Billy Davies managed Preston North End between 2004 and 2006Billy Davies managed Preston North End between 2004 and 2006
Billy Davies managed Preston North End between 2004 and 2006 | Getty Images
Billy Davies speaks to the Lancashire Post, in great depth, about his time as Preston North End manager between 2004 and 2006
There is an immediate glimpse, upon meeting Billy Davies, into why Preston North End came as close as they did in those two years. It may seem silly to suggest so, with no football pitch, players or training ground in the vicinity. A Glasgow restaurant is the rendezvous point in early September. The handshake is firm; eye contact intense. Behind every word, is fierce enthusiasm and passion. For a football obsessed male in his mid-20s, it didn’t take long to realise why this guy, gripped that group of players.
A young supporters’ expectation levels were sent wild, growing up in that era. Those early memories of going on the football never really leave you and in the early to mid noughties, PNE - under Davies - were a force to be reckoned with in the Championship. Ultimately, despite feeling on the cusp of the Premier League and ready for the jump, they never made it. But, these times weren’t half good. And, with Davies - who left Preston in June 2006 - having barely discussed them, it’s time to find out why.
After leaving Motherwell at the age of 33, the call came from Craig Brown to come down to Preston as first team coach. Davies didn’t know Brown - God rest his soul - on much of a personal level, but would go on to spend two ‘tremendous’ years working with him at Deepdale. The people, and press, skills of the fellow Scot were two major things Davies took from Brown. When the latter’s tenure came to an end in August 2004, it was firmly in Davies’ mind to follow him out of the door. That felt the right thing to do. But, it actually proved to be the start of another journey.
“Eventually, the club told me their stance in no uncertain terms: they wanted me to stay at Preston,” said Davies. “I wasn't sure, but one thing I did believe I had at that time was a lot of support from the players. I felt as though the squad were right behind me and enjoyed my coaching methods. While I was mulling over my decision, Craig came to me. He said: 'Sit tight here, don't go anywhere yet. You are a young man, with a young family. Sit and see what happens at Preston for you. Believe me, you have got my blessing to stay here. Hopefully you get the job and this can start up your managerial career again'. I had so much respect for Craig saying that to me.”
Davies firmly viewed himself as a tracksuit manager, who lived and breathed being out on the training pitch with his players. Preparation was meticulous and the tactical side of the game was something he delved into in great depth. One example of that was spending £10,000 on his own video analysis equipment, for his home. Back to Preston, at the time of him taking over, one ‘superstar’ had just left the building in Ricardo Fuller. But, recruitment did not let the Lilywhites down and was a key, driving force behind the success North End had on the pitch.
Billy Davies and George Hodgson, PNE reporter for the Lancashire PostBilly Davies and George Hodgson, PNE reporter for the Lancashire Post
Billy Davies and George Hodgson, PNE reporter for the Lancashire Post | George Hodgson
“Lots and lots of hard work had gone in over the previous number of years, with a very important chief scout in Clive Middlemass having been central to that,” said Davies. “He helped to bring a lot of top quality players to Preston. If you look at the team we had from back to front, you had some real stars but also - and this is just as important - strong leaders. The kind of leadership we had in that dressing room was special. It's one thing I will always say about taking over that team, at that time: it was riddled with leaders. We were not short of characters and winners. The determination of the group was fierce. Without question, any one of seven or eight of those players could've been club captain. That is what I had at my disposal at that time. And, some serious quality.”
The likes of Carlo Nash, Callum Davidson, Youl Mawene, Matt Hill, Chris Sedgwick and Patrick Agyemang all came through the door that summer and went on to play central roles in the side. But, the pick of the bunch when it came to the transfer window was the acquisition of a young forward, who went by the name of David Nugent. There is great romance in Davies’ story, of how the decision to sign the Bury front man came about.
“We all know about Nuge,” said Davies. “He was a magnificent addition to the squad. What you may not know about the signing of Nuge, mind, is that he wasn't even the player we went to watch. Me and Clive actually went to have a look at Nathan Tyson, who was playing for Wycombe Wanderers away to Bury. It finished 2-2 at Gigg Lane and both players scored braces on the night. Tyse was on on loan from Reading at the time; he was one me and Clive had been looking at closely.
