Former Preston North End boss Billy Davies is reportedly eyeing a return to management after nearly ten years out of the game.
That is according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, who claims that Davies wants a long-awaited return to management.
This is a name we haven’t heard in a long time but Davies could now make a stunning comeback.
Davies hasn’t been in a managerial role since leaving Nottingham Forest in 2014, meaning we’re coming up to 10 years out of the game.
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The Scot is now looking to make a return and wants to do it in English football rather than Scotland.
Billy Davies record speaks for itself
Davies headed to PNE back in the summer of 2002, becoming Craig Brown’s assistant at Deepdale following the departure of David Moyes.
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Davies had previously been in charge of Motherwell, spending nearly three years in the Fir Park dugout before resigning in 2001.
The Scot joined Brown at PNE and then took caretaker charge upon Brown’s exit in 2004, winning the job permanently just a month later.
Davies led PNE to the Championship play-off final, losing out to West Ham United in Cardiff having gone from December 18th to April 23rd with just one defeat.
Davies repeated the trick in the 2005-06 season, taking North End into the play-off after conceding only 30 goals and losing just six games across a 46-game season.
North End went on a 22-game unbeaten run in that season but fell short in the play-off semi-finals against Leeds United.
That’s when Davies decided to move on, first interviewing for the Charlton Athletic job before picking a move to Derby County, taking most of his backroom staff with him.
Many PNE fans will still remember the chorus of boos Davies received upon his first return to Deepdale, but he still took the Rams into the Premier League.
Davies lost his job in the top flight as Derby struggled, but he moved on to bitter rivals Nottingham Forest in January 2009.
Forest finished in the play-off places twice under Davies but his time with the club became a little bizarre as he was sacked, came back to the club and then sacked club staff, banned journalists and had a near media blackout, according to The Telegraph.
Davies left Forest in 2014 and hasn’t returned to management since, with his undoubted quality as a Championship boss sadly becoming overshadowed.
Davies has been considered for jobs in Scotland
The former PNE boss seemingly fancies England but there have been links to clubs in Scotland in recent times.
Davies interviewed for the Hearts job in 2017 but pulled out of the running to replace Ian Cathro at Tynecastle.
Aberdeen were linked in 2021 with The Daily Record suggesting that a move to Pittodrie was under consideration.
The aforementioned Craig Brown was an advisor to the Dons at the time, so links to Davies weren’t a shock.
The job went to Stephen Glass though, meaning Davies remains out of work – but that may soo come to an end if he gets his way.