Aston Villa’s Curtis Davies is a breath of fresh air. In a sport where there is so much ‘corporate speak’ and layers of agents and publicists telling players what to say, it’s refreshing to hear original, intelligent and uncensored thoughts from such a young English player.
For example, Davies is not too egotistical to criticize himself. After his debut match for Villa in the League Cup against Leicester (where Villa lost 1-0), here’s what he said about his own performance:
“I was just awful. I didn’t contribute anything. I’ve been bigging myself up, saying I’m ready and obviously I’m not. I’m not good enough to get in the team yet. I’m honest with myself in every performance and that was rubbish – I looked like a pub team player.”
And here’s what Davies thinks about the exorbitant wages that footballers are paid:
“I think it’s ridiculous the amount of money footballers get paid, right across the leagues. It’s ridiculous that a sport can generate so much money for those who kick a ball around to get paid millions.”
The difference with Davies is that he’s not afraid to express his opinions and speak from the heart. Plus he’s sharing interesting thoughts rather than repeating the obvious.
If Davies is half as good the player as he is the spokesperson, keep an eye out for him this season. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him grow as a player on the pitch where West Brom fans have been raving about him for ages.
If I was an executive at BBC, Setanta or Sky, I would be laying the groundwork to have Davies signed as a pundit after his playing career comes to an end. With uncensored thoughts like the ones he’s sharing above, Davies could be England’s answer to Ireland’s trio of Eamonn Dunphy, Johnny Giles and Liam Brady.
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Nice to see a footballer not blaming everyone but themselves and taking responsibility for his own play.
I wonder what Martin O’Neill thinks of his “pub league” purchase
Technically, I guess he’s on loan but I think Aston Villa will want to make it permanent. Davies was stellar for West Brom in their relegation season and I think he’ll be a top centre-back in the league in the next couple of years.
Great blog!
That is very refreshing to see, especially from such a young player with everything ahead of him. Does anyone think Curtis will be able to fulfil his potential and become an England international?