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Billy Davies hits out at Forest transfer policy


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Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at the club's transfer acquisition committee, just days after signing a player.

The Reds have brought Peterborough midfielder George Boyd to the City Ground, having paid a substantial loan fee to the Championship strugglers.

But Davies suggested to BBC Radio Nottingham that he is not satisfied.

"They're now listening to the advice of the manager [i gave] in January that we did need fresh faces," he quipped.

The committee, together with the manager, have the final say on whether players are brought to the club. It was set up because some previous managers were deemed to have wasted transfer funds.

In addition to Davies, the committee includes football consultant David Pleat, chief executive Mark Arthur and chief scout Keith Burt.

The Reds made nine signings last summer - most of whom have proved important in their promotion push this season - but Forest failed to add to their squad in the January transfer window.

They made bids to sign Crystal Palace winger Victor Moses, Swansea City midfielder Darren Pratley and Aston Villa defender Nicky Shorey.

But the Reds have now brought Boyd to the club, beating Middlesbrough to his signature.

"He wasn't one of the main targets," said Davies. "We all know who they were, with regards to Pratley, Moses and Shorey.

"What you always do is give a board two or three different options for each position and if you can't get the 'number ones', you obviously move onto the second and third options," he added.

"But as far as I'm concerned, we're still a little bit short with regards to squad depth and what is required."

It is the second successive January in which Forest have failed to sign a player, though they did add loan signings in the latter stages of last season which helped them keep their place in the Championship.

"I don't own this football club," Davies added. "It's [chairman] Nigel Doughty's money, it's Nigel Doughty's club and however the chairman and the transfer acquisition committee decide how to move the football club forward, we will give them the greatest amount of respect.

"As frustrated as I was after January, I'm now delighted to see in the first week of March a new player coming in," Davies added sarcastically.

And having signed Boyd this week, the Scotsman is keen to enter the loan market again.

"At this moment in time, Chris Cohen is one of the few players that we've got that can play at left-back, but at the same time too, we've also got to be casting our eye onto the loan marketplace because we still need a left-back as far as I'm concerned," he said.

Forest are currently third in the Championship table, having spent just over £4m in the summer transfer window. They are currently two points behind second-placed West Bromwich Albion.

But Davies is pragmatic about whether the Reds can return to the top flight for the first time since 1999.

He said: "Sometimes it's better to be chasing the pack going into the last half a dozen games and then securing your position, rather than where we are at the moment and having to ask big questions of young players who've never been in this position before.

"We now go into the business end of the season. Everybody knows what's required for play-off positions, for a mid-table finish, to avoid relegation and for automatic promotion."

Listen to his interview

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/nottm_forest/8550484.stm

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I bet that Boyd lad is full of confidence now after hearing his new managers words, you weren't my first choice but you'l do. All the Forest fans saying he would of learned from his mistakes, does it look like he has? the silly cnut will never learn.

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Nugent? not a chance, if you listen to them lot they'l be after Kaka and Ronaldo to take em back into Europe......in another pre-season friendly, they believe ;)

121..us/img121/1585/elvispresley

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How many feckin strikers do they need?:rolleyes:

More attacking players aint helping them tho is it, Chambers bailed em out today. They were lucky a'norl, should of been down to 10 men and conceded a penalty according to Tony Cottee who watched the game on SSN.

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