Tag: Billy Davies

The Deepdale Diary – 21st September 2005

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Wednesday 21st September
North End boss Billy Davies is struck with a double injury blow after Adam Nowland and Youl Mawene both pick up injuries in a behind closed doors friendly with Crewe. Nowland (groin) and Mawene (calf) are both rated doubts for Palace following the 2-0 win over Dario Gradi’s men at Deepdale.

Liverpool’s European Cup winning boss Rafa Benitez is a target for Spanish giants Real Madrid according to reports.

Thursday 22nd  September
Claude Davis tells the press that he may pull out of the Jamaica squad for their forthcoming friendly with Australia at Craven Cottage in order to rest after 12 months of continuous football. “I don’t mind in the least – I could do with the rest,” Davis tells the LEP.

Steve McLaren signs a new deal with Middlesbrough which puts his credentials as potential future England boss in doubt.

Friday 23rd September
Billy Davies tells pne.com that Matt Hill and Lewis Neal are both available for selection for the game at Crystal Palace. Davies said: “We are delighted to have Matty and Lewis back. The balance has not been right and we don’t need to be rocket scientists to understand the situation.”

West Ham boss Alan Pardew compares Chelsea to snooker legend Steve Davis saying that they are so good that they are boring.

Saturday 24th September
The Lilywhites grab a point at Palace but it should have been all three as they concede an equaliser in the fifth minute of injury-time. Danny Dichio and Claude Davis are both given their marching orders reducing the Lilywhites to nine men after Chris Lucketti had put North End into a first half lead.

Arsene Wenger puts Chelsea’s start down to ‘good luck’ and claims that the reall test will comes when Jose Mourinho’s side suffer their first defeat.

Sunday 25th September
Billy Davies tells pne.com that he will definitely appeal the two red cards handed out at Selhurst Park. Dichio was sent off for allegedly raising his arms in a scrum of players, whilst Davis is accused of serious foul play following an acrobatic clearance. The PNE boss also has a go at comments from referee Steve Tanner in the Crystal Palace programme.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants Premiership clubs to be awarded extra points for scoring goals as a way of making football more exciting.

Monday 26th September
Preston North End Chairman Derek Shaw is fuming after the club are slapped with a £1,000 fine and a suspended ban on making transfers after making a payment to Michael Brown’s lawyer during contract negotiations. Shaw said: “What are we expected to do, work with a registered agent who would probably have charged thousands rather than hundreds of pounds to negotiate a deal?”

Tottenham boss Martin Jol promises to stick with the attacking brand of football which has made the club famous over the years.

Tuesday 27th September
Preston North End suffer a 3-0 defeat to Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. Matt Hill deputises for the suspended Claude Davis in the centre of defence whilst Dickson Etuhu comes in for Adam Nowland. David Hibbert makes his debut as a second half substitute but by this time goals from Feeney, Brkovic and Howard have done the damage.

Portsmouth Chairman Milan Mandaric is set to jet back from the United States to discuss his club’s poor start to the Premiership season.

Wednesday 28th September
PNE boss Billy Davies can’t hide his disappointment following the defeat to Luton. He said: “That’s the worst I’ve seen us play in the first half. Our first 20 minutes of the game were apalling, we didn’t win the battles or the 50/50 balls and I thought they out-muscled us all over the pitch.”

Sam Allaradyce tells The Independent newspaper that modern day football management is a constant battle against the sack.
Dates For Your Diary…
Happy 22nd birthday to Thomas Harrison, happy 18th birthday on Monday 3rd October to Ben Adams, happy 21st birthday to Joe Anyinsah next Saturday. Thursday 13th October – Chris Sedgwick to visit Pius and Sherwood schools as part of sponsorship deal with MCK Partnership, David Nugent to St Gregory’s Primary as part of deal with Forbes Solicitors,  Andy Lonergan to visit Walton Le Dale High as part of his deal with Travelwise.

Quotes: Davies Signs New PNE Deal 17th July 2005

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Well it was important obviously to make sure the right situations and the right facts were there, I knew the situation obviously and I knew what was going on but the most important thing was to sit down and take my time and really looking at all the positives and the negatives of all the things that were there so I really think the most important thing is that I am very happy at Preston North End and always have been. There’s some wonderful people at this football club there’s no doubt about it, the fans have been excellent the board have been first class, the payers and everybody else so that was a major influence as to why I decided to stay.

