Great

doffcocker wrote:I know I annoy you all with my never-ending Kevin Davies bitterness and it comes across that I'm incapable of crediting him where credit's due but I don't care.

In all honesty, Davies wasn't bad today. He was terrible. Easy goals aside, his overall play was poor. He provided little competition aerially, his passing was careless and he didn't press the opposition, which could be just as well as we saw what can happen when he does, for the second Sunderland goal.

I know this is hard to take for you now after him having just got on the scoresheet twice, but you could easily be agreeing with me in three weeks time when he's still in the team on the back of this, and not just not scoring goals, but offering nothing else at all.

We need to put this down as a lucky day for Kevin, and show faith in younger players.

Or would you stick with KD for the Spurs match, or even for all of the remaining three games?

Tough one this. I can see where both sides are coming from.

On the one hand Davies has been unreliable most of the season when given a starting place. On the other hand he has scored a couple of goals recently and done well in certain parts.

He is still a liability in a lot of ways though too. Demonstrated by his late and needless tackle which led to their second goal (though by no means only that - he still gives the ball away needlessly and easily in key areas and makes poor decisions).

Would I play him against Spurs?

Wow! That's a biggie! Think he will start - and if I was manager I would be tempted too. I think Doffcocker's valid concern is that Davies will be getting picked forever more (regardless of future form) based on his 2 decent (and I use that term loosely) games in the last 30.

All you bellends who think Davies shouldn't be starting games, what's the alternative? Ngog on his own?

Give me strength.

Jayjay, I can see the OP's side of it as well.

He wants to drop our most in-form striker because he doesn't like him very much.

TBF BKD had a lean spell. OC dropped him (eventually) He's come back better than he was. Good management that.

The good thing (it appears) is that at least now he's droppable, like others have said, the worst thing to have is a misfiring KD on the pitch ambling around when we're 2-0 down.

but when he's on his game he's a must.

He's made me eat my words with his last few performances and I'm glad because i really did think he was finished.

All his old flaws are still there. You are all papering over them...

Of course he has flaws... It's Kevin Davies.

Not Messi.

It's unfair to say I don't like him. I didn't even vote for him in the Worst Player of the Season thread where a good few did so my vendetta can't be that big. The reason I pick on him is when he plays badly, the team as a unit becomes dysfunctional. So his being in the side is potentially more costly than others'. At his worst (Swansea match wasn't far off), it's like playing with ten men, except ten men would be better because we'd concede less needless fouls.
A lot of people have had a pop at Ngog (myself included) but at least we know what we're getting with him. I'd imagine if you asked our central midfielders who they prefer having ahead of them, they'd say Ngog as he finds space for himself to be passed into. He also presses unlike Davies meaning we're less often on the back foot.

Don't be fooled by a few useful Davies touches in this match. He won't have faced a kinder defence all season. If you still have MOTD on Sky+, count what proportion of the useful touches he made that have been referred to in this thread where he was virtually or completely unchallenged. I make it at least 90%.

Hardly think MOTD editing is representative. Throughout the game he was working, tracking back and battling for the ball.
Look - he had a couple of good games. Let's enjoy that fact and hope he has another couple.

doffcocker wrote:It's unfair to say I don't like him. I didn't even vote for him in the Worst Player of the Season thread where a good few did so my vendetta can't be that big. The reason I pick on him is when he plays badly, the team as a unit becomes dysfunctional. So his being in the side is potentially more costly than others'. At his worst (Swansea match wasn't far off), it's like playing with ten men, except ten men would be better because we'd concede less needless fouls.
A lot of people have had a pop at Ngog (myself included) but at least we know what we're getting with him. I'd imagine if you asked our central midfielders who they prefer having ahead of them, they'd say Ngog as he finds space for himself to be passed into. He also presses unlike Davies meaning we're less often on the back foot.

Don't be fooled by a few useful Davies touches in this match. He won't have faced a kinder defence all season. If you still have MOTD on Sky+, count what proportion of the useful touches he made that have been referred to in this thread where he was virtually or completely unchallenged. I make it at least 90%.

