Hull City – it’s hard not to feel sorry for them. Caretaker manager Mike Phelan is battling with a squad of real paucity against a backdrop of upheaval behind the scenes, with owner Assem Allam apparently desperate to get rid of the club he has been trying to rename with greater assiduousness than any other aspect of his stewardship. Hull is not really a football city either; rugby league is the great draw in that part of the world, and getting a decent following has always been something the Tigers have battled with. The odds are stacked against them, but with two wins and a draw from seven games this season, Hull are certainly doing better than had been anticipated. The emergence of Sam Clucas has been something of a highlight this season, as has Phelan’s superb marshalling of his thin resources, but the outstanding player for the Tigers has been Curtis Davies. Though Hull have faced a Premier League high 49 shots on target (and the efforts of Eldin Jakupovic and, latterly, David Marshall in goal should not be overlooked), Davies has been extraordinary for Hull City this season, his performances stacking up against the very best the Premier League has to offer in defending despite playing for a woefully underpowered side. Davies has made 41 interceptions, 15 more than any other player (next best are George Friend of Middlesbrough and West Ham’s Winston Reid, with 26). He has made more blocks than any other player as well, with 16; Steve Cook of Bournemouth has 11, while Stoke’s Glenn Whelan and Boro’s Ben Gibson have 10. Only Phil Jagielka (Everton – 64), Ben Mee (Burnley – 63), Virgil van Dijk, and Jan Vertonghen (Saints and Spurs – both 59) have made more clearances than Davies’ 57; only Jagielka (44), Michael Keane (Burnley – 43) and Cook (38), have made more headed clearances than his 35; Davies has also won 2.4 aerials per game. Davies has won two-thirds of his tackles, only losing four, and not made a single error that has led to a shot or a goal. Furthermore, he is passing at 86.1% accuracy, against Hull’s overall average of 80.3%, with one assist. He has only been booked once in seven matches as well, showing that for all Hull’s backs-to-wall defending, Davies has kept his head and made good decisions. His achievements this season are all the more impressive for two factors: he has not played next to a recognised centre-back this season, partnering converted defensive midfielder Jake Livermore (who has himself done wonderfully well to overcome the awful events last season of his child’s death and his subsequent substance misuse to cope with the trauma); Hull City have also had arguably the toughest start to the season of any Premier League side, facing defending champions Leicester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool (who top all the attacking charts), and Chelsea, as well as fellow scrappers Burnley and Swansea. Beating Leicester was an extraordinary start and while Hull have struggled to build on that, there is no doubt that their campaign has begun in almost ridiculously testing circumstances. In the midst of this siege, Davies, who I think has been underrated for a while, has been a real leader for Hull, playing with tenacity and skill. While the team’s fans feel rightly angry towards the owners, Davies has reminded them that the team itself is worth getting behind. At 31 years old, Davies may be too old to receive an England call-up (and has stated if he doesn’t get into an England squad, having played three U21 matches, he could be persuaded to play for Sierra Leone, the nation of his father), but if Gareth Southgate (or whoever takes over from him) wants an experienced, capable, and tough defender to play alongside John Stones while the elegant young City defender grows and matures, he could do a lot worse than to select Davies. He has been the outstanding Premier League defender so far this season and deserves to be in the international reckoning. http://www.umaxit.com/index.php/col...ier-leagues-outstanding-defender-this-season?
Not sure he's been underrated by many (except England managers). He went off the boil a bit when Dawson arrived so its going to be a test of MP's managerial skills when Daws is fit again. Everything else, totally agree.
'Hull is not really a football city either; rugby league is the great draw in that part of the world' where do they get this bollocks from?
It's the perception of lazy, no-mark, non-travelling journos - his article looks like a piece ''made up'' by someone analysing OPTA stats.
"Hull isn't really a football city either. Rugby league is the great draw in that part of the world" No it ****ing isn't. The rest is spot on. Davies should even captain England.