Well not at all I think the small section of the fans need to understand that these are the games that are played in the press and the one thing we don’t do is we don’t believe everything we read because we know they situation. The facts are that we know exactly what is going on in the football club and the reason why we’ve had such success is because of the team effort and the team spirit within the club all the way from the cleaner to the chairman we have that great togetherness so that’s the one thing we have here and one thing we are now looking forward to carrying on next season.

Well I think that’s vital there’s no doubt about it he is my right arm as they say that’s a fact and I’m delighted and also very happy that Ned is also, looking forward to next season and what we’re trying to achieve because we are a team and we’ve always been a team and hopefully for a long long time we’ll be a very good team.

Yeah of course that’s the situation and the one thing the chairman gave me was that he was wanting to take the club forward and we want to do the right things and that’s very very important we know we have to build on last season and that will be very difficult as we keep saying, but as we keep saying when you have that willingness to try and achieve from everyone in the club then it was obviously a major factor for Ned and I first of all to be here and delighted to be taking it forward.

Well contrary to the reports about fallouts and disagreements the facts are we’ve been doing this for along time we’re very happy here and there’s great relationships in the club and so on and as I said you can’t believe everything you read. The important thing is that we have started preparations we are already preparing and looking at one or two targets and one or two situations that may be able to take us forward and we’ll continue to do this before the start of the season.

Well it isn’t really its about realism and we know that last season we over-achieved there’s no doubt about it we know the size of the clubs we’ll be facing this season, I will be under illusion for next season, the first target is 53 points and then we can hopefully reset it from there, the most important thing as I said before is not to get too carried away it will be very hard next season without the surprise element. People will now start to sit up and take note because of what we’ve done last season so we’ve got to be prepared for that and look forward the challenge but it will be the same again, 53 points and hopefully from there we can go on and get a top half finish.

Quotes: Billy Davies 5th May 2005

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A point would be nice but we have got to go and cement fourth place and forget about anything else. To try and get the second leg at home is very important for us, a point would be good but at the same time too we need to make sure we go there and cement fourth place.

I think they will look to win the game because they will see the second game as very important so I have no doubt that they will be looking to win the game just as we are.

We are the only club at the moment who are guaranteed a play-off place, everybody else is fighting for that play-off place and it is a great achievement for us to be there and to be able to sit back and know that we are guaranteed a place while other clubs may or may not be in there.

I’m thinking about that at the moment with regards to team selection. I have not made up my mind yet but one consideration is to give one or two guys a game or change the team about a bit. But at the same time too, not to upset anything, we want to go on and cement fourth place, that is very important.

I have said to the whole squad over a number of months now that every single member of the team becomes very important because he may be called upon in the semi-finals or the final or the last game of the season. It is very important that fitness is taken care of and condition is right, mentally they are right for the game. We have been discussing this for a long time and it is important because somewhere along the line we don’t know where that hero will come from who might just take us into the final or maybe beyond that and into the Premiership.

Every member of the staff is vital, when it gets to this stage you have got to go and beat whoever is there and it really doesn’t matter who we play against. The most important thing is that we are prepared and ready for it, we are confident and we will go in there and have a go and try and win the game. The most important thing for me is that everybody is ready in terms of fitness and conditioning, we will look forward to the games that come up whoever that may be.

Every game will have its own difficulties irrespective of what club it is. I don’t think there is any easy game when you get to this level, when you get to this stage of the season, for what’s at stake. We know that, we are prepared for that and I am sure other teams are prepared for that as well. But the most important thing is that we continue doing what we are doing and continue to show that work ethic that we showed and we will see what happens from there.

I’ve said to the players that these are the games that you look forward to and you go in and you enjoy them. They are great memories and that is what football is all about, holding on to these memories that you can sometimes never get to, it is a privilege and a pleasure to be there and we will look forward to the games and we will enjoy the whole occasion. We will do what we are good at and continue to do that but at the same time we have got players who have played in the games, we have got experienced players who have played international football and have played in a lot of big matches. Together we will go in with the belief that we can win the games and they can take us forward.