Doffcocker you knob, Davies put away his first goal with a great finish - Ngog had an identical opportunity just after half-time and he scuffed his shot.

Strikers need to score goals. You don't drop a striker who's just scored twice.

agreed with nat on this, ive protected n'gog a lot in the past but SKD totally out shone him at sunderland

+ Kev set him up for a great chance and he made a mess of it

cant understand your 'little competition aerially' comment, he won almost every ball.. one of them being a goal..

easy goals? stop deluding yourself.

+ Davies does help the team out and does make a lot of vital tackles (and yes some bad ones)

doffcocker wrote:It's unfair to say I don't like him. I didn't even vote for him in the Worst Player of the Season thread where a good few did so my vendetta can't be that big. The reason I pick on him is when he plays badly, the team as a unit becomes dysfunctional. So his being in the side is potentially more costly than others'.

That's probably a fair point, but where people are disagreeing in this thread is that he's playing well, and when he plays well, he is a talisman and lifts everyone around him.

He's club captain for that exact reason.

... and because he'll twat anyone who says different.

wanderlust wrote:Hardly think MOTD editing is representative. Look - he had a couple of good games. Let's enjoy that fact and hope he has another couple.

I thought the MOTD footage flattered him, so I'm being more than fair in this respect. It didn't show his weak attempts to win headers under pressure (except I'll give him one that led to a chance for Klasnic), his sloppy passing and his neglecting to try to win the ball on the ground.
I watched the game in a Turkish bar with one other Wanderer and the neutrals even picked up on the number of times we simultaneously said "get up/in Davies".

What I'm saying is look back at the key moments that people are crediting him for, just to see that I'm not making it up as I go along. He's given the sort of space it would have been criminal of him not to capitalise on and the sort of space he's not likely to get against Spurs and the majority of PL teams for that matter.

As for just enjoying it, I'm what psychologists call a problem solver. I spot problems before they're even problems, which is why people are always coming back to my controversial posts from times gone by and apologising for calling me a know-nowt. You'll all be eating your words when Davies next comes up against an acceptable defence.

I won't be apologising for mocking your views in this thread, because there's nothing more annoying than a smug idiot.

largehat wrote:I won't be apologising for mocking your views in this thread, because there's nothing more annoying than a smug idiot.

Ironic post of the year! Fantastic!

largehat wrote:I won't be apologising for mocking your views in this thread, because there's nothing more annoying than a smug idiot.

Yes but imagine the stick I'm gonna get if he scores against Spurs!

doffcocker wrote:

largehat wrote:I won't be apologising for mocking your views in this thread, because there's nothing more annoying than a smug idiot.

Yes but imagine the stick I'm gonna get if he scores against Spurs!

True, at least you've stuck your neck out. Fair play.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

largehat wrote:I won't be apologising for mocking your views in this thread, because there's nothing more annoying than a smug idiot.

Ironic post of the year! Fantastic!

Ironic response of the year! Fantastic!

doffcocker wrote:

wanderlust wrote:Hardly think MOTD editing is representative. Look - he had a couple of good games. Let's enjoy that fact and hope he has another couple.

I thought the MOTD footage flattered him, so I'm being more than fair in this respect. It didn't show his weak attempts to win headers under pressure (except I'll give him one that led to a chance for Klasnic), his sloppy passing and his neglecting to try to win the ball on the ground.
I watched the game in a Turkish bar with one other Wanderer and the neutrals even picked up on the number of times we simultaneously said "get up/in Davies".

What I'm saying is look back at the key moments that people are crediting him for, just to see that I'm not making it up as I go along. He's given the sort of space it would have been criminal of him not to capitalise on and the sort of space he's not likely to get against Spurs and the majority of PL teams for that matter.

As for just enjoying it, I'm what psychologists call a problem solver. I spot problems before they're even problems, which is why people are always coming back to my controversial posts from times gone by and apologising for calling me a know-nowt. You'll all be eating your words when Davies next comes up against an acceptable defence.

Doffcocker you are just so correct! I am so glad I am not the only one who can see it.