Three Lions Turn to Davies Over Newcastle's Number Nine

Congratulations go out to Kevin Davies on his England call-up. After more than a decade since receiving three Under-21 caps, the Bolton Wanderers captain was named in a full national squad for the first time in his career today, joining the struggling Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch and the in-form Darren Bent as Fabio Capello’s striking options. Davies has committed more fouls than any other footballer in Premier League history (and conversely is also one of the highest sufferers of them). We should not belittle him by talking in terms of the physical forward being a last resort, Emile Heskey reportedly declining the England manager’s offer to temporarily come out of international retirement he announced after the World Cup. There are injuries within the national strike force which rule out Bobby Zamora and the pace-gifted pair of Jermain Defoe and Gabriel Agbonlahor, but despite this Davies’s inclusion is still something of a surprise. Newcastle’s Andy Carroll was not named in Stuart Pearce’s Under-21 squad to face Romania and we all assumed that after impressive early season form he would get the call, a cause that despite his off-the-field antics I have championed. Alas, he did not start the Magpies match with Manchester City on Sunday and this may have ultimately counted against the 21-year old.

Both men comfortably play the target man role and have done so successfully. The question is should Capello have gone for experience over youth, particularly in light of his pledge to drive England forward by looking to the future? Kevin Davies has twelve years on Carroll and has netted 120 career goals, half of which have come in a Bolton shirt. Of this total, 74 have been scored in the Premier League, with an average of nine goals in all competitions over the last seven seasons. Considering Wanderers have often punched above their weight, particularly during the Sam Allardyce era, this isn’t too bad. A striker, however, is judged on his goals and a goal every five matches is not really anywhere near an international standard. Andy Carroll on the other hand still has his entire career in front of him and I am sure if he continues to play well there will be other chances for him to wear the Three Lions and in this, his first season properly part of Newcastle’s plans, he has netted at a rate of better than one in two.

Darren Bent’s good form probably reduces the necessity in Capello’s eyes for both to join up with the squad, but I believe just being in the setup might have been beneficial to Carroll. What Kevin Davies’s selection shows is that there are still rewards in football for hard-working players who play to what strengths they have despite being labelled one-dimensional in the process. It is a culmination of a career’s worth of effort, because the stats, a goal every four matches this season so far, do not make much of a case by themselves. In many ways Davies could be useful against the tough and tall Montenegrin defenders. The best of luck to him and how could anybody begrudge Bolton’s talisman a fairytale moment at Wembley next Tuesday!