2020/21 Tom Davies

[tnc85]

He improved a lot in recent games. Hope he starts with Alan and Doucoure

 

[NathDogg]

Boss video that, a fine Evertonian - keep on doing you Tom lad.

 

[Lanolin]

I think the primary issue is that prodigious talents such as Rooney and (to a lesser extent) Barkley coming through have skewed expectations of how good a player has to be in order to pass the Da's strict litmus test.

Just because he's not the second coming of Eusebio doesn't mean he can't instil himself as a solid member of the squad imo. After all, amazingly he's still only 22 and is now one of the most well-established members of the squad - brought through during a tumultuous period in the club's history without a great deal of support, where he's had to shoulder more responsibility than any other young player I can think of.

I also think Tom's made clear improvements in his overall play this year - he's found a role that simplifies his game, maximising his abilities and hiding his shortcomings. As long as he can add marginal improvements year-on-year, there's no reason he can't find himself to be an integral member of the squad by his mid-late 20s.

I understood the counter-points made maybe 12 months ago when he and Gomes were hung out to dry in a midfield two that clearly wasn't working, but now we've undoubtedly seen green shoots of tangible improvement, I'd rather get behind him rather than criticise him for looking like he's walked out of Nanamica's AW21 lookbook.

I don't even think it's that, I think it's just that he became a part of the squad far too early. After the initial half dozen games or so where he looked good, he was genuinely out of his depth for about 2 years. That's absolutely not his fault, but mud sticks to a large extent, and a lot people got used to him being awful and so will never really trust him even as he gets better. I think he's just about reaching a level where he's consistently putting in acceptable performances now. He's still not really shining, but he looks capable of doing a job, which as you say is fine for a lad coming through the academy. He really shouldn't have been playing when he was 19/20 though, the poor lad was in way over his head at that point.

 

[ButOkayThatsFootball]

I don't even think it's that, I think it's just that he became a part of the squad far too early. After the initial half dozen games or so where he looked good, he was genuinely out of his depth for about 2 years. That's absolutely not his fault, but mud sticks to a large extent, and a lot people got used to him being awful and so will never really trust him even as he gets better. I think he's just about reaching a level where he's consistently putting in acceptable performances now. He's still not really shining, but he looks capable of doing a job, which as you say is fine for a lad coming through the academy. He really shouldn't have been playing when he was 19/20 though, the poor lad was in way over his head at that point.

Yeah maybe you're right, but being sat in the Top Balcony the year after he broke through, listening to some of the older generation's incessant criticism (bordering on abuse) of a local 18-year-old kid didn't sit well - writing him off because he didn't have Bracewell's passing range despite having seen proof of what he could do when full of confidence and in a midfield with some actual balance.

That said, he was objectively poor for a significant period (whilst we saw DCL and then Holgate's improvement) so perhaps the overwhelming factor was shouldering too much responsibility too early to his own detriment, rather than introducing him slowly to maximise his own chances of success. Let's hope he can continue to learn from the likes of Allan, because the position he's now occupying lends itself to his skill set rather than a box-to-box, attacking midfielder.

 

[Lanolin]

Yeah maybe you're right, but being sat in the Top Balcony the year after he broke through, listening to some of the older generation's incessant criticism (bordering on abuse) of a local 18-year-old kid didn't sit well - writing him off because he didn't have Bracewell's passing range despite having seen proof of what he could do when full of confidence and in a midfield with some actual balance.

That said, he was objectively poor for a significant period (whilst we saw DCL and then Holgate's improvement) so perhaps the overwhelming factor was shouldering too much responsibility too early to his own detriment, rather than introducing him slowly to maximise his own chances of success. Let's hope he can continue to learn from the likes of Allan, because the position he's now occupying lends itself to his skill set rather than a box-to-box, attacking midfielder.

Yeah we'll see how he does. I've never really been one to have a go at him but my gut feeling has always been that he just hasn't really got it. As I said earlier, I think he's now showing that he can be competitive at this level, which is good, but ultimately he's still part of a midfield that in my opinion gets played off the park almost every week. He just doesn't seem to me to have enough to his game to actually influence games. He tries hard, and he has the ability to do some nice things, but i'm just not sure there's enough there for him to blossom into a first choice pick for a side looking to achieve anything. I'd love him to prove me wrong though, it'd be great on many levels if he did.

 

[Shibbywiggles]

Yeah maybe you're right, but being sat in the Top Balcony the year after he broke through, listening to some of the older generation's incessant criticism (bordering on abuse) of a local 18-year-old kid didn't sit well - writing him off because he didn't have Bracewell's passing range despite having seen proof of what he could do when full of confidence and in a midfield with some actual balance.

That said, he was objectively poor for a significant period (whilst we saw DCL and then Holgate's improvement) so perhaps the overwhelming factor was shouldering too much responsibility too early to his own detriment, rather than introducing him slowly to maximise his own chances of success. Let's hope he can continue to learn from the likes of Allan, because the position he's now occupying lends itself to his skill set rather than a box-to-box, attacking midfielder.

Yeah I cringed at the abuse a young lad following poor manager instructions used to get and seeing it still now online is sad.

I think he’s learning from Allan a lot personally, the way he shields the ball and tries to turn forward when he receives a pass is very like Allan and that’s a great role model for Tom!

To say he’s turned a corner may be too premature but he was our best player against Spurs and United, he was one of few who took no shame from Fulham and he shouldn’t have been subbed against City as dropping Sigurdsson in instead lost us the game.

 

[Osamabindiesel]

He shouldn’t have come off in either of the last two games. Maybe Carlo sacrificed him because he saw things going south against Fullham and City so he decided to rest him, but both times we could have gotten a result. Just please no more Siggy James lineups Carlo. I can stomach one but not two luxury players for extended minutes.

 

[Nymzee]

He shouldn’t have come off in either of the last two games. Maybe Carlo sacrificed him because he saw things going south against Fullham and City so he decided to rest him, but both times we could have gotten a result. Just please no more Siggy James lineups Carlo. I can stomach one but not two luxury players for extended minutes.

Soggy deffo starts tomorrow.

 

[zukai12_]

Hope he elbows that ferrret roberston in revenge for last year

 

[COYB75]

Siggs has to be on the bench tomorrow. James can’t be kept out of this one. Their midfield and defence are second rate right now so we should look to control the middle of the park. They have an incredible front three but that is it. No way I want to see us sitting deep and just trying to hit them on the break. They do not have City’s midfield so let’s fight for possession for once.
Olsen
Godfrey, Holgate, Keane, Digne
Doucoure, Allan, Davies
James, Richy
King

 

[Charles Hawtrey]

he has had a rough few years for a very young lad. Many of the people coming through now are not much younger than he is. If he had only just joined the first team squad for the first time this year and put in his recent performances we would all be singing his praises loudly. Hopefully he learns a ton from Allan - you can see it in his play already, receiving the ball from the CB's even in tight spots surrounded by 2-4 opposition players , he is confident on the ball and able to find an out pass more and more. I think that's classic Allan.

 

[HeadieTwo]

i HATE this guy

 

[royalblue66]

i HATE this guy

Bit strong that mate.

 

[davids]

Bit strong that mate.

I'm sure it'll upset him.

 

[rockin' robin]

Think having 3 different managers very quickly didn’t help his progress at all. And in a struggling side. A bit of stability and clarity about what his role is from Carlo has helped settle him and is giving him his confidence back.