I have let David Kelly and Julian Darby join in with the training and they have had a nightmare, I sucking throat lozenges because my voice has gone shouting at them two. But the game was a good laugh I can tell you, we had a good seven-a-side game and we let the staff join in, I won’t even mention Balderston’s performance, that’s not even worth talking about!

I think the pressure comes at the opposite end of the table when you are fighting to try and stay in the league and you are fighting for safety. We are at a different scale, we have a pressure that is a joy, it’s a joy to be involved in the play-offs, it’s a joy to have the opportunity to have two or three games which could possibly take us into the Premiership, that’s a wonderful pressure.

Obviously the loss of two players is concerning, Callum Davidson and Eddie Lewis are two quality players, they give us great balance. But there are many permutations we can put out there, with regards pushing McKenna or bringing in Marlon Broomes and pushing Hilly forward, changing the 4-4-2 system, there are lots of different things we can do and we are looking at that at the moment. There is no point us crying over spilt milk we have to get on with it. We have lost two important players and that gives great opportunity for other players to come into the side and no matter what changes have been made, we have got to continue to do what we have been doing which is preparing right and trying to win games of football.

Every day I contact him and every second day I speak to him, I was out for dinner with him last week and the miserable so-and-so never bought the meal. But we speak a lot through texts and phone-calls and he was one of the first to congratulate us and I am delighted about that. We are great friends not only on the field but also off the pitch, we were great workmates and I am delighted for the education he gave me and the opportunity he gave me in English football and he knows that very much and that is something that I will never forget.

Two defeats in twenty and looking forward to a play-off place or games in the play-offs. Thee mood is bright and bubbly and we are pleased that we are the only side guaranteed a play-off place at the moment with many other good sides fighting to get there. It is a nice dressing room at the moment but we won’t get carried away, we know the situation, it’s still to be played for, we know what’s got to be done. These are a great bunch of players and they know exactly what is required.

Quotes: Billy Davies 30th April 2005

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We played at a good pace, a good tempo and it’s all credit to both sets of players because they showed a lot of determination and worked extremely hard.

I think our preparation this week was good, we know exactly what we had to go and do, we knew the game would be difficult.

I thought they scored against the run of play, it was a disappointing goal to lose, nice to get back in it just before half time with a vintage Brian O’Neill goal, another one for the collection(!)

Overall, I’m delighted for everyone connected with the football club, the fans, the players, the staff, the board. For everyone connected with Preston North End I think it’s a very proud day to now be in the play-offs and three games to try to get into the Premiership…hopefully.

We’re now prepared for the next match, and try to finish fourth and try to do the job that we’ve been doing all season because these players deserve absolute wonderful credit.

The staff have been great, and one in particular, my assistant David Kelly who’s come into this club and has been absolutely first class. He’s a bit of an unsung hero but he’s been a wonderful signing for me.

I think, and I still genuinely believe that a top half finish in this league is a wonderful achievement for Preston North End, there’s not doubt about it. When you look at the teams here, the money that’s been spent, the fan base and the training facilities, and all these things that you can look at with very very big clubs in this division, then you have you say that we’re absolutely over the moon, we’re thrilled to bits, there’s no doubt about it. It’s a tremendous achievement and we’ll go and enjoy the occasion.

Big Interview: Carlo Nash 31st March 2005

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If Preston North End are looking for a good luck omen as the season approaches it’s exciting climax they may have just got one in the form of goalkeeper Carlo Nash.

The 6’5 strapping goalkeeper was a deadline day signing from Middlesbrough 12 days ago, he’s the final piece in Preston North End’s jigsaw for the 2004/05 campaign and after tasting promotion to the Premiership with both Manchester City and Crystal Palace in recent years he is a goalkeeper aiming for a hat-trick with North End this year.

Nash was a member of Kevin Keegan’s squad which took this division by storm three seasons ago but more importantly he has got to the Premiership via the play-offs in his first ever season in league football with Crystal Palace.

It is the experience of that Wembley play-off final win that PNE boss Billy Davies will be hoping that Nash can bring to the fore.

“Hopefully it will pay dividends,” Nash told the PNE matchday programme this week.

“I’ve been in this situation twice before once I got automatic promotion with City and previous to that I was with Crystal Palace when they won promotion via the play offs so hopefully those experiences will stand me in good stead for the end of the season.