“But, and I remember this clear as day, during the match I turned to Clive and asked: 'Who is the other lad, there?' Clive informed me that there was a lot of clubs keeping an eye on Nuge, but it looked like not many were willing to take the chance on him. I recall saying to Clive: 'I will be honest with you. As much as Nathan Tyson is a very good player, there is just something special about this lad'. And that is exactly how the transfer came about. We managed to bring Nuge in and the fee ended up being about £99,000. I am not sure Preston will ever spend that sum of money better.
“It was strange, in the fact we didn't have much competition at all for Nuge's signature. Therefore, it wasn't a great challenge to get the deal over the line. Looking back, it's remarkable how little hard work was required. We took the punt nobody else was prepared to. But, I have always been a great believer that - when you go around the grounds like that - sometimes you have just got to let the player find you, rather than you trying to find the player. Nugent found me that night. What was it about him?
“His general play, razor sharp movement, unique running style. He got away from people so easily, he ran at defenders and was unbelievably positive in everything he did. There was a confidence there in a young player and he was mouthy. I liked that. You heard Nuge before you saw him; another great lad. I just had that feeling at Gigg Lane, even though we were looking at Tyson - who I eventually managed later on and was a great forward indeed. There was just something about Nuge, where I felt he might be the one for us. Sometimes you've got to trust your gut in this game.”
As far as first seasons go, 2004/05 was almost perfect. Davies and co came within a kick of the ultimate prize: a place in the Premier League. A fifth placed finish was secured and Derby County - more on them later - were seen off in the play-off semi-finals. And so, 5th vs 6th - Preston vs West Ham - locked horns at the Millennium Stadium. The promised land awaited the winner. A poor spectacle on the day, Preston were crushed by a 57th Bobby Zamora strike, after a Claude Davis slip. Lots has been said about that day since, from PNE travelling down to Wales a few days prior and stalwart Graham Alexander not starting the game. Davies, almost 20 years on, now wants to have his say on season number one.
“One of the things I wanted us to be was a high pressing team, who got after the ball and won it back quickly,” he said. “Nowadays, they talk about the great managers and them using inverted full-backs. I actually played Graham Alexander and Callum Davidson as inverted full-backs and switched them on both sides - depending on the opposition and who played. It was important back then, because of what we had, to be proactive. Another key thing for us was setting disciplines in training.
“We had a group of players who, no matter what you said to them, were up for it. The same applied to set plays, which was another strength of ours. We worked hard on set pieces and became really good at them. We had a very conscientious group. When you gave them instructions and information, they listened. Out of all the teams, at all the clubs I’ve managed, I would say the Preston playing staff were probably the most switched on. There wasn’t a lot of push back; the group were very professional.
“Up until Christmas, we had a rocky road if I remember right. I always said to the players that, to the outside world we were just little old Preston. To the inside, we do not fear anybody, we will take on anybody and we are better than anybody. That was the motivation tool I used and I genuinely believed that, with the quality we had. Get into the tunnel and don’t shout and ball, just give a little glance over your shoulder and look at them to say: ‘Here we come... here we are, let’s have a go’.
“That is not arrogance, just belief - and we needed belief to be put into those players. Confidence grew and you started to think: ‘We have got a chance here.’ As the games went by, you could just feel the pulse getting stronger and the belief getting bigger. Deepdale and Preston was a special place, a special atmosphere and probably no more so than in the play-off games. We saw the place completely bouncing. The fans were great, got right behind us and were a tremendous help to us.
“We knew Derby were going to be a tough team to play, but we brought them to Preston and the atmosphere was phenomenal. We scored a great first goal through Nuge and it finished two nothing. Then, we went to a very, very hostile Pride Park, but handled ourselves brilliantly. That was not a place for cowards. This was a place for men, for character and for discipline. Overall, it was a terrific achievement to beat them over two legs.
“When it comes to the final, I think hindsight is a wonderful thing. When you don’t win the game, then people want to talk about us going away too early. Don’t forget, I run these things past players and staff first. I didn’t just walk in and say: ‘Right, we are going away for four or five days - I don’t care what anyone else thinks’. At every club I created a committee of young and old players. I ran it past them about travel and training and got their tick box.
“So, going away when we did was a decision made by the group - not the manager only. How did we lose the game? Ultimately, it is a slip. It was a very scrappy match and not only that, it was the end of the season. I felt David Nugent was one player who had ran his socks in all year. People want to try and wipe out the 48 games and focus on the one. If you take those games prior to the final, a lot of effort and achievement had gone in. We had done a lot of good things to get to that place.
