Thinking About Kevin Davies
So, I spent a bit of time the other day just digging into Kevin Davies again. Don’t know why, just popped into my head. Remember watching him back in the day, mainly for Bolton.
Fired up the old computer and started looking through highlights. Mostly the Bolton Wanderers years under Big Sam Allardyce. That team was something else, wasn’t it?
Watching those clips, you remember just how physical he was. A real battering ram up front. Centre-backs knew they were in for a tough afternoon when they saw his name on the teamsheet. He just never stopped, hassling, chasing, throwing himself about.
- Always battling in the air.
- Holding the ball up, bringing others into play.
- Just making a general nuisance of himself.
Yeah, everyone talks about the fouls he committed. Think he topped those charts a few times. But honestly, watching it back, he won a hell of a lot of free kicks too. It was part of his game, drawing defenders in, using his body. Different era, maybe? The game felt more physical then, refs let more go perhaps.
Tried to think if there are players quite like him now in the Premier League. Can’t really pinpoint one. Maybe bits of his game in different players, but not that complete package of physicality and aerial threat combined with being the focal point like he was. The game’s moved on, different tactics, different types of forwards preferred now I guess.
It’s funny, I remember trying to shield the ball like him when I used to have a kickabout down the park. You know, back to goal, hold off the defender. Easier said than done! Usually just ended up getting tangled or giving away a silly foul myself. He had a knack for it, using his strength properly.
He wasn’t always the prettiest player to watch, definitely not a silky smooth dribbler, but effective? Absolutely. Scored some important goals too. Just a proper old-school centre-forward who knew his job and did it well for years. Good session just reminiscing and watching those old battles.