“It’s important that I use my experience to help others around me. Because I’ve been there before I know what will be going through their minds and really it’s up to me and the other senior players to calm a few nerves if there are any and hopefully everyone will be fine.”

Nash has yet to have a full week’s training with his new team-mates, he only joined in properly on Tuesday of last week after the extended Easter weekend break and his first opportunity to meet his new colleagues was at a session of ten-pin bowling.

“It’s not a bad start to a new club really, we went bowling on Thursday and then we were off till Tuesday, it has been quite an easy start really but we have been working really hard since I came back in.

“I’m back to earth now we returned to training on the Tuesday and then we had the rest of the week building up to the Gillingham game.

“The training has been brilliant, much the same as what I am used to, Pete Williams takes the goalkeepers and we do a lot of work with him before and then we do some work with the gaffer and the rest of the lads.

“It takes a bit of getting used to because I don’t really know how each player performs and it is just up to me to manage that and getting them playing as I want them to play in front of me. Every keeper is different and it will take a little bit of time to get used to but hopefully we will get it right quickly.

“The lads have all been quite polite to me at the moment, I’m still waiting for a bit of a backlash but they are a good set of lads and they have made me feel right at home.”

Once Nash does get into the swing of things he won’t have too much of a honeymoon period as the North End squad are in the middle of a intense period of high-pressure games to reach the play-offs.

It’s a situation Carlo is more than aware of.

“Every game is a big game from now until the end of the season, we have just got to aim as high as we can and hopefully if we can get into the play-offs at the end of the season then who knows from there.

“We are just taking each game as it comes, we are trying to get the results and if we do that then we will have done well.

“Every game is going to be a tough game, mentally as well as physically but we have just got to be strong and get the results.”

For Nash the move to Deepdale is almost something of a return to his home roots, as a Bolton born lad the big keeper started his career at non-league Clitheroe.

“It’s great to be here. I was brought up in Bolton and spent a lot of my teenage years there. I played in Bolton town team and played at Deepdale when there was a plastic pitch so I do know the area quite well and it’s a great chance for me to come back here – back to my roots if you like.

“I started my career playing for Clitheroe and working as a Sales Manager selling office equipment in Blackburn and then the Chairman rang me up a week after the FA Vase final and just said Crystal Palace have offered £35,000 for you, do you want to speak to them? So I thought that if I don’t go down now I’ll never know, so I went down and spoke to Harry Bassett and the rest is history.”

Whilst Nash is very much a part of Palace’s and Manchester City’s recent history it is the thought of completing a promotion hat-trick which is exciting North End’s latest recruit.

“I was in the same situation in the play-offs when I just started at Crystal Palace so I know what it’s all about and it’s a great position to be in. I’ve been keeping my eye on the Championship league and I know they’ve been doing well and I knew they had a great chance of going up. The play-offs are a bit of a lottery so obviously the first aim is to get in there and we’ll take it from there and hopefully we can push on and get promotion.

“Preston were always been there or there-abouts even when I was at Stockport and they were always a great side to play against. I know what great sides they’ve had over the past years so I think the squad that we’ve got at the moment and obviously with Billy at the helm we’ve got a great future ahead of us. We need to take each step as it comes and hopefully we’ll get promotion this year.”

Training and playing with Preston North End will be like a breath of fresh air to the No.33, he has had to endure a couple of seasons as understudy to one of the Premiership’s most consistent stoppers in Middlesbrough’s Mark Schwarzer.

“It has been very frustrating for me because obviously I want to play, I don’t want to sit on the bench every week. Obviously at Middlesbrough when I signed I knew it’d be tough for me because Mark Schwarzer is a great keeper and unless he got injured I wouldn’t really be getting a shout. I don’t look back and regret that move and see it as an integral part of my career as the training and facilities there enabled me to push forward and get better as a player as well as in the fitness department. Hopefully I can put into practice what I’ve learnt over the last two years.

“Billy Davies has done well this season to get Preston where they are and when he rang me up he made me feel at ease. He obviously he wanted me to sign here and thought I’d be great asset to the team so he more or less convinced me – if I needed any convincing to sign.

“There was a few more clubs interested but not at this present time and the factor for me was that Preston really wanted to sign me and I saw it as an opportunity to play in the Championship and with the position they’re in hopefully get promotion.”

