Extra smile for Billy Davies

Manager of the Month Award has brought an extra smile

Billy Davies says his latest manager of the month award is the most pleasing of the three he has collected during his time in English football. After a month of six victories the Rams boss deservedly won the award ahead of Stoke City’s boss Tony Pullis.

‘This one brings an extra smile to my face,’ said the Derby County boss after picking up the Championship prize for November.

Davies won two awards in his time at Preston North End in January and April earlier this year as North End headed for a second successive appearance in the play-offs.

The Scot had been in charge at Deepdale for 15 months when he won his first but has been Rams boss for only six months, and his enthusiasm and no nonsense approach as rubbed off at all at the club.

He said: ‘This award has come in such a short period of time since I arrived. At Preston, the timescale was different, the team had had more time to develop and the circumstances were different because of what we had built. We are only six months into our development and six wins in a row in the Championship is absolutely phenomenal.’

Davies is the first Rams manager to collect the award since Jim Smith 10 years ago, and he said there is a lot of more hard work ahead.

He said: ‘There is a long-term plan and we have to continue the progress we have made so far and at the end of the season look back and see what we have achieved. I am pleased with the progress we have made, and I have congratulated the players and staff at the club for this award. I’m aware of the expectations on me but I want to build a team that is capable of competing at the top level.’

By Peter Simcox