Paul Davis (footballer, born 1961)

Paul Davis
Personal information
Full name	Paul Vincent Davis
Date of birth	9 December 1961 (age 62)
Place of birth	Dulwich, London, England
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team
1980–1995	Arsenal
1995	Stabæk
1995–1996	Brentford
Total
International career
1982–1988	England U21
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Vincent Davis (born 9 December 1961) is an English former footballer.

Career

Born in Dulwich, London, Davis signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1977 and turned professional the following year. A talented left-footed midfielder, he made his debut in 1980 in a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, and within a year he was a regular in the Arsenal side, as well as a member of the England U21 team.^{[citation needed]}

Davis was an integral part of the successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s, winning the League Cup in 1987 and the First Division in 1989 and 1991.

In 1988, after provocation during a match, Davis punched Southampton player Glenn Cockerill in the jaw. Cockerill's jaw was broken and following the FA's analysis of TV footage Davis was given a then unprecedented 9-match ban and £3,000 fine.^{[citation needed]}

Despite being left out of the team for 18 months after disagreement with Arsenal manager George Graham he still appeared 447 times for Arsenal, scoring 37 goals during his career there.^{[citation needed]}

Davis played in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals wins in 1993 as Arsenal chalked up their Cup Double. He also featured in Arsenal's Cup Winners' Cup win against Parma F.C the following year. Although selected for the England senior squad on several occasions, he never made an appearance for the senior team, despite 12-appearances for the Under-21 team, where he captained the side. He also played for the England 'B' team.^{[citation needed]}

Davis was released by Arsenal on a free transfer in the summer of 1995.^{[citation needed]}

After leaving Arsenal, he briefly joined Norwegian side Stabæk Fotball in 1995. After his spell at Stabæk, appearing in one game as a substitute, he returned to London to sign for Brentford on a free transfer in September 1995, but he retired within a year after just five appearances.^{[citation needed]}

Coaching career

Davis returned to Arsenal to become a youth coach in 1996, before leaving the club in 2003. In September 2003 Davis joined The Professional Footballers' Association coaching department. On 27 October 2005, Davis was invited to become assistant manager of Kettering Town F.C. by new manager Paul Gascoigne, he left Kettering at the same time as Gascoigne's departure from the club on 5 December 2005, despite being asked to stay on, but he chose to return to the Professional Footballer's Association where he worked in coach education and equality until February 2016.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2016, Davis joined the FA where he continues to work with the elite coach development team. Davis has studied and gained the FA and Pro UEFA Coaching awards, the highest coaching award in the U.K. along with his UEFA 'A' Licence and the FA Diploma in Football Management from Warwick University, as well as his coach educators awards. Davis is now a senior coach/coach educator for the organisation and he is also an ambassador for the 'Kick It Out' and 'Show Racism the Red Card organisations'.^{[citation needed]}

External links

Arsenal profile
Paul Davis at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database