacted beyond our wildest dreams to him and his team being back. Im 100% behind him but still a little bit concerned how he may react when the first thing goes wrong or doesnt quite go his way - i for one,will hold my hands up and congratulate billy and the whole back up team inc. the owners for making the positive moves that got billy back but to still harbour a few doubts and concerns is not a bad thing.Caution is needed in all walks of life and if it isnt used or acknowledged the events can be damaging. Im not one that shouts king billy but im ready to call him prince billy and hopefully crown him king in the near future.”
by HueyTheNoose
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 8:26AM
“Redone I think your post is a bit disingenuous. You know very well what I mean. Any person with half a brain is going to try to learn from the past. It's not rocket science to say that Billy will try to do things better than he did last time. Of course he will. Anyone would. But the point I am making is it is the same lively Billy Davies who gets the players behind him, get's the team playing great football, and puts a winning mentality into the brains of the players. Billy never ever asked for a ten year contract like PosPaul says. That's just anti Billy B******t. What I won't accept from the anti Billy gang is that somehow Billy has changed into a new person, one that is now more to their liking. Instead of saying it like it really is, and that is that they were very wrong about the man, all along.
KTF.”
by figaro1
Tuesday, March 12 2013, 11:17AM
“Excellent well balanced post by Redtone and Pospaul.
Alex Fergusson was sacked by Stirling?? he probably learned from the experience as Brian Clough did from his time at Leeds.
SOD making a remarkable start at Bristol , ( would have got us up (IMO) and structured long term ) must have learnt from his time here.
Ollie, Steve Bruce , Brendan Rogers, Malkie MacKay or have all become better managers why not Billy Davies?
Only time will tell.”
by redone1
Tuesday, March 12 2013, 10:17AM
“huey - im not being funny but if you cant see changes in the way billy is operating i dont know where youve been? he has actually stated alongwith ned that they have been over what happened last time -looked at ways to improve and make sure if they get into the same positions thay wont make the same mistakes again . to me that means they know mistakes were made but more importantly they have analysed the events and learnt from them.
i hope billy is here for a long time and im sure that will mean promotion and good times , a lot of the so called anti billy brigade are forgetting the past and fully backing him now,its a shame that the pro billy boys cant do the same and look forward rather than backwards.
billy made mistakes alongwith the old regime but he has learnt from them and is ten times better for it . forgetting our current form (its certainly a bonus) one thing is certain, billy is taking us in the right direction but unfortunately a few fans seem intent on dragging us backwards??”
by HueyTheNoose
Tuesday, March 12 2013, 12:01AM
“Well done everyone for getting behind Billy and Fawaz for the fantastic job they are doing. Especially would like to say well done to the anti Billy people who are now saying, unreservedly that they got it wrong. I take my Woolly, Red and white hat off to them. It's very sad to see PositivePaul coming out with the same old rubbish he was spouting when Billy was here last time. Yesterday, I congratulated him on his post when he was singing Billy's praises. He got about 20 green arrows for his post, one of which was from me. It is very sad to see him now going back on yesterday's post. Paul writes his post as if he was right all along about Billy, and that Billy is now a reformed character, more to the liking of Paul. Paul, Billy has NOT CHANGED. Why would he need to? He is doing exactly what he was doing when he was here last time. ie. winning matches playing great football! Sorry Paul, but you got it oh, so wrong last time regarding Billy. You need to accept that this club was being very badly run by some very dubious people the last time Billy was here. And I think most would agree that had he had the backing of the likes of Arthur and Pleat, we would probably be in the Premiership today. He didn't, those two, and a few others did everything they could to undermine the man. Paul, you and a few others supported those people and criticized Billy at the time, and since he has left. Those people were WRONG and so were you. You quite simply called it wrong. Just accept it and move on.....Please.
KTF”
by Dave_Nottm
Monday, March 11 2013, 11:09PM
“Oldref - here's one of them! When Billy was re-appointed I thought 'Here comes trouble!', but you can't argue with the way he's galvanised the squad, the BBC item shows how thorough and committed he is, and maybe the fact that no-one else employed him in the meantime has had a salutary effect on him. Anyway, I'm happy to admit that it looks like I was wrong!”
by PositivePaul
Monday, March 11 2013, 10:18PM
“What Billy is doing for our club is brilliant, and right now I am delighted with the way he has transformed our fortunes.
I have stated on more than one occasion, how much I like Billy the sequel. He turned up to a youth team fixture. He is passionate about getting only Nottingham Forest back where they belong. As a coach and a motivator he has undoubted talents.
Results on the pitch, will certainly not turn me against Billy Davies. But to blindly trust the current manager, is as foolish as not recognising the impact he has made.
Billy inherited a very good squad, a squad put together either by the previous regime, or the previous manager. Billy has not missed out on a transfer target yet. It is when this happens I will know for certain we have the right man for the job.
Billy the sequel is interested in the academy, the old Billy wanted a 10 year contract before he would be interested.
Billy the sequel is only interested in managing Nottingham Forest, he is no longer saying he would go to any other club in Europe.
Billy the sequel is limiting his exposure to the press and when he does appear he is impressively committed to the club, he no longer sees the need to take his solicitor along to such occasions.
Billy the sequel has arrived at a completely different club to the one he left. This set up may suit Billy's style of management. This set up may have fewer financial constraints.
Whatever happens on the pitch, as long as Billy the sequel demonstrates this level of commitment to Nottingham Forest Football Club, he will get 100% support from me.
COYR”
by trickygaz
Monday, March 11 2013, 8:04PM
“Wouldn't it be just our luck that Boyd scores on saturday ( & sharpy gets 2!!)”
by knawrybred
Monday, March 11 2013, 8:03PM
“Purchased my hull ticket Saturday asked how many had been sold? Was told the first allocation had been sold friday and the second allocation was being sold Saturday, should be a great day out.”