Quotes: Billy Davies 17th March 2005

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It is a very difficult place to go and get a victory but it is no more difficult a place than we have had over the last couple of months. It is another game and it is another game that we have got to go and again be as positive as we can and go in with confidence that we can try and take something.

The lads are very confident and very buoyant, the dressing room is a very great place to be at the moment, it is nice but at the same time too the job is not done and nothing is over till it is over, we have got to realise that, there is still eight games to go and we have got to go into this next match as if it is our first and really get at it and do the things that we are good at.

Paul McKenna is struggling a bit with this ankle injury, with the stitches and what have you, he never trained today, he’s probably unlikely to train tomorrow. We will have a look at him but he is a major concern for us this Saturday.

I don’t think we should be nervous, no matter what happens, as far as I am concerned it has been a very successful season. We are now in this position and we have got to go and enjoy it, we have got to go and give it the best we can and give it our best. I don’t think there is any reason for nerves or any of that tension stuff or pressure. I think it is nonsense to be honest with you, it is a game of football, you go out there and you give it your best, you work hard, we have got good players and let’s see what happens. Irrespective of what happens it is a very good season as far as I am concerned.

In relation to the teams that are in this league and the type of situation that they are in and the type of situation that we are in I would say to you that I genuinely believe that there are 12-14 teams bigger than Preston North End.

I have said this from day one, with regards, fan base, wage bill and training facilities that is a difficult thing to compete against but we have competed very well and I suppose when you look at that it is a good thing.

We are well organised, we are disciplined, we try to encourage the right things, we have got good players and throughout the club, every department in the club, we try to do the best we can. Not only on the pitch but also off the pitch we are very focused and conscientious about the way we do things, I just think that it is the guidelines and the structures that we put in place. Obviously the additions that we brought in and the people that we have already got at the club, that helps, but I certainly feel that there is not just one factor, I think there are many factors.

I think winning games gets you respect and I think that we know the situation in comparison to other clubs, we are what we are and we are more than happy to accept that. Clubs like West Ham, Wolves and Ipswich are huge clubs but we are getting respect because I think people are now understanding that we are not a bad side and on our day we can compete with most of them.

I don’t think it matters, I don’t think it matters at all, at the end of the day, no matter what the coverage is. We know what the situation is, all we can do is try and do the best we can with what we have, try to be as organised and as disciplined as we possibly can.

Anything is possible, it is not over till it is over and that applies not only to the top three but to most people fighting for the play-off places. We have got to be aware of that and very much aware of that, the job is not done yet and there are still a lot of games to go and a lot of things to be played for, let us not look too far ahead and concentrate on the game on Saturday and try and get that job done and then we can tick another game off the list.

We are looking forward to the break, it is important not only physically but also mentally. It is a good thing for us and I am sure that the players are looking forward to spending some time with their families and getting their legs recovered for the remaining games.

There is a nice holiday for four sitting there for somebody, we are drawing straws at the minute to see who can get that holiday.

I have been asked all week whether I am surprised but I am not surprised because of the calm head that he has got and the ability that he has got. His performances this season have been excellent, he is playing in a very difficult situation with regards us only playing two central midfield players, he has adapted and coped very well with that. All credit to him with the way he is living his life off the pitch and the way he goes about it on the pitch.

If he is looking for somebody to go and calm things down and keep the ball moving then Brian O’Neil is his man. He is a very calm customer as we know, he doesn’t get too excited about things, he has got the experience, he has played all over the world and on performances this season he would do a wonderful job as far as I am concerned.

It is a great honour, it is a great trip to look forward to, to play in that type of game as a professional he will be delighted. It is a great game to look forward to, a great game to be involved in and it is a great honour to go back and play for his country.

We are on course for what I think we need, the Wolves game was slightly disappointing because I think we could have got all three points, but it was still a very good point against a very good side. To go to Sheffield and pick up a point under the circumstances, I think Neil Warnock was talking about his weakened team, well if you look at the squad I don’t think it was very weak, it was a great point for us.

Another wonderful goal for Richard Cresswell, an excellent goal, a great finish and it keeps things going for Cressy, that’s 18 goals this season which is a great return for a striker.

