Forest sack Davies

Billy Davies has been sacked by Nottingham Forest, with former England coach Steve McLaren in talks to replace him at the Championship club.Previously in charge of Preston North End and Derby County, Davies, 47, took over at the City Ground in December 2008.

He guided the club to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but lost in the semi-finals on both occasions.

A divisive figure, Davies publicly criticised the Forest board’s transfer policy and clashed with the club’s hierarchy on several occasions during his tenure.

“Nottingham Forest have announced this afternoon that they have terminated the contract of manager Billy Davies with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement.

“They have also revealed that they are now talking to Steve McClaren about the City Ground vacancy.”

McLaren, 50, has been out of work since he was sacked by Bundesliga club Wolfsburg in February.

The former Derby County and Manchester United assistant coach began his managerial career at Middlesbrough, taking the club to the final of the 2006 UEFA Cup.

He endured an unhappy spell as England coach, succeeding Sven-Goran Eriksson in August 2006 but failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships and was sacked in November 2007.

McLaren won the Eredivisie with Twente in May 2010, before making the short-lived switch to Wolfsburg.

He has also been linked with the vacant managerial position at Aston Villa.