Alan Davies (soccer player)
| Alan Davies | ||
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| birthday | 5th December 1961 | |
| place of birth | Manchester , England | |
| date of death | 4th February 1992 | |
| Place of death | Gower Peninsula , Wales | |
| position | midfield | |
| Juniors | ||
| Years | station | |
| Manchester United | ||
| Men's | ||
| Years | station | Games (goals) 1 |
| 1978-1985 | Manchester United | 7 (0) |
| 1985-1987 | Newcastle United | 21 (1) |
| 1986 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 1 (0) |
| 1986 | → Carlisle United (loan) | 4 (1) |
| 1987-1989 | Swansea City | 84 (8) |
| 1989-1990 | Bradford City | 26 (1) |
| 1990-1992 | Swansea City | 43 (4) |
| National team | ||
| Years | selection | Games (goals) |
| 1982-1983 | Wales U-21 | 6 (1) |
| 1983-1990 | Wales | 13 (0) |
| 1 Only league games are given. | ||
Alan Davies (born December 5, 1961 in Manchester , † February 4, 1992 on the Gower Peninsula ) was a Welsh football player . The 13-time Welsh international won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 1983 . Serious injuries prevented his breakthrough and led him to Newcastle United in the lower class professional football to Swansea City and Bradford City . In February 1992, the depressed Davies committed suicide.
Career
Before joining Manchester United while still in school, Davies played in his hometown for a youth club called Mancunian Juniors , where he was coached by a United Scout. After finishing school, Davies signed a contract as a trainee at United in 1978, but received his first professional contract in December 1978. For the next few years he continued to play alongside players such as Norman Whiteside , Mark Hughes and David Platt in the youth and reserve team. Davies finally made his competitive debut in the Football League First Division in May 1982 against Southampton FC .
In the following season he continued to play for a long time in the reserve team, only after an injury to Steve Coppell did he move into the team towards the end of the season for his representative Ashley Grimes on the right wing and showed in the two finals of the FA Cup 1983 against Brighton & Hove Albion strong performances. After the first meeting at Wembley had ended 2-2, Davies played an "essential role" in the 4-0 win in the replay and prepared the first two goals for Bryan Robson and Norman Whiteside.
Born in Manchester to Welsh parents, Davies was eligible to play for the Wales national team and made six appearances for the Welsh U-21 national team in 1982 and 1983 . A few days after winning the FA Cup, he made his debut against Northern Ireland in the Welsh national team , two weeks later he was part of the team that wrested a 1-1 draw from record world champions Brazil . Other highlights in the national team came on May 2, 1984, when arch-rivals England were beaten 1-0 by a goal by debutant and club-mate Mark Hughes and in June 1988 in a 1-0 win in a friendly against Italy . Overall, Davies came from 1983 to 1990 to 13 international appearances.
In preparation for the 1983/84 season , Davies broke an ankle and tore several ligaments. He made his comeback in April 1984, in the semi-final first leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup against Juventus Turin , in which he scored the 1-1 final score. His return to the team was short-lived, and after another three league appearances in May 1984, the commitment of Gordon Strachan in the summer of 1984 provided more competition in United midfield. After Davies remained without a competitive game in the 1984/85 season, he moved to league rivals Newcastle United for £ 50,000 , but his stay there was overshadowed by a broken leg. After short loan stays at Charlton Athletic and Carlisle United , his Welsh coach Terry Yorath brought him to Swansea City in the Fourth Division in 1987 . There Davies was an important player in the promotion to the Third Division in the 1987/88 season, which was also reflected in the appointment to the PFA Team of the Year within the league . In 1989 Davies followed for a transfer of £ 130,000 Yorath to Bradford City , but returned to Swansea just like his coach after just one year in swap with Robbie James .
Long-suffering depression Davies committed suicide in his car on February 4, 1992 near his home on the Gower Peninsula . The quarter-final game in the Welsh Cup between Swansea and Cardiff City, which was scheduled for the following day , was then postponed. In August 1992 Swansea and Manchester United played a charity match for the benefit of his wife and four-year-old daughter.
literature
- Garth Dykes: The United Alphabet - A Complete Who's Who of Manchester United FC ACL & Polar Publishing Ltd., Leicester 1994, ISBN 0-9514862-6-8 , pp. 102 .
- Paul Joannou: The Black 'n' White Alphabet - A Complete Who's Who of Newcastle United FC Polar Print Group Ltd., Leicester 1996, ISBN 1-899538-03-8 , p. 108 .
Web links
- Alan Davies in the database of EU-Football.info (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ United lift a cup of birthday cheer ( en ) The Times . S. 23 May 27, 1985. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
- ↑ bbc.co.uk: Yesterday's men (Oct. 6, 2004)
- ↑ a b Past Players (23 Nov 2007) ( Memento from 17 February 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Alan Davies - Obituary ( August 24, 2011 memento on WebCite ), Times, The (London, England) - Friday February 7, 1992
- ↑ England pays his tribute to Davies - Football ( August 24, 2011 memento on WebCite ), Times, The (London, England) - Thursday, February 6, 1992
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Davies, Alan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | welsh football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 5th December 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Manchester |
| DATE OF DEATH | 4th February 1992 |
| Place of death | Gower Peninsula |