Classic Arsenal Players - Part 7 - Paul Davis
DAVO THE ONE CLUB MAN
NOT MANY PLAYERS these days spend their entire career with the club they grew up with but Paul Davis is one of those players. Apart from a very brief spell at Brentford, and an even shorter loan period in Sweden, Davis spent his entire professional career at Highbury.
While not as glamorous as some other names from the period, Davis survived three managers, numerous injuries and a record English league ban to win a European and every domestic honour with the club over a 16 year career. And he remains one of the greatest players never to win a full England cap.
Paul Vincent Davis was born on 9 December 1961 in Dulwich, South-East London. He signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in June 1979 and turned professional the following year.
It was towards the end of the marathon 1979/80 season that Davis made his first team debut in a 2-1 North London Derby win at White Hart Lane in April 1980.
It was real baptism of fire for the 19 year old in an under-strength side due to the match falling between cup semi finals against Liverpool and Juventus. But he showed the strength of character that would serve him well over the next few years and helped the team to an important victory.
Davis spent the following 1980/81 season battling for a place in the side alongside more established names such as Brian Talbot and John Hollins, although he did finally get a run at the end of the season and scored his first goal for the club at home to Crystal Palace in April 1981.
Over the following three seasons the silky left foot of Davis became a mainstay in a team that was going through something of a transition.
Despite his good form however, the young Davis was not an instant hit with the fans and you could often hear a collective groan from the North Bank whenever one of his passes did not reach its intended target.
Being a slightly built, elegant left footed midfield player perhaps worked against him as he was seen by many as a natural replacement for Liam Brady. But Davis was a different kind of player to Chippy and it took a while for him to establish himself in his own right.
Davis scored eight times in the 1982/83 season, helping Arsenal reach two cup semi finals, but by 1984 injuries had started to keep him out of the team. However he returned to form in the later part of 1985/86 season alongside Stewart Robson.
But Davis had a real renaissance when George Graham took as manager in the summer of 1986 as the Scot placed a lot of faith in the now 25 year old Davis as one of his more experienced players in a young squad.
With Robson now moved on, Davis developed a new even more productive partnership with Steve Williams as Arsenal ended their eight year trophy drought by lifting the Littlewoods Cup. The two really complimented each other with Williams' aggression alongside the calmness of Davis.
Davis' performances in the epic semi final victory against Tottenham Hotspur and in the final against Liverpool saw him talked about as a future replacement for Bryan Robson in the England side, but injuries over the course of the following 1987/88 season meant he had to miss several squads.
Davis was back for the 1988 Littlewoods Cup final defeat to Luton Town and he enjoyed a great start to the following 1988/89 season alongside another new midfield partner, Michael Thomas.
In September 1988 Davis was an unused substitute for England's match against Denmark at Wembley but his season was about to go into free-fall and he never got another chance at full international level.
During a match against Southampton later that same month, Davis was caught on camera in an off the ball incident that resulted in Glenn Cockerill's jaw being broken.
It was really out of character for the usually laid back Davis, leading to speculation that the Saints' midfielder may have said something to provoke him.
That cut no ice with the FA however who fined Davis £3,000 and banned him for a record nine matches. This all but ended Davis' season as he lost his place in the team to Kevin Richardson as Arsenal went to the top of the league.
In the end Davis started just five more matches over the rest of the season, scoring once, but he had already played enough matches to qualify for a first title winners medal as Arsenal beat Liverpool in the final match to lift the title.
Davis watched that famous game with the fans behind the goal as his best mate Thomas scored the dramatic last minute winner.
The following 1989/90 season saw Davis play even less. In fact he just started just 10 matches throughout the campaign as Arsenal failed to retain their title and suffered early exits in both cup competitions.
Having hardly played for the best part of two years, Davis sent a spell over the summer of 1990 on loan at Swedish club IFK Eskilstuna in a bid to get fit for the new campaign.
It certainly seemed to do the trick as Davis enjoyed arguably his best season in 1990/91 missing just four games, as Arsenal won the title again losing just one match.
While this led to him being selected to represent a Football League XI and score for the England B team on his debut, he was surprisingly not given another senior England call up.
After a fine start to the 1991/92 season, Davis again suffered an injury hit campaign and played just 18 times, although he did make his European Cup debut in a 6-1 demolition of Austria Vienna at Highbury in September 1991.
It was around this time that Davis fell out with Graham, which was never a good way of getting back in the team, and Davis spent much of the 1992/93 season either injured or on the sidelines.
