LONDON, Feb 7, (Agencies): Kuwaiti-owned Nottingham Forest revealed on Thursday that Billy Davies has returned to the English second-tier club as manager. Davies, 48, was fired in June 2011 following a previous spell in charge at the City Ground, but returns to succeed Alex McLeish, who left the club by mutual consent on Monday after only 40 days at the helm. “I’m delighted to welcome Billy back to our club and really look forward to working closely with him,” chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi told the Championship club’s official website. “Billy has unfinished business with the Reds and we know how hungry he is for success. In returning to the City Ground, we believe his leadership will help us fulfil our ambition of making it to the Premier League.

“Billy is a Forest legend who needs no introduction to our loyal fans. We know how excited he is to pick up where he left off last time and we will back him 110 percent. This is a very exciting appointment for us.” McLeish parted company with Forest after his first seven games yielded one win, one draw and five defeats, although he left the club only six points below the play-off places. Forest twice lifted the European Cup, in 1979 and 1980, under legendary manager Brian Clough, having won the old First Division title in 1978, but they have not played in the Premier League since 1999. The Al Hasawi family, who took over the club at the start of the season, have now worked with three different coaches since taking charge, having also sacked Sean O’Driscoll at the end of December.

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LONDON: A renowned soccer deal-maker is leading a new bid to rescue third tier Portsmouth who have been in administration for a year and are again facing another relegation. Fans from the Pompey Supporters’ Trust (PST) had been hoping to take over the former Premier League club but their plan has been delayed by legal complications over ownership of the Fratton Park stadium. They now face a rival bid. “We can confirm that we have received another offer for Portsmouth Football Club,” said Trevor Birch, the joint administrator of the club.

“This offer has been made by Keith Harris, a former chairman of the Football League, together with Pascal Najadi, deputy chairman of the investment bank AIAK Group, and Alan Hitchins, a professional investor,” he added in a statement. Birch, who works for accountancy firm PKF, said he believed the offer could be completed without court approval, giving it a potential advantage over the PST bid. Harris, chairman of London stockbroker Seymour Pierce, is prepared to meet the supporters to discuss a role for them in running the club. He has been involved in helping to arrange a number of soccer takeovers in the past. However, the Trust said it wanted to pursue its plan to make Portsmouth the biggest fan-owned club in English soccer.

“PST can assure its supporters that its bid to buy Portsmouth Football Club is fully funded, ready to go and offers the best option for the creditors and for the long-term security of the club,” it said in a statement. “In addition PST can reveal we increased its bid for Fratton Park earlier this week to make our package even more attractive.” Portsmouth were in the Premier League as recently as the 2009-10 season but have become a byword for financial mismanagement in English soccer. The team are facing relegation for a second successive season. They are second from bottom of League One and face a 10-point penalty for being in administration.