Filed under: Swansea, Nottingham Forest, Championship, Football
Billy Davies will meet chairman Nigel Doughty later this week as the dust settles on yet another agonising experience of the play-offs for Nottingham Forest.Once again, the future of Davies is high on the agenda even though, to the neutral observer, it would appear the club should be preparing next season for a third successive assault on promotion with the Forest manager only having enhanced his reputation even further.
But this is Davies and nothing is ever simple when this brilliant but flawed manager is concerned. Despite the misery of defeat in Swansea, the stirring second half performance has actually invigorated supporters and given hope for an even brighter end to the campaign next year.
However, the mini-saga over Davies' own future refuses to go away and is threatening to cloud another summer.
His farewell wave to those fans who travelled to Wales has been interpreted in different ways but nothing can detract from the fact that many issues need to be resolved swiftly.
With 12 months remaining on his contract, he should be in prime position to negotiate a new deal. But the last 18 months have been a rollercoaster ride of sniping, stand-offs and conspiracy theories set against the backdrop of Forest winning more games than they lose on a Saturday.
Doughty was warned off appointing Davies a little over two years ago but was insistent he could tame the "monster". All the talk over the last few months was that he had given up, and that Davies was heading for the exit whatever happens.
There was a severe rap on the knuckles for Davies after his post-match comments at Norwich and the names of Chris Hughton, Malky Mackay and yes, even Martin O'Neill, have been cropping up all over the place.
It was deemed mischief-making by journalists when 'LawyerGate' surfaced a few days before the first leg against Swansea but it was an avoidable sideshow all created by Davies.
The romantics insisted it was a ruse all designed to take the pressure off his players but it was simply another sign of how fractious the relationship between Davies and his employers has become.
Does Doughty want another 12 months of this? Does Davies? Whatever the background, Davies has managed five play-off finishes in seven seasons and must be regarded as an asset in the Championship, even if his loose cannon reputation follows him around wherever he goes.
The budget for next season will be a major topic of debate at this week's scheduled meeting and will undoubtedly hold the key.
Davies will point out "what budget?" after what he perceives as a lack of support in the transfer market. Doughty will probably retaliate by pointing out that Kris Boyd, Paul Konchesky and Radoslaw Majewski have all been disappointments when he has actually made funds available.
The uncertainty doesn't just focus exclusively on Davies, either. Robert Earnshaw, Guy Moussi and Nathan Tyson are just three of the players out of contract and will have offers elsewhere.
There are also fears that Forest will be susceptible to bids, with Lewis McGugan, Lee Camp and Chris Cohen likely to be targets for the Premier League predators. Keeping the current squad together will be vital if Davies is to "go again" next season.
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