However Graham was not about to let his personal feelings get in the way of the team's success and he recalled Davis for the finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup in 1993 as Arsenal became the first club to win both competitions in the same season. This completed the full set of major domestic medals for Davis.
His swansong for Arsenal came in the following 1993/94 season. Although not a regular in the side anymore he was an ever-present in the European Cup Winners Cup campaign as the Gunners went all the way to the final to face Italians Parma in Copenhagen.
This proved to a glorious night for Davis and Arsenal as Graham's side triumphed 1-0 against all the odds with a goal from Alan Smith, and Davis had a European medal to go alongside all his domestic honours.
Davis would only start five more times for the club after that, scoring on what proved to be his final appearance at Nottingham Forest in December 1994.
At the end of the 1994/95 season he was released by Arsenal having made 447 appearances for the club over 16 years, scoring 37 goals.
Davis briefly returned to Sweden to join Stabeck but after just one appearance he returned to London with Brentford.
By now the injuries that had blighted his career were proving too much and Davis retired from playing in 1996 after only eight appearances for the Bees.
Once his playing days were over, Davis immediately returned to Arsenal to become youth coach but left in September 2003 to join the PFA coaching department.
In October 2005 Davis became assistant manager at Kettering Town alongside Paul Gascoigne but left two months later when Gascoigne was dismissed, although the club had wanted to keep Davis on. Davis instead went back to the PFA where he became regional south-east coach in 2008.
Davis has since completed his coaching badges and gained an FA diploma in football management from Warwick University. He is now senior coach/coach educator for the FA and is an ambassador for the Kick It Out and Show Racism The Red Card organisations.
I will always a soft spot for Davis, not just because he was a fabulous player but also because he became a regular in the side during my first season going to Highbury in 1981.
I was shocked by the stick he used to get from the crowd back in the early 1980s, not as I initially thought due to racism though, but because the fans did not feel he was good enough to replace Brady. But who was??
Despite this I always thought he was a lovely player to watch. Cool and calm on the ball he could certainly pick a pass with that cultured left foot of his.
Being left footed myself I have always been drawn to left footers, maybe they stand out more, and Davis certainly stood out in the sea of mediocrity that was the early 1980s at Highbury.
Alongside David O'Leary he was the only player at the club in 1980 who was still there in 1989, an ever present in what was probably my favourite decade following the club.
Coming up next time I look back at the life and career a player who played alongside Davis in the mid 1980s but who's time with the club was a little disappointing; Tommy Caton (RIP). Look out for that coming soon.
NOT MANY PLAYERS these days spend their entire career with the club they grew up with but Paul Davis is one of those players. Apart from a very brief spell at Brentford, and an even shorter loan period in Sweden, Davis spent his entire professional career at Highbury.
While not as glamorous as some other names from the period, Davis survived three managers, numerous injuries and a record English league ban to win a European and every domestic honour with the club over a 16 year career. And he remains one of the greatest players never to win a full England cap.
Paul Vincent Davis was born on 9 December 1961 in Dulwich, South-East London. He signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in June 1979 and turned professional the following year.
It was towards the end of the marathon 1979/80 season that Davis made his first team debut in a 2-1 North London Derby win at White Hart Lane in April 1980.
It was real baptism of fire for the 19 year old in an under-strength side due to the match falling between cup semi finals against Liverpool and Juventus. But he showed the strength of character that would serve him well over the next few years and helped the team to an important victory.
Over the following three seasons the silky left foot of Davis became a mainstay in a team that was going through something of a transition.
Despite his good form however, the young Davis was not an instant hit with the fans and you could often hear a collective groan from the North Bank whenever one of his passes did not reach its intended target.
Being a slightly built, elegant left footed midfield player perhaps worked against him as he was seen by many as a natural replacement for Liam Brady. But Davis was a different kind of player to Chippy and it took a while for him to establish himself in his own right.
Davis scored eight times in the 1982/83 season, helping Arsenal reach two cup semi finals, but by 1984 injuries had started to keep him out of the team. However he returned to form in the later part of 1985/86 season alongside Stewart Robson.
But Davis had a real renaissance when George Graham took as manager in the summer of 1986 as the Scot placed a lot of faith in the now 25 year old Davis as one of his more experienced players in a young squad.
With Robson now moved on, Davis developed a new even more productive partnership with Steve Williams as Arsenal ended their eight year trophy drought by lifting the Littlewoods Cup. The two really complimented each other with Williams' aggression alongside the calmness of Davis.
