The Ghost of Billy Davies


His name has once again appeared from nowhere following the shocking run of two games (note a heavily sarcastic lilt to this, I do not think it is shocking) without a win, coming 7 days after the best win of the season which had us all but promoted in these same fans eyes.

And now, and I trust it is down to Matchtalk last night which due to tech issues I was unable to listen to, that the usual array of nutjobs, cranks and attention seekers all called for Davies to be back. I entirely presume this from what I saw on both Facebook and Twitter using the usual refrain of we want our Billy back.

I even saw someone suggest the vast majority want him back in tweeting at Fawaz, although luckily, summarising these types intelligence it was a to a fake account (bravo)

I’m not one for questioning various people’s intellects and whatnot, but the majority (to use their vast sweeping statements they use too) are invariably people who don’t have the first fucking clue about this game. They just see he had success, and that this must mean he would again.

There is one reason I would ever want Davies back and that would be closure. Just as if he messed it up and failed you could finally put these to bed, and if he is the great prodigal son coming back to glory, then fine, we succeed. What I would expect is to be EXACTLY IN THE SAME POSITION WE ARE NOW. (Caps intended)

If Davies was in charge right now, in the top half a few points off the playoffs, would these same people be calling him into question the same way they do with SoD? Of course not.

I don’t even understand why I have to keep writing these pieces that explore a crisis that in my eyes doesn’t exist, doesn’t exist in the al-Hasawi’s eyes, not in the player’s eyes and in Sod’s eyes. But because some people aren’t happy unless we are 12 points clear at the top, here we are again, with people wanting to change a manager that hasn’t really failed. Yeah I agree we’ve hardly set the world alight. But we had no players in August, bar a few that mis-fired last season.

Frank Clark is lauded as a hero for what he did that team he took up struggled through the first few months. Because it was a new team that had been melded together with many new stars.

If you were to bring in Davies, who people proclaim to be the master and wouldn’t make the apparently questionable signings SoD has (I disagree entirely here by the way) can I remind you this is the man who signed McGoldrick and Adebola, and in the loan market saddled us with the expensive Konchesky and Boyd who were much maligned? Or are we just glossing over these facts. Under Davies we invariably limped through the first few months of seasons before cresting around now on a decent run leading to a late January slump.

Case in point is the same guy I referenced in a blog the other day. A guy I work with who goes to a handful of games at best and doesn’t listen to game. He wants Davies back. People cite the West Broom game time and time again about how good it was. One game. One game. Shall we over look how he ballsed up the playoff twice, made questionable selection decisions, (sound familiar) and kept choosing a defensive midfielder people didn’t like because they frankly don’t understand a defensive midfielder that doesn’t charge round like a headless chicken like Evans or Moussi ever did. I.e. they only understand all out attack, which just doesn’t work. They don’t understand the nuanced art of tactics.

SoD got critiqued for choosing one up front against Hull. It wasn’t one up front in the strictest sense, as the midfield was structured for players to get forward, it was meant to see Coppinger and Reid wide, but because they lack pace they couldn’t support like a McCleary could. Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, West Brom, Newcastle, Arsenal have used one up front this season. At home. But no, this point completely underlines the mentality that some fans just won’t accept O’Driscoll because they wanted Davies back.

In their heads he was only got rid of because he fell out with Doughty, Burt and Arthur. Arthur by the way whose name I haven’t heard uttered once with contempt this year yet he’s doing the same job.

The main point I will always make is this. If Davies is so damn good why hasn’t he got another job yet? And let’s remember he was openly touting himself round for jobs with Forest too. If SoD did that these same fans would be on the net teeth gnashing faster than anything fast you care to mention. Davies is poison. He constantly bickers and moans and undermines the squad. Always saying we need this that and the other, commuting from Scotland. Davies didn’t like board interference and wanted control. The al-Hasawis are not fully hands off. They have advisers, Dr Tarek for one, and have signed players that the manager didn’t request in Jenas. He wouldn’t function well under this, would we recreate the us v them mentality again?

People say with SoD we have the small club mentality but more me small club mentality is to constantly look back and not forward. Davies is the past; he’s in the rear view mirror. Forget him. You undermine the current regime by mentioning him. This will only go away through success so get BEHIND the team. Push them forward.

Comments