Davies in Forest link

BILLY Davies has been the subject of a surprise gamble to return to his former job at Nottingham Forest, following the departure of Steve McClaren as manager and the decision of chairman Nigel Doughty to step down at the end of the season.

Davies took Forest to the play-offs last season and within reach of the Premier League, but they were beaten by Swansea at the semi-final stage, and the Scot stepped down days later to be replaced in the summer by McClaren.

Punters were quick to latch on to the former manager within minutes of the betting going live forcing his odds into 8-1 from 16-1. Martin O’Neill (3-1) and Karl Robinson (7-2) head the betting, but Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes said: “The money for Davies has really taken us by surprise. We didn’t give him much of a chance of returning to the club but punters think otherwise.”

William Hill also rates Davies a serious contender and make him 9-2 second favourite for a shock return to the City Ground. Robinson, currently manager at Milton Keynes Dons, is a solid 15-8 favourite with Hills, and its spokesman Graham Sharpe explained: “Robinson is a very young manager who has made a positive impression in his time at MK Dons and punters believe he is a leading candidate to move on to Forest even though he is still comparatively inexperienced.” Roy Keane, Brian Laws, Gordon Strachan, Dave Jones and Nigel Clough are also leading contenders.