Billy Davies is a difficult manager to please in the transfer window (Photo: Getty Images)

The January transfer window wouldn’t be the same without Billy Davies having a pretty extensive wish list.

In his first spell at Nottingham Forest the Davies catchprase was ‘stellar signings’. This January, the manager has made it clear he expects Nottingham Forest chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi to finance strikers to solve the Reds’ shortcomings in front of goal.

As if, right on cue to back up the manager’s prescription, a series of squandered chances and a stoppage-time equaliser saw Forest drop two points in a 1-1 New Year’s Day draw at Reading.

It’s all very well Davies demanding a striker but Forest’s targets need to be realistic. In the last transfer window, Forest’s courting of Wolves’ Bakary Sako and Middlesbrough’s Grant Leadbitter bordered on stalking – and ended up with very public rebuffs from both clubs.




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Shane Long (R) is unlikely to want to drop out of the Premier League if he leaves West Brom (Photo: Getty Images)

This time the names in the frame supposedly include West Brom’s Shane Long but, even if he does leave the Hawthorns, surely he is unlikely to drop out of the Premier League, particularly given the interest of Tottenham and Hull. Equally, you would expect top flight clubs to get in ahead of them in the race for Jordan Rhodes or Danny Ings.

Davies’ public persona as a chequebook-demanding manager does him few favours, particularly as it clouds his real ability in getting the best out of players already at his disposal.

Luke Chambers, Wes Morgan and Lewis McGugan, players he inherited in his first spell, all shone under Davies, while the same can be said this time around for Henri Lansbury.

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Greg Halford (R), who got his third goal in three games at Reading, has benefitted from the love shown by Davies (Photo: Getty)

Similarly, in recent weeks, Davies has transformed the impossibly versatile Greg Halford – a bargain basement signing from Portsmouth 18 months ago – into a striking lynchpin who has scored in each of Forest’s last three matches.

True, Davies’ hand was forced by Darius Henderson’s stupidity in getting sent off at Birmingham just before Christmas.

However, the manager has been justified in repeating his faith that the much-travelled Halford, a youthful looking 29, can more than adequately fill the void up front for Forest.

And it’s not as if Forest are short of attacking ability. As well as Henderson and Halford they have Simon Cox, Matt Derbyshire and Jamie Mackie, while Ishmael Miller seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch on loan at Yeovil.

It may be that Davies can sign a striker in January who can end their 15-year wait for a return to the Premier League. Given the experience of previous transfer windows, Forest fans shouldn’t be banking on it.

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