Davies given the ultimate compliment

The Rams new midfielder David Jones has given Coach Billy Davies the ultimate compliment after he said that the Derby County boss shares many qualities with his former boss at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Jones is on loan at Pride Park from the Old Trafford club, where Sir Alex has overseen 20 hugely-successful years. He and the club hope to make the move permanent in January, and after he also had a spell on loan under Davies at Preston North End last season, he can see similarities between the Glaswegians.

Jones said after the Rams 1-0 defeat of Crystal Palace at Pride Park, where he scored his first goal for the club, Davies’ reaction to the team’s below-par performance was classic Ferguson. He said: ‘We got three points against Palace. It was a good result, we’re still second in the league but the manager comes in and he’s not happy.
‘That’s the same as Ferguson – if you don’t put in the performance as well as the result then it’s not good enough and you’ve got things to work on.
‘You go into the dressing room and you see the gaffer like that and you know its right – that’s the right way to be. You don’t want him to be over the moon because you know the performance wasn’t that good.
‘They are both striving for perfection in the way the team plays, it shows through in your results – Manchester United are top of the Premier League and we’re doing well in our league.’
Jones, who is settling into life at the Rams, is impressed by Davies’ demand for quality.
‘I worked with him at Preston and have great respect for him and his staff,’ said the 22-year-old.
‘He has high standards and that’s the best thing.
‘I was at Manchester United and they have high standards. You can never argue with someone who has high standards.
‘If you make a bad pass, then you deserve to get shouted at because you know yourself it’s not a good pass.
‘He’s definitely the kind of manager that’s right to take your career forward and I’m really enjoying playing for him.
‘I think you can only go in the right direction if your manager is striving for perfection.’

Jones believes the club are heading in the right direction and he hopes to contribute in the goals department. Jones scored three in 25 games while on loan at Preston North End last season, before moving to NEC Nijmegen in Holland, where he grabbed six in 17 appearances.
‘Goal scoring is a part of my game and I’d like to be a midfielder who scores at least 10 a season. I think I’m capable of doing that,’ he said.
‘I have had a few starts now and it’s nice to get off the mark, but I’m not looking to settle at that. I want to get a few more goals, although the main thing is that we win.’