The enigma that is Tom Davies

[ben1987]

Harry Souttar incoming

100%!!!

I can’t get my head around half the forum wanting to sign someone who’s had 3 surgeries and hasn’t kicked a ball since Boxing Day 2024. Two of those surgeries on the same career threatening injury that many normal people never fully recover from, never mind an elite level athlete needing to recover full mobility.

Half of them are the same posters who slag Arblaster off week in week out for struggling on his come back journey.

Would seriously be the most brain dead signing we could possibly make this summer.

 

[Older Blade]

Why does he deserve an ovation? He's cost us a small fortune over his contract for very little return.
I suspect he'll just quietly disappear into the sunset.

Why does he deserve an ovation? He's cost us a small fortune over his contract for very little return.
I suspect he'll just quietly disappear into the sunset.

A standing ovation..jeeez, he's taken 5 million in wages from the club and given nothing back, both him and Brewster compounds the mess we are in at the moment.

 

[Stanthemanfan]

Oh we absolutely can

And we will

 

[Nonamedhorse]

Without doubt, the most talented footballer at the Lane. Unfortunately, having that talent for 30/40 minutes, 1 game in 5, isn’t a luxury we can afford.
GLTTL.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Unpopular opinion time but for us he’s not been this amazing quality player that some people seem to think he is.

He always looks like he’s coming back from injury to me and a few decent touches or passes don’t change that.

I think a lot of people have convinced themselves that he’s this ex-PL star and that he’s really good and have found any reason to find glimpses of something that hasn’t been there in 3 years (or around 1,300 minutes!) of playing for us.

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

Announced he's leaving when his contract expires.

A great shame, he's a really good footballer, sure he would indeed have been a popular Blades player had he been physically fit.

 

[raul]

He will be remembered in 5 years time in following order
1) Fashion sense
2) Injuries
3) Chopsticks
4) Hair
5) Actual football.

Not how anyone would have wished things to turn out but there you are.

Go well Tom, sorry we never got to know you.

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

Or China.... His chopstick company might have ties...

Nah, Thais are in Thailand innit.

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

He will be remembered in 5 years time in following order
1) Fashion sense
2) Injuries
3) Chopsticks
4) Hair
5) Actual football.

Not how anyone would have wished things to turn out but there you are.

Go well Tom, sorry we never got to know you.

Not a bad line up but I would swap hair and chopsticks to support fashion sense.

 

[BazWainwright]

We can never repeat this sort of mistake again

We rarely sign players who join the club and spend long periods on the treatment table.

Oh, hang on ...

 

[wavy-blade]

100%!!!

I can’t get my head around half the forum wanting to sign someone who’s had 3 surgeries and hasn’t kicked a ball since Boxing Day 2024. Two of those surgeries on the same career threatening injury that many normal people never fully recover from, never mind an elite level athlete needing to recover full mobility.

Half of them are the same posters who slag Arblaster off week in week out for struggling on his come back journey.

Would seriously be the most brain dead signing we could possibly make this summer.

Yer but what an impact he had fantastic centre back , I did say to my son though he’s playing too much football, playing for Australia flying all over the world, and i was proven right . I am old enough to have watched one of the best defenders we have ever had called Paul McGrath we got him at the end of his career, his knees were shattered. He never trained, but he was a Rolls-Royce of a defender a true joy to watch, maybe Souttar is worth the risk. ?

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

I'm sad about this one, but I understand.

I'm sad, for him and for us that it hasn't worked out.

In a world of showy, materialistic, influencer-obsessed, and often immature footballers, we need more Tom Davies. Community orientated, charity-orientated, grounded, humble, speaks well. No ego.

It's sad that his body doesn't hold up to the rigours of modern football, because you can tell that there's real quality in there. He always shows for the ball, wants it to foot and his first instinct is to get his head up, to turn and run at the opposition and to break the lines. Quality player, just seen fair too fleetingly.

Most of all, it's sad because you can tell that the lad cares and wants to make something of himself.

A genuine, heartfelt GLTTL.

 

[metalblade]

Sad to see a quality player's career blighted by injury, if he stays as a player it will more than likely be with a lower league club. Maybe we have put the word out so he gets a head start on finding something elsewhere, the correct decision by the club, GLTTL wherever he finds himself in the future.

