Billy Davies lifts lid at last on Preston North End star's exit to Leeds United which sparked storm in 2004
There were big PNE player exits between 2004 and 2005
Former Preston North End manager Billy Davies has addressed the sale of David Healy to Leeds United, which caused a storm back in 2004.
Signed from Manchester United for a reported £1.8million, in 2001, the front man scored 45 goals in 156 appearances for PNE. During the 2004/05 campaign, Healy’s time at Deepdale came to an end, as he joined the Elland Road outfit in October - for a fee said to be £650,000.
Healy’s reputation was tarnished with sections of the Preston faithful - who felt he waved to Leeds fans while playing for PNE against them. The Northern Ireland international then scored twice upon his return to North End, and celebrated wildly.
The player himself weighed in on those events himself, three years ago. Davies always viewed Healy as a ‘first class personality’ and ‘very respectful guy’ and sticks by those opinions of him. As for his departure, it was a sore one at the time - but one the Scot felt somewhat powerless over.
“Excellent goal scorer,” Davies told the Lancashire Post. “I had a great relationship with Heals and still do. Sometimes, you just face these things with players. Once the player has got it in his mind, the agent drops the seed and things are going on in the background, the board and manager can try to stop or delay it.
“But, certainly with David Healy, he was still a young guy, an ambitious guy and he feels he is going to a bigger club. Leeds, of course, is a huge club. You are talking about an international player, natural goal scorer and a player in the height of his career.
“I am sure there was a great deal of desire with him and his management people, to get across to Leeds and go to that club. I don’t think there was much we could do as a club. Part of our remit, back then, was to try and develop players and sell them on, for us to get a very important financial balance.
“You try to do what you can as a club, but somewhere along the line comes a situation where you just can’t stop it. These guys know it is a short career and have to do as much as they can in that short career. As much as we can all grumble and moan about it, sometimes they are things we just can’t stop.”
Healy was not the only big player sale Davies had to contend with during his tenure. After losing to West Ham United in the 2005 play-off final, the likes of Eddie Lewis, Dickson Etuhu, Richard Cresswell and club captain, Chris Lucketti, all moved on before the end of the following campaign. Those four were all first team stalwarts.
“Obviously, we lost some serious players there,” said Davies. “The Dickson Etuhu one was a difficult one. I remember that specifically, because he was a young player. He’d had a very good season and had that strength, power and ability to get around the pitch - which was important. If I am being honest with you, I think they were probably all financially driven.
“That was the situation, I think. We sat down, identified replacements and brought in some younger players... Brian Stock, Adam Nowland, Simon Whaley. As a manager, I would probably say that you could not stop the Dickson Etuhu one. Cressy is certainly one I would not liked to have lost. Chris Lucketti, another one you probably wanted to keep in your group.
“Also, what was going on, was people trying to weaken a very good side, I think. It was a difficult one to take, especially when you see Eddie Lewis bending one into the top corner in the play-off semi-final - to make it 1-1. Again, great lad and I have got nothing bad to say about him. It’s understandable, but very difficult and, on the back of that, you’ve got to say there was clear intention by some to weaken us.”