Thread: Celtic make Billy Davies top target as new manager

No, just no

Celtic are considering a move to make Billy Davies their next manager after the Nottingham Forest incumbent — and former R*ngers player — made it known that he would be interested in returning to Scotland to work at Celtic Park.

The move would shock many observers of Scottish football, who have always viewed Davies as “a R*ngers man”, but the manager himself has expressly told a number of confidants that the Celtic job would appeal to him.

Davies, whose Forest side are in third position in the Coca-Cola Championship and guaranteed a place in the play-offs, is understood to have had various disagreements with the board at the City Ground, and appears certain to leave Nottingham Forest in the summer, regardless of whether they gain promotion to the Barclays Premier League.

Jim Price, a Glasgow solicitor who acts as Davies’s adviser, confirmed to The Times yesterday that the 45-year-old Scot would welcome the chance to manage Celtic.“I think the idea that Billy is an out-and-out R*ngers man is a bit of a myth,” Price said. “I advise Billy on different football matters and my remit with him is simple: when there is any club out there who is interested in having Billy as their manager, we sit down and discuss it.

“I certainly don’t see why Billy couldn’t be a successful manager at Celtic or R*ngers or wherever.”

Celtic, via at least one intermediary, have already moved to sound out Davies about the prospect of succeeding Tony Mowbray. The Glasgow club are thought to be considering a number of candidates for the role — including Neil Lennon, who is in the job in a caretaker capacity — but view Davies’s credentials as among the most impressive.

The former R*ngers, St Mirren, Dunfermline Athletic and Motherwell player has had success at every club he has managed, taking Preston North End to the brink of the English Premier League via the play-offs in 2005, then taking Derby County back into the top flight in his first season in charge in 2006-07.

Davies was appointed Forest manager on January 1, 2009 and has since repeated his previous successes there. His recent months, though, have not been happy, with many believing that he will not be given the money he feels the club will need to survive in the Premier League should they get there. He is also understood to be aggrieved with the tight fiscal policy operated by Nigel Doughty, the Forest chairman.

Davies is said to be keen on the Celtic job, and other factors have recently influenced his thinking. His wife wishes to return home to Scotland, and that and other family considerations have started to shape his thinking.

If Davies was appointed as the manager of Celtic, it would be one of the most intriguing moves in Scottish football in a long time. The downside for the Celtic board is that the Forest manager is said to be a feisty, strong-willed character who is not afraid to speak his mind, and who has riled more than just one football club director in his time.

“Billy is not backward in coming forward,” another source told The Times last night. “He is a very talented football manager — his record shows that — but if Celtic went for him they would have a manager who doesn’t pussyfoot around with diplomacies.”

Lennon, meanwhile, having won four straight games in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, is said to be a growing contender all the time for the job, despite losing to Ross County in the Active Nation Scottish Cup semifinals ten days ago.

On Sunday, Lennon aims to make that a five-game winning league sequence when Celtic face Dundee United at Tannadice — a feat not achieved by the club since November 2008.

If this happens, I’ll support any action against the board, preferably militant.

there would be protests if this hadn't. bring back fan power.

any other time i'd laugh it off but tbh it wouldn't surprise me if this happened. we should have got billic last season.

this will never happen

No. Please God no

he managed derby in the EPL metrobhoy

his derby team made Mowbray look like Helenio Herrera in terms of their EPL performance, although Jewell took them to a new "lower" level

I can't even raise a false chuckle at this shit. What's the source anyway?

would i be right in saying he signed robbie savage and kenny misser?

Nothing to do with him being an ex Hun.

He’s just not good enough.

He’s a Championship standard manager, just like the other loser. I can’t believe the board are actually considering this… well, I can. But after the season we’ve had I’m not sure how much more the fans can take.

The source is The Times, Spiers wrote the article. Incidentally, I was listening to him on Clyde a couple of nights ago and he was saying that there is still large interest within Parkhead for the appointment of Roy Keane :confused:

Going to be a long summer…

If we’re going down this route we may as well tell them to cancel the SPL next year and just give 3IAR to the filth.

Surely this is a piss take......................


Surely.....

Originally Posted by metrobhoy2

Oh no. I'd rather stick with Lennon than get Keane in. At least we don't know if Lennon will be good.

I think he was insinuating Desmond still has a raging hard on for Keane (not Robbie unfortunately) and that they might be willing to go down the Souness at R*ngers route, i.e the hard man.

Fuck sake that's one name i never expected to crop up in a million years!! This had beter be a load of shite, i would be sick if this cunt got the job. Can't stand the guy.

If the board are trying to increase supporter apathy then they're going the right way about it. Davies should get nowhere near Parkhead - hun bastard and more importantly a Championship manager at best.