Steven Davis signs new three-year deal until 2019

Our level has been pretty much the same for three years now. And that is the level Davis is at.

He has played under three managers in large part because he hasn't been good enough to leave. That lack of opportunity is also what people mistake as loyalty.

 

You must be a glass half empty kinda bloke/woman

 

Me and you is sooooo different fella. So different.

I'll just agree to disagree with you. You'll probably disagree with that.

 

As I've said before, for me SD would be one of the first names on the teamsheet. Great playmaker, tireless, never going to get the headlines, but a very important member of the team?

 

Jeeze, that's such a depressing viewpoint! I don't buy it either.

 

So if you have a player who isn't good enough to leave and you are stuck with him, the best thing to do is give him an improved contract so it will be even harder for him to leave. Yep, can follow that logic

 

Gotta say, I'm really surprised at some of the negativity by ISIRTP above. I thought it was quite a simple extension....

You take a player who has performed pretty well over the last 4 years for us (and played 32+ PL games each season), who has over 80 caps for Northern Ireland, and has captained them for the last 10 years (think about that, he's captained his national side since the age of 21). You spot that yes, at some point in the future his playing time may decrease, but you value the leadership and the example that he sets around professionalism for the kids coming through, and the new players arriving.

Sure, it's not the most exciting extension as we don't expect him to start banging in 15 goals a season from midfield aged 31, but it's every bit as important (if not more so) to have players like Davis and Fonte stay around and epitomise the values we have as a club, and the journey we've come on, to pass the baton to the next generation.

Look at Villa last year (I know it's an extreme example), lots of exciting young talent but ZERO leadership.

Sidenote - I'd really rate Idrissa Gueye if he's Wanyama's replacement. Would be great in the right structure.

 

So Davis isn't good enough to leave (I understand what you mean there) and you use that as a negative. The reality is that when Davis is in that AM position we would struggle to get better and that is why he plays every game for every manager. The games that people talk about him not playing well and sometimes that might be a few games in a row are normally when he is played in another position because the manager wants him on the pitch and uses his adaptability to fill in for other injured players.

I am a big Steven Davis fan but I have said before that we need an update eventually to progress. The reality of that though is to get an upgrade on Davis in the attacking sense would be easy. To get an upgrade on Davis in the defensive sense would be easy. To get an upgrade that covers Davis' workrate that takes in the whole attacking and defensive side which he does from the AM/10 role would be out of our range of purchasing and wages.

I think a lot of our success has been down to the type of players we have bought are not just a single position standard fare player. They do the role but also cover so much more ground than many other players for other clubs in their starting position.

We do need a better No10 that creates and scores more goals but if we get one in (which would put Davis on the bench) how much in wages and transfer would it cost not just to get that better "end product" but also the yardage across the whole midfield that Davis gives us? I'm pretty sure when we upgrade on Davis (to get to the next level) it is going to cost us big time because when we lose that extra workrate in the midfield area in the search for a more creative AM we will definitely need to improve the DMs to make up for it.

Just look at when Steve Davis is injured. We then struggle in the midfield to link up the attack and the DMs lose that extra bit of help at the same time. JWP is a similar sort of player however he doesn't have that constant movement that Davis has.

So I agree that Davis is not good enough for a club that is aiming for year after year premier league title contenders or realistic Champions League contenders but then these clubs have the money (if they choose) to sacrifice that workrate in the middle and have better DM/CB options to make up for it. Then they can stick a Silva or Mata or Sanchez in that role and not worry about their AM needing to come back and work across the field.

Davis is more important than ever for us at the moment for the style we play and the budget we have. He must stay in the AM role and not fill in for others when they are injured though.

I think Davis' expression in this picture sums up what you are saying

please log in to view this image

 

7.04/10 is his season average. Not bad for a player that isn't good enough to leave.

https://www.whoscored.com/Players/9734/Show/Steven-Davis

 

Davis is the definition of a player's player. Those on the pitch knows what he gives to the team. I was thrilled when he had that little run of goals at the end of the season.....he deserved that reward for what he does week in and week out.

 

Every team needs a Davis, He works his socks off.. leads us when we are down and motivates. Technically solid.. you know what you get too. Very happy with the extension.

 

Davis for me was a brilliant purchase for under £1M, for his hard work, his experience and leadership. His contribution on the pitch is oft discussed and rarely argued over. A contract extension for him is a reward for his professionalism and talent, and is certainly a great investment by the club.
Absolute no brainer for me.

 

Lol, I don't really understand the heat here.

Davis is a good player for where we are right now. Which is exactly why you don't need to extend him. There isn't a huge competition for his services. And we have him locked down for his productive years. That is the perfect contract, as far as I am concerned.

You guys don't really seem to grasp the situation here. If Saints want to succeed we have to pay players less than they are worth.. As many players as we can rip off as much as possible.

So while Davis might be a good guy, and a good player you have to consider carefully why you would voluntarily spend more than you need to on him.

In this case, a one year extension isn't a big deal. Just realize that in all likelihood you will be paying him starting money to sit on the bench that additional year, and we can't afford to do that with more than 1-2 players.

 

I don't want to look at football from a purely business perspective. If that would ever to happen, I would quit watching football instantly. Steven Davis is a very good, experienced player and a leader on and off the pitch, also a very likeable guy, model professional who always gives his best. I like to have him in the club and long may he be here.

 

Leadership around the dressing room and the club. Solid option for rotation and competition for places even when he eventually doesn't start so often. If your aim on every deal is monetised vs. that players playing contribution only (and I agree that most should be) then you will never breed any kind of loyalty within the club.

We need to spend some £'s on ensuring that a small number of senior pros are looked after so that not only they pass on their knowledge and experience, but so that players like JWP (who is yet to hit his prime) are bought into the future of the club. If every deal was based solely on individual playing contribution, you'd soon have a situation where you'd forgotten you need a squad for competition for places and/or you'd probably have loads of mercenaries who don't care when the chips are down and you're sliding down the table. It's a balance, but you need players like Davis for continuity if nothing else.

 

Never makes for a happy work place if someone feels hard done when everyone else is getting a better deal. Add in that that person is a valuable and stable influence and makes no sense at all.

 

ISIRTP - Don't forget that saints are clearly taking the wages of the core of the team up a level.
The additional TV money would have made the players expect a bit more on their monthly.
From Jose signing last summer to the recent extensions and contracts we know are on the table, it looks like the first team are all getting a raise and that has to be correct for team spirit.

 

You guys are really breaking your backs trying to hang on to your romanticism.

If we have to pay Davis more money to keep him happy even though he is already under contract.. how is that "loyalty?"

We are buying his and the team's effort. And like I said, the deal can well be justified along those lines.

If Davis and others this summer had said they wanted more pay or for the club to match their "ambition," or they didn't feel like they'd be at their best this board would be in full meltdown.

And yet everyone is basically advocating yielding to their demands before they even make them, just to keep them happy.

 

I think this is the strangest argument I have ever read on here - and there have been some real doozies!

 

Yeah, 8th, 7th, 6th. And our points haul is going up. I think that's what you call a steady improvement.