Filed under: Nottingham Forest, Championship, Football
Why does Billy Davies continually struggle to grasp the concept of that well-worn maxim "there is no 'I' in team?"That is the question so many Nottingham Forest fans are asking themselves as they count down to the two most important games they have faced all season against Swansea City in the play-offs.
When all the talk at the City Ground should be about the collective good of the club and excitement at the prospect of another shot at ending their long exile from the Premier League, Davies has once again revealed himself to be more of a political animal than David Cameron.
Preparations for the first leg of the semi-final have been overshadowed by his decision to brief the club's press officer to inform any members of the written media they have to speak to his lawyer, Jim Price, before they quiz him on his fifth play-off campaign of his impressive managerial career.
Anyone who spoke to Price discovered the rules for Davies' pre-match press conference ahead of the game at the City Ground. Issues such as his relationship with the Forest board and owner Nigel Doughty are off limits.
Questions as to why Forest finished sixth this season and third last season are verboten as are any references to claims that he has actively linked himself to other jobs, like Celtic and Bolton Wanderers this season.
It has created a sideshow which has left a sour atmosphere clinging to all corners of the club when optimism, hope and general tub-thumping, for a team that has roared into the play-offs on the back of four straight wins, should be the order of the day.
Talk of victory has been replaced by the conspiratorial chatter of vendettas and at the heart of it all is Davies' slavish allegiance to himself and his own CV. He would never have made it as one of the Three Musketeers - the concept of all for one and one for all is totally alien to the Forest manager.
He has made no secret of the fact he has issues with the club's transfer acquisitions panel and his perceived lack of financial support from Doughty this season in the transfer market.
His grievances have been aired on a regular basis - so much so that every other fan in the Championship can do a passable impersonation of "in my humble opinion," the preface Davies uses for any criticism, constructive, or otherwise, he makes about the club.
The sad fact is, Davies is one of the best managers the club has had, probably since the days of Paul Hart, who also tasted Championship play-off misery before he was relieved of his duties.
What should also be remembered is Davies is not a patch on Frank Clark - who guided Forest into the Premier League and the UEFA Cup, handling egos like Stan Collymore, Bryan Roy and Stuart Pearce.
Imagine Davies with people like that. His lawyer's phone would have melted with the volume of calls.
When Davies walks into the foyer at the City Ground on Thursday night he will be confronted by a bust of Brian Clough, in famous pose, hand cupped to the corner of his mouth.
If only he could encounter the real thing and the manager who made the club everything it is today, Clough would be shouting something along the lines of "Eh Scotsman, good luck, stop moaning and win me a game of football."
If he doesn't, his lawyer might be even busier trying to negotiate the terms of his severance pay-off.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/05/10/how-billy-davies-political-games-are-not-helping-forests-play/
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