We have made Eddie another offer and we are now just waiting to see what Eddie has got to say, we have spoken to his agent as well and we will see what happens from there.

The conversation that I am having with Eddie, I can say that I am feeling very confident because of what he was been saying to us, how much he is enjoying it and how much he wants to be here. Going on the conversations I would say that it looks pretty good, we have made him another offer and we are now hoping that that one can be accepted and we can get Eddie on board.

I don’t think it is one thing like money or length of contract, we now know where we are coming from in terms of what Eddie is looking for and what we are trying to offer. We are getting there, the conversations have been good and the response from Eddie as far as I am led to believe has been excellent.

Championship Round-Up: 1st March 2005

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Watch Out – Billy Tops Championship Tissot Table
North End boss Billy Davies may not get the manager of the month accolades that he so rightly deserves but the Scot is making a mark where it matters in the Tissot League Table of Managers’ Performances.

Davies has consistently been in the top ten of the most trusted and respected indicator of good football management. The league which is published each week on the League Managers’ Association website takes into consideration not only the outright results of matches but also aspects such as clean sheets, away wins and consecutive games without defeat.

Billy currently has plenty of ground to make up on the likes of Paul Jewell, Joe Royle and Mick McCarthy for the overall award, but then they have had a couple of month’s head start on Davies. But things are looking quite good for the North End boss in the third quarter of the season, he currently sits six points clear of his nearest Championship rival Mick McCarthy and is rated as the seventh best manager in the country for the period up to 1st March. Macclesfield’s Brian Horton is currently rated the best manager in the country following six wins and one draw form their last seven games.

McKenna, Lonergan And Sedgwick Are The Best
Paul McKenna is the 15th best player outside of the Premiership according to a survey conducted in 4-4-2 magazine. The North End midfielder is ahead of the likes of Ade Akinbiyi, Nicky Barmby and Tom Huddlestone in the list which is topped by Reading’s Steve Sidwell. Andy Lonergan is rated as the best goalkeeper outside of the Premiership coming ahead of Derby pair Lee Camp and Lee Grant in 19th place. But the list is being talked about more for the players who have not made the top 50 rather for the ones who have.

Two of Preston’s star performers for the 2004/05 campaign have not even got a mention on the list, although it will probably please North End fans that Eddie Lewis and Youl Mawene remain a closely guarded secret.

Elsewhere North End’s Chris Sedgwick was recognised last week for his performance against Burnley. The former Rotherham man was recognised by the club sponsors as the man of the match for the 1-0 win over our local rivals and that was followed up by a place in the Football League’s Championship team of the week.

It looks like people are slowly starting to take notice of PNE!

Reading Switch From Blind Date To Dads Army
After signing two players with a combined age of 76 in Les Ferdinand and Martin Keown many may be wondering what is going on at the Madejski Stadium, especially as the Royals have been on something of a slump in form in recent weeks.

But if former Preston winger David Eyres is anything to go by, Reading could still get four or five more years from their investments in Ferdinand and Keown. Deepdale legend Eyres is still earning rave reviews at Boundary Park and was recently quoted as saying that he wants a new contract at the end of the season. Eyres celebrated his 41st birthday last week and if Mr Eddie Lewis doesn’t sign a new deal with Preston could we be looking to tempt the flying winger back to Preston?

Q&A: Mark Jackson 11th February 2005

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Leicester City v Preston North End

Mark, how does it feel getting into the first team squad and getting your first player sponsorship?
It feels good I’m a Preston lad so being in the Preston first team is obviously a dream come true and I feel very proud that someone has taken the time out to try and sponsor me and I am very appreciative of that.

You made a good debut at Leicester, how do you think you are developing as a player?
I am trying my best all the time. It was good, a dream debut more or less, we won and I am looking to to try my best all the time.

What is Billy Davies like as a manager, what did he say to you before your debut?
He is a very good manager he is trying to install loads of confidence in me, he believes in me and he has also given me the chance.

As a Preston lad was it your ambition at school to play for the North End?
Yes, it always has been, playing in front of the Preston people, people I know.

If you were not a footballer what would you be doing?
I don’t know to be honest, maybe a fireman or a policeman, something like that.

Which player do you most admire and why?
I quite like Dennis Bergkamp, I like the way he creates space and creates goals as well as scoring goals.