“When we get to that place, the first thing I look at is the size of the pitch. It was one of the biggest around; longer than the majority of normal pitches. I looked at the opposition, the way they played and the squad they had. We did a lot of homework and talked with the medical and sports science department about little knocks, niggles and who they thought needed a rest. But, I’m not going to brush over the 46 games to get the club to the play-off final, because of a slip by a centre-half in our box.
“It was not our first big week of travelling to a game. We’d had lots of discussions and made lots of decisions as a team. I am not going to try and justify to anybody about feeble excuses on going away too long, playing the wrong system or player. We were brilliant for 46 games. The achievement was outstanding. We lost the game because of a slip; sometimes that is just called unlucky. I have said before, it is just a lottery. These things happen in play-offs. That final, without hindsight, was a very scrappy affair. We didn’t play as well as we could; they were not much better.”
The task then for Davies, his squad and staff, was to flip the feeling of utter devastation - heightened by the fact his team looked ready to take that step - and turn it into energy to go again in 2005/06. He felt it was important for North End to ‘celebrate the defeat’ and recognise the strides they had taken. Big hitters then left the club in the summer - Richard Cresswell, Eddie Lewis and Dickson Etuhu - while several fresh faces came through the door: Simon Whaley, Danny Dichio and Brett Ormerod, to name three of them. PNE finished one place, and five points, better off. But, this time the play-off semi-finals were the source of sheer pain. It’s a campaign he has plenty of thoughts on.
“A lot of the fans appreciated us, even though we had fallen at the last hurdle because of a slip,” said Davies. “And, you do what you need to do. You pick them up, give them the time off they need and then, you start again. Cressy was a big loss. He was top class and a great partner for Nuge. Eddie was a great lad and addition. Chris went to Sheffield United and Dickson went to Norwich. Chris Lucketti was a tremendous captain and leader.
“But, we had to be a selling club and accept we had to develop and improve players, then move them on and bring in similar quality. All those guys were big, big losses and you were then bringing in projects. But, we had the backbone of the previous number of seasons. We kept it moving forward and worked very hard with the players coming in. The first play-off leg was away this time and the place was jam-packed. We went to Elland Road, the place was buzzing and our fans were behind the goal.
“When you go to Leeds, you know it is competitive, volatile and you are going up against a top club, with a good squad of players. I have always said, in play-offs, to try and stay in the game for the second leg. It is important. Going there and bringing them back to a cauldron, in Deepdale, was important to me. Nuge scored the first, a great goal. Then, Eddie Lewis bent one into the top corner in the 88th minute, which was a killer. And this, is where the magic phrase comes up.
“The local phrase in Leeds were very clever. My explanation of the game was that I felt, coming to Elland Road and getting a 1-1 draw was ‘job done’ - in relation to the first leg of the game. They turned it around beautifully... ‘Preston think they are there’, ‘Davies says: ‘Job done’.’ So, they used that very cleverly. It was not my first game. I wasn’t stupid. To think I would go in there and say: ‘We have done it’. I was referring to the first leg and I felt that game was job done. I would’ve taken that.
“Those were the words. The press twisted it around big time. They used that for their fans and for their team. Under no circumstances, as an experienced manager, would I ever believe that a 1-1 draw at Elland Road, in a two-legged game, is job done. So, they used that stick to beat me with and they beat me very well with it, because after the game the mentality of that club and dressing room was to put stickers all around the dressing room. I don’t mind that; I don’t mind people using motivational skills.
“But, since then, I have had that rammed down my throat for many years. And unfortunately, for us in that second leg our best player that season - Youl Mawene - lost his marker from a corner. Here is another problem - you talk about karma and fate... Brett Ormerod broke his leg very early, a massive loss. Then what happened, was the lights went out. There was a blackout in the first half. What I decided to do was put myself, and my own thoughts, in the dugout. Then, it was that Davies was ‘sulking’ in the dugout.
“I stayed out there, spoke to the players and staff and then decided to sit in the dugout for five minutes. It was just to get a bit of peace. I can never explain why I do things, because it’s just spur of the moment and instinctive. I remember sitting with the staff and talking to Ned (Kelly). I said to him: ‘I don’t like this. I don’t like where this is going here’. A leg break, a blackout and your best player of the season - who has not let you down at all - losing his marker inside the box for their first goal... you think to yourself that it is just not going to be. But, like the first season, don’t underestimate the achievement.”
That Leeds loss proved to be the final match managed by Davies at Deepdale. His move to Derby County was confirmed in early June and he guided the Rams to promotion, via the play-offs, after a third placed finish in 2006/07. But, the Scot is adamant he wasn’t looking to get out of Preston, post-Leeds.
