Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues) [R]

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Yeah, I agree completely. That is a big game of what if. I thought Bob did well in bringing him in slowly. He was a pretty talented kid and slowly integrated him into the team. He played in friendlies and was on the bench since 07 for games here and there. Eventually he had a great couple of games and then he was starting in the Azteca. I hope Bob does the same with other young strikers.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

I just keep thinking, "if it had been Davies with the breakaway instead of Findley, we beat Ghana".

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

I think that too then the thought of a healthy michael essien in the ghana midfield keeps putting pepper on that thought.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Can we stop turning every Charlie thread into what could've been discussions rather into what might be. Its getting old.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

He was on the bench today. Didn't play but this is still great news. Who knows what the new year will bring?

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

I think it's crazy that this is pretty much EXACTLY what his coach at Sochaux predicted some 5 months ago. I forget exactly where, but I read an article that quoted the manager saying CD9 wouldn't feature for the 1st team until after the new year. Looks like Charlie's right on pace, maybe a smidge ahead. Here's hoping he recovers to pre-injury form.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Wow, his coach that sees him everyday had a pretty accurate idea of Charlie's recovery timetable. Weird, huh?

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

I wonder if Charlie will go on loan still. I'd rather have him training with the first team and getting few substitute minutes for the remainder of this season. Then maybe next season he can go for his starting spot

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Physically Charlie was the ultimate forward. He was bull strong and had a low center of gravity, allowing him to hold defenders on his hip and play the hold up role. I was amazed in the Confederations Cup how often he held and played back to the midfield successfully, even though he is not a big player. He is quick enough to create a shot in small spaces, yet fast enough to leave people behind in the open field.

Technically and tactically, Charlie was a work in progress. He had a good shot but an OK first touch. His passing was not always accurate and his runs at times were off.

Charlie needs to be 100% physically to regain the edge he had on defenders. Then he needs a lot of field work to focus on the fundamentals. I hope he does. It would be the Phoenix Rising story of the ages.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

An ex-wrestler.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

That would be a great prediction if the coach wasn't heavily involved in choosing when he would come back. As it is, it looks like a coach sticking to his own timetable.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Yeah, but given what we know of Davies's performances with the reserves, it doesn't look like the coach has been holding the guy back just to make himself look good. Sochaux have done nothing in this whole sage other what you would want your club to do if this happened to a player.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

I think this a good point to chime in and remind everyone how young he still is and how much of a career he has ahead of him. No need to rush things. It's amazing that he's back at all. He'll get minutes next year as his manager has said.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

All depends at this point whether Sochaux want him to stay and compete for their third forward spot (Charlie is not going to take either of the starting spots off this team unless something drastic happens) or head out on loan for more consistent minutes.

I hae no information on which to make a guess, but I would think that they might be looking ahead to the summer transfer window and whether they are going to lose one of their starters. If they are planning on that, it makes more sense to me to loan out Charlie and get him starter's minutes this spring.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

[ame="http://vimeo.com/16212016"]http://vimeo.com/16212016[/ame]

A short little video commissioned by ESPN on CD9. NSFW (he's without clothes in one shot)

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

CLASSIC Charlie!

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Charlie Davies has mad swag man.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

FC Sochaux coach Francis Gillot said that he included Davies in the group against Bordeaux to reward him for his hard work but that he had no intention to give him playing time. Gillot said that Davies would not be fit enough to play with the first team until the end of the season and told Davies it would be best for him if he was loaned out to a lower tier team so that he can get more playing time. However, FC Sochaux president Alexandre Lacombe explained that Davies would rather stay at Sochaux where he has his girlfriend, his teammates and a medical staff that he's comfortable with. Also, there are no plans for Davies to leave for MLS for the time being. Coach Gillot also said that Davies would definitely take part in Sochaux's training camp in Tunisia from January 2 to 7.

http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2010/20101221_115356_-davies-prefere-rester-a-sochaux.html (in French)

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

ooof. I hate the splash of the cold truth on your face to ruin a perfectly good fantasy thread.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

This sounds like BS to me.

He's fit enough to play on loan but not fit enough to play w/ Sochaux?

File this under GTFO-Coach's decision.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Well, Charlie himself has said that he's at 90% of his old self. If that final 10% is as difficult to regain as the other 90%, so to speak, it's quite possible that the manager is correct in assessing that Charlie may be better served playing where the achievement of that final 10 could be accelerated.

It's quite possible ( I don't know ) that Charlie still lacks some of his quickness and speed that his game relies on to succeed in Ligue 1 but isn't necessarily required to succeed in winning playing time in Ligue 2.

Charlie wants to play. The manager is telling how to go about getting playing time in meaningful games. Time again to put the ego in check and listen to the man who decides your playing fate. Take the loan Charlie. Play. It's the best way to make the Gold Cup roster and certainly the best way to make a case for earning your starting spot back at Sochaux.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

Sochaux is overachieving in Ligue 1, thanks in large part to a forward tandem that is scoring plenty of goals. The coach can say that he is fit enough to go out on loan, but not reading to play much with Sochaux without being full of it.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

There's a BIG difference between being fit for division 1 and being fit to play the game. The coach is right he's not: physically fit enough and game fit enough.

Everyone who has properly played the game and been out an extended period of time knows that the hardest part of coming back is finding form. The coach is rightfully (based on comments from people who have seen reserve games) saying he's not in form enough. Going out on loan is not the end of the world and would be a far more mature decision. Get some playing time, score some goals, and come back at the end of the season.

Davies' problem is he thinks too highly of himself like he did during the WC when he pouted. He's probably thinking he'll force his way back into the team soon enough.

 

Re: Sochaux & Steady: Davies will win the race (The Saga Continues)

I don't necessarily disagree.

But if fitness alone was the issue,he could get that through the reserves and gradually increasing sub minutes.It's the typical method for a recovering player.

I think the coach thinks he's not going to be a first division player with the same impact as he had before,so is encouraging him to move on.

As usual ,I'd prefer to be wrong,but I think Charlie's done at Sochaux.

We shall see.