By Henry Green
Former Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies has opened up about his desire to return to football after he spent a decade away from the dugout following his controversial departure from the City Ground.
Davies managed Forest in two memorable spells, from 2009-11 and 2013-14.
The former Manchester United youth player, now 60, had a professional career with clubs including St Mirren, Leicester City and Motherwell.
The latter, for which he made the most league appearances, is where he started his managerial career in 1998, before going on to sit in the dugout for Preston North End, Derby County, and then over two spells at Forest.
The Scot spoke exclusively to Notts TV’s Team Talk in a rare interview being broadcast on Wednesday at 8pm.
Davies said: “I was in the perfect storm when I left Forest (the second time), I was then involved in a dispute with the previous owner in addition to that I was horrendously advised by people and organisations.
“I then find out about terrible health issues with my family, then after that I decided to build qualifications – I decided to do some personal development, I’ve been to games all over the country,” he added.
He managed a total of 185 games for the Reds, winning 78, drawing 57 and losing 50.
Davies has now decided that he wants to launch a bid to get back into management.
“I’m very excited about getting back in, I’m now more than ever ready to go back in,” he said.
“I’m open-minded, it’s more about the project it’s more about the club and what their ambition, it’s all about the project like Forest was,” Davies added.
He also said he has “no regrets” about his time at Forest.
His first stint is fondly remembered for two campaigns which took the side close to promotion to the Premier League with two playoff finishes. Both saw the Reds eliminated in the semi-finals by Blackpool and Swansea City respectively.
He did see play-off success with Derby County in 2007, beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in that year’s playoff final.
Davies was a controversial figure at the club – with the banning of sections of thr media being blamed on the Scot.
“I think there’s a little bit of misguidance there, a manager doesn’t ban the media, that’s a club decision,” Davies said.
Asked about whether he felt bitter about his relationship with the press, he said: “I don’t, at the end of the day, the press have a job to do my job was to win football matches.”
The former Forest manager also revealed that he was approached in January 2015 and in January 2017 to manage the club again before Al-Hasawi sold the club in May 2017.
The interview will appear on Notts TV’s Team Talk at 8pm on Wednesday, December 11.
Notts TV is available across Nottinghamshire on Freeview channel 7, BT 7, and Virgin 159.
An extended half hour version of the interview with Davies will also be broadcast in a Team Talk special at 8.30pm on Thursday (December 12). It will also be available on demand at nottstv.com and via Notts TV’s YouTube channel.
Davies has not managed a club since departing the City Ground in 2014 and recently announced he will host a live talk show in Nottingham in the New Year.
It is What it is: Billy Davies and Friends, will appear on Thursday, February 20 2025 at the Albert Hall in Nottingham. Also appearing will be former Reds defender Wes Morgan, goalkeeper Lee Camp and former Forest kit man Terry Farndale.