Davis' performances in the epic semi final victory against Tottenham Hotspur and in the final against Liverpool saw him talked about as a future replacement for Bryan Robson in the England side, but injuries over the course of the following 1987/88 season meant he had to miss several squads.
Davis was back for the 1988 Littlewoods Cup final defeat to Luton Town and he enjoyed a great start to the following 1988/89 season alongside another new midfield partner, Michael Thomas.
In September 1988 Davis was an unused substitute for England's match against Denmark at Wembley but his season was about to go into free-fall and he never got another chance at full international level.
It was really out of character for the usually laid back Davis, leading to speculation that the Saints' midfielder may have said something to provoke him.
That cut no ice with the FA however who fined Davis £3,000 and banned him for a record nine matches. This all but ended Davis' season as he lost his place in the team to Kevin Richardson as Arsenal went to the top of the league.
In the end Davis started just five more matches over the rest of the season, scoring once, but he had already played enough matches to qualify for a first title winners medal as Arsenal beat Liverpool in the final match to lift the title.
Davis watched that famous game with the fans behind the goal as his best mate Thomas scored the dramatic last minute winner.
The following 1989/90 season saw Davis play even less. In fact he just started just 10 matches throughout the campaign as Arsenal failed to retain their title and suffered early exits in both cup competitions.
Having hardly played for the best part of two years, Davis sent a spell over the summer of 1990 on loan at Swedish club IFK Eskilstuna in a bid to get fit for the new campaign.
It certainly seemed to do the trick as Davis enjoyed arguably his best season in 1990/91 missing just four games, as Arsenal won the title again losing just one match.
After a fine start to the 1991/92 season, Davis again suffered an injury hit campaign and played just 18 times, although he did make his European Cup debut in a 6-1 demolition of Austria Vienna at Highbury in September 1991.
It was around this time that Davis fell out with Graham, which was never a good way of getting back in the team, and Davis spent much of the 1992/93 season either injured or on the sidelines.
However Graham was not about to let his personal feelings get in the way of the team's success and he recalled Davis for the finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup in 1993 as Arsenal became the first club to win both competitions in the same season. This completed the full set of major domestic medals for Davis.
His swansong for Arsenal came in the following 1993/94 season. Although not a regular in the side anymore he was an ever-present in the European Cup Winners Cup campaign as the Gunners went all the way to the final to face Italians Parma in Copenhagen.
This proved to a glorious night for Davis and Arsenal as Graham's side triumphed 1-0 against all the odds with a goal from Alan Smith, and Davis had a European medal to go alongside all his domestic honours.
At the end of the 1994/95 season he was released by Arsenal having made 447 appearances for the club over 16 years, scoring 37 goals.
Davis briefly returned to Sweden to join Stabeck but after just one appearance he returned to London with Brentford.
By now the injuries that had blighted his career were proving too much and Davis retired from playing in 1996 after only eight appearances for the Bees.
Once his playing days were over, Davis immediately returned to Arsenal to become youth coach but left in September 2003 to join the PFA coaching department.
In October 2005 Davis became assistant manager at Kettering Town alongside Paul Gascoigne but left two months later when Gascoigne was dismissed, although the club had wanted to keep Davis on. Davis instead went back to the PFA where he became regional south-east coach in 2008.
Davis has since completed his coaching badges and gained an FA diploma in football management from Warwick University. He is now senior coach/coach educator for the FA and is an ambassador for the Kick It Out and Show Racism The Red Card organisations.
I will always a soft spot for Davis, not just because he was a fabulous player but also because he became a regular in the side during my first season going to Highbury in 1981.
I was shocked by the stick he used to get from the crowd back in the early 1980s, not as I initially thought due to racism though, but because the fans did not feel he was good enough to replace Brady. But who was??
Despite this I always thought he was a lovely player to watch. Cool and calm on the ball he could certainly pick a pass with that cultured left foot of his.
Being left footed myself I have always been drawn to left footers, maybe they stand out more, and Davis certainly stood out in the sea of mediocrity that was the early 1980s at Highbury.
Alongside David O'Leary he was the only player at the club in 1980 who was still there in 1989, an ever present in what was probably my favourite decade following the club.
Coming up next time I look back at the life and career a player who played alongside Davis in the mid 1980s but who's time with the club was a little disappointing; Tommy Caton (RIP). Look out for that coming soon.
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