“What happens after that is that, as staff, we feel we have hit the bar and hit the post,” said Davies. “And, with another season we are going to get there. That was the mindset. My adviser then got a call to say my CV was being touted all over England. I met Derek Shaw in the Swallow Hotel and said that season tickets were up, the club shop was through the roof, the attendances are up and the play-offs have brought in tremendous finance for the club... and that we would like to go again, but you have to look after the staff.
“Derek Shaw said to me: ‘Sorry, but that is not going to happen’. Derek made it clear that, under no circumstances, the club were going to reward the staff for what had been achieved. I made it clear that I wanted to go another year, to Derek. Three clubs, I then spoke to. I was given permission to speak to Charlton, which was reported at the time. I walked out of Charlton, having met the board and the job was mine to turn down. I was then going to meet Derby.
“I was going to meet Nottingham Forest, who were in League One. And, I think Stoke City. Derek gave me permission to speak to Charlton, to Forest in League One and refused me permission to speak to Derby. He didn’t want me to go to the Championship. I travelled to Derby, it was a Championship salary. There was a lot of hassle between Preston and Derby - major hassle. They never let my staff come to Derby; there was a serious battle. Great issues built up over me, eventually, agreeing to go to Derby.
“It was less salary. The reason I left Preston according to the fans was that I was greedy. I have never said this before, but I had a Premier League salary on offer at Charlton. I looked at the way player acquisitions worked, the staff and Alan Curbishley - a legend of the club - having just left. My gut instinct was right, because Iain Dowie went in and lasted three months... that is no disrespect to Iain. I went and met Derby. It was 50 per cent less salary, a blank sheet of paper and they wanted me to control the academy.
“There was a three year plan. It wasn’t anybody’s decision to make, about where I went. It was me and my families’ decision, and what I felt was the best career move. We sat down and thought that the Derby County project was quite interesting. Charlton was the financial move; I decided not to go to Charlton. After I decided to go to Derby, all the problems kicked off. I was told that it was leaked to Preston fans at a forum that I left because I was greedy. I didn’t leave because of money, that was not the case. The staff deserved an increase, because of the work they’d done.
“We wanted to go again, for a third year. My relationship with Derek had been beyond fine for four years at the club... we went to each other’s houses, had meals, spent hours watching tonnes of games. I got on great with Derek, all the time I was there. It was never a problem or issue. But, I didn’t like the way it was being done. I then left it to Derby and the people involved, to get my staff out of Preston. That wasn’t being allowed.
“The fans are now after me big time and it is so sad that you leave a club of four years, with great times, memories and respect for the people there, finding out you are a pawn in their game. I have never had a problem with a club sacking a manager, because it is their decision; things change. But, there is a way of handling things. That is the story of why I didn’t go to Charlton, why I went to Derby and how it all came about. With the Swallow Hotel meeting and the contact made, it was clear as day what was taking place.”
One word which springs to mind is ‘messy’, given the way the two seasons under Davies’ stewardship had gone - and how close North End had come. The Scot pulls no punches on how the reception he got, on returning to Preston, made him feel. As for Davies’ time in the hot seat at North End, though, that was not soured in his eyes.
“Never,” said Davies. “I was just devastated with how the fans treated me. What I had done for the club, they bought the lie. To come back and be treated that way was disgusting. Fast forward, Preston are in League One and I had left Forest the first time. Peter Ridsdale called me and we had a cup of tea at his house. He apologised for the behaviour and conduct of a section of the fans. And, he apologised about one board director.
“I went back home and was considering the offer made, but decided I was not ready to drop down to League One. Here is the thing - if Davies left in such acrimonious terms and there was such a problem, then why did Preston offer me my job back? League One was the only reason I didn’t go back. I love Preston and loved my time there. I was very disappointed with the way I was treated by some fans and understand the narrative that was driven, in relation to me being a greedy so and so.
“But, I have got to be honest, I had four magnificent years there. I have nothing but happy memories. I loved the area and my family were very happy there. I loved staying there and my kids loved their schools, so it was a very happy time. The games, the players, the staff, the fans were all just top class and together, we managed to build something special. It was great. I have a love and affinity for the club, still to this day. I do genuinely believe that, a third season, it would’ve worked. It was a tremendous time for everyone, but I am absolutely gutted that we couldn’t get over that line.”
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