 

[Old Programme seller]

This is the start of the balancing of the books I’m not entirely sure how much we have to cut but a quick Google says Tom Davies was on £30k per week Id imagine that’ll be a drop in the ocean

 

[loyalblade95]

My guess: We have two home games left. Wilder will want to give him a run out in one of them (even if it's only for the last 5 minutes ) so he can get a proper send-off from the fans. It's not worked out because of his constant injury problems, but I really like him as a player. I for one will give him a good ovation on his last appearance for us.

Probably be Preston and maybe a little run out in the last game against Derby as well.

It wouldn't surprise me if he took up coaching eventually, he seems like that sort of player and I think he'd be a decent coach somewhere.

Young captain at Everton (still the youngest as well I think), career hampered by fitness problems but considered to be quite experienced.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Tell you what, what a reaction and atmosphere this was!

 

[HOT CURRIE 10]

Killjoy here. GLTTL but made of shreddies. Where you get a quality player from I have no idea,his good games for us I can count on one hand. A top guy by all accounts and had poor luck with injuries,I hope he goes on and clicks somewhere else for him and his families sake.

 

[Pintor75]

Glttl tbh, he could have been a game changer for us ,but wasn't to be due to injuries, proberbly turn up at Derby and play all season

 

[secretchief]

I both feel for him and like him but when he injured himself by 'kicking the floor' in 2023 I was like come on man.

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

Killjoy here. GLTTL but made of shreddies. Where you get a quality player from I have no idea,his good games for us I can count on one hand. A top guy by all accounts and had poor luck with injuries,I hope he goes on and clicks somewhere else for him and his families sake.

Not only shreddies but shreddies after they have been soaked in milk overnight which is what some of our older supporters with little gum support for their teeth do apparently although I don't know any of them.

 

[The Crab]

No way he does! Saudi league or American will offer him top dollar.

He’s not fit enough mate.

It’d be like buying an Alfa Romeo. Yeah it looks fantastic but it’s always booked in at the garage.

He seems to have had these issues throughout his career sadly for him. When he’s fit he’s a superb player.

 

[S64 Blade]

I do feel for him. Seems a great lad, but we can’t afford to be sentimental.

Wonder if this is why Deadbat saw him in Marmadukes looking sad?

 

[Linz]

Fully fit and healthy?

 

[raul]

 

[Bladesman]

Fully fit and healthy?

Hmmm fully fit not sure I believe that either.

Good luck to him.

 

[MayorOJC]

Would have been nice it he didn't use ChatGPT

 

[Houston_Blade]

Fully fit and healthy?

Let’s see.

 

[bakeblade]

Fully fit and healthy?

If someone takes a chance on him they could get lucky.
Needs to be a 1 year with extensions based on availability.

 

[Sportbilly /Detroit Blade]

He’s not fit enough mate.

It’d be like buying an Alfa Romeo. Yeah it looks fantastic but it’s always booked in at the garage.

He seems to have had these issues throughout his career sadly for him. When he’s fit he’s a superb player.

I remember ages ago, with stupidity, ordering a brand new Alfa Romeo GT.

By the time I'd added on all the extras it was about £30k, and I must be talking 20 years ago.

The quality left a lot to be desired, within a day of picking it up a button on the dashboard fell into the dashboard, and where the B pillar upper and lower joined It had a piece of foam about 5 inches long flapping around on the outside of the pillars!

To top it off, a few weeks later I was driving up the M1 and it felt like the car had lost power, plumes of smoke, and to cut a long story short the engine had packed up.

Cheeky twats wanted me to accept a new engine in a car that was a few months old.

I really resonate with your analogy, the car looked the business, but man alive the quality was atrocious.

 

[CPB]

Seemingly nice guy and a tidy player, wish it had worked out for him and us. On the positive side, hopefully this - combined with Wilder's recent language around the importance of availability - signals that the club will be taking a more risk averse approach to players with a chequered injury history. For every David Mcgoldrick there are seemingly 5+ costly failures (see T. Davies, Brewster, K. Phillips, Shackleton, Ciaran Clark...)

We want more Oliver Norwoods.

When you look back even if at times he got stick cannot fault that he kept himself fit and rarely picked up injuries.

That first season with us he was absolutely quality. Even first prem season he was for 2/3rds or so.

Picked up again in heckys promotion season too at the start. Had a 15 game spell where he was unstoppable.

Great player overall for us.