Sports
“Terrible Decision,” ex-Rangers player blasts out at the Gers, calling the club his ‘worst mistake’
Billy Davies admits that choosing Rangers over Manchester United was the “biggest mistake” of his life.
The former Scottish midfielder says he was given a five-year contract by then-United manager Dave Sexton.
However, after travelling with the Red Devils young squad, he became homesick and moved to Ibrox.
He had also been linked with the Gers position before Philippe Clement took over. [Daily Record, 2023].
Davies told Open Goal, as published by Football Scotland (26 November), “I was taken down to Manchester to the training ground and was there from the age of 12 to about 16 years old.” It was nice to mingle with the initial team members. Dave Sexton, the manager, had a team consisting of Scottish players, including Arthur Albiston, Gordon McQueen, and Joe Jordan. It was an absolutely great location to be.
“They offered me a five-year contract… but I went abroad with the youth team and took a bit of homesick and told Dave Sexton that very sadly I’d decided to stay home and sign a five-year deal with Rangers.
“It was a terrible decision for me. I was young, I was naive, I took homesick and I made a decision. But the club were fantastic. Dave Sexton was fantastic with his coaching. Every day going down to the training ground at the Cliff with all the first team boys like Lou Macari and Sammy McIlroy, Frank Stapleton, they were all there every day and we would sit beside them at lunch time.
“I’ve got to say it was a great experience. It’s a wonderful club. A great place to be. [Leaving] was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Billy Davies failed to take his chances at Rangers
Davies’ career trajectory at Rangers does not necessarily mean that he would have succeeded at Manchester United.
Although the temptation of playing for a club like United is tremendous, success there necessitates not only talent but also a good fit inside the team.
Gers, a club with a rich history and aspirations, did not perceive Davies as a regular starter or vital player during his five-year stint, which could imply a variety of issues other than his ability.
The setting, competition, and possibly even the coaching style may not have suited him.
While he may have benefited from exposure to great players and coaches at United, the pressure and competition for positions would have been considerably more intense.
His decision may have been affected by homesickness, but the road to success in professional football is rarely straight or predictable, and coming to Ibrox is not the reason his career did not take off.
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