Poor old Kelvin. Just as he gets within sight of the Premier League the forum is inundated with suggestions for his replacement. As a truly old git, I'll rise to the defence of this young feller. Just to remind anyone calling for SKD to be pensioned off: When we sank into obscurity he had the chance to warm a bench at West Ham as cover for Rob Green. He could have been on a big pay day, and caught up with his reading. He stayed. He kept more clean sheets than a Blackpool landlady last year, and this was a critical part of our promotion. He beat the aforesaid Mr Green to be crowned best keeper in the Championship. Leeds 0 Saints 1; Barnsley 0 Saints 1 - without those six points we'd be one point behind West Ham Enough said? We may need better cover (fancy it Rob Green?) but SKD deserves the chance to shine in the Prem.
Round of Applause to Channon Walks on H2O I for one at the end of last season wondereed if Kelvin's time was drawing to a close, but he has been outstanding for the Saints this season. Yes, bringing in a new goalie maybe relevant, but this man deserves his chance.
Damn right, he has earned his right to stay, well gets my vote anyway. Saying that, maybe its a position we could do with building some competition. I like Bart, but rather than a back up, we might do well to look for a future keeper to put on the books.
There are older keepers than Kelvin who still put performances in in the PL. Experience in goal is very valuable.
He DOES NOT need replacing, quite the opposite - he is the most deserving player to be given a Premier League chance IMO We DO need a back up keeper
I dont understand how anyone can be overcritical of Kelvin. He has made the odd mistake but which goalie doesnt. As Channon says he has been incredibly loyal to Saints through thick & thin too, and this means something to me. He has his detractors amongst our support but he is still capable of holding down a first team place in the Prem imo, if it comes to pass. On Sat he commanded his area well and couldnt be faulted for either goal. There can't be a better shot-stopper in this division ? Back-up required though as Bart didnt look great in the game v Blackpool - although we shouldnt hang a man on the basis of one bad game either.
While Kelvin has been nothing short of impecable this season, I'm very wary that the last time he was in the Prem, he was criticised and even abused by some Sunderland fans during their disastrous 2005-6 season, although admittedly none of the team were that great that season.
Well, I agree with what you say Channon but there is always the thought of what happened last time he played in the premier league. I'm sure he's a better player now, but he is getting on and will need replacing at some point. If we can get a young backup in now (Jack Butland anyone?) who could learn from SKD and take over when he's ready to call it a day, that would be ideal.
He's a stand out guy both on and off the pitch, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be planning for the future. I believe he's worth one season at least, then we shall see eh?
SKD has definitely earnt his chance back in the PL if we gain promotion, but we need a good back up in case of injury and as eventual replacement. Not many people criticize Kelvin these days.
Davis definitely deserves to play next season from the loyalty and service he has given to the club. Whilst he's not the best kicker of the football (to say the least) he's a dependable shot stopper and a great influence on the defence in general
Kelvin gets the seal of approval from pundits and football media members too. When he came to Saints I wasn't at all sure about him, but like the rest of the team, he has had a restart to his career, from League One, and he has improved leaps and bounds. The fact that he has been seen to be better than Green, Frederici, Schmeichel, etc... speaks so much of how his experience has come good for him.
He has been fantastic for you this Season- keep Him !! You'll need him in the same form he has been in this year when you're in the Prem next year .. Personally, I think Kelvin Davies has been the best keeper in the Championship this Season
Super Kelv deserves his chance back in the Premier League after the form he has shown for us over the last couple of seasons. A decent young understudy could be bought in,who could maybe take over in a couple of seasons time, but i think we would be hard pressed to find a better keeper without spending a lot on wages and transfer fees,and would much rather we spent any cash we have to strengthen other areas of the squad. Kelvin Davies = Saints Legend
Hmm, yes you may have a point, but I have noticed that many more strikers actually shoot for the near post nowadays, so that may have something to do with it. It used to be a bit of a no-no, shooting at the near post. Always make the keeper save it, was the coaching motto. I must admit, I used to think... why..? Get the bleeder past him before he can move, and if that means being unpredictable, by shooting at the near post, then be unpredictable. It didn't do Matty's goal tally any harm.
Davies is one of the best goalies in the championship. His positional sense is second to none. I hope he is good for a couple of seasons at least. In terms of back up I think that Bart is ok. Bart's problem as I understand it is that he is carrying an injury that would prevent him playing a whole season (didn't he fail a medical somewhere in the summer?). In terms of being a back-up though he has always done very well apart from THAT goal. I have it first-hand that he is phenomenal in training. As for a replacement, we have a very good young goalkeeper called Jack Dovey who is about 19. He has been out on loan at Eastleigh for most of the season and getting excellent reviews from the Eastleigh supporters. So, we certainly don't need to get anyone else in of that age. As a club our stated aim is to bring the youngsters through and he would be a definite in my opinion.
