Ron Davies (footballer, born 1942)
{{short description|Welsh footballer}}
{{More footnotes|date=February 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ron Davies
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| fullname = Ronald Tudor Davies
| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|5|25|df=y}}
| birth_place = Holywell, Flintshire, Wales
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|5|24|1942|5|25|df=y}}
| death_place = Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}
| position = Forward
| years1 = 1959–1962 |clubs1 = Chester |caps1 = 94 |goals1 = 45
| years2 = 1962–1963 |clubs2 = Luton Town |caps2 = 32 |goals2 = 21
| years3 = 1963–1965 |clubs3 = Norwich City |caps3 = 113 |goals3 = 58
| years4 = 1966–1973 |clubs4 = Southampton |caps4 = 240 |goals4 = 134
| years5 = 1973–1974 |clubs5 = Portsmouth |caps5 = 59 |goals5 = 18
| years6 = 1974–1975 |clubs6 = Manchester United |caps6 = 8 |goals6 = 0
| years7 = 1975 |clubs7 = → Millwall (loan) |caps7 = 3 |goals7 = 0
| years8 = 1976–1977 |clubs8 = Dorchester Town |caps8 = 17 |goals8 = 7
| years9 = 1976–1978 |clubs9 = Los Angeles Aztecs |caps9 = 69 |goals9 = 15
| years10 = 1978 |clubs10 = Tulsa Roughnecks |caps10 = 4 |goals10 = 0
| years11 = 1979 |clubs11 = Seattle Sounders |caps11 = 22 |goals11 = 1
| totalcaps = 661 |totalgoals = 299
| nationalyears1 = 1964–1974 |nationalteam1 = Wales |nationalcaps1 = 29 |nationalgoals1 = 9
}}
Ronald Tudor Davies (25 May 1942 – 24 May 2013) was a Welsh footballer, who played as a centre forward. He spent most of his career with Southampton in the Football League First Division, and also for the Welsh national team.
Born in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, he went to the same school as the Spurs defender Mike England, whom he played alongside in internationals for Wales. He was known as a header of the ball and was the top goal scorer in Division 1 for two seasons (1966–1968). In his first season at Southampton, he scored 12 goals across 10 consecutive league games.
His younger brother Paul was an Arsenal youth player, who went on to play for Charlton Athletic.
Early career
After an unsuccessful trial with Blackburn Rovers, Davies signed his first professional contract in July 1959 with Chester. There he was made to hurdle wearing army boots – training, he later claimed, which gave him his strength when jumping for crosses.
He made his debut in a 5–0 defeat to Workington in March 1960, and the following two seasons would see the club finish bottom of the Football League. However, Davies had a strong strike rate and was a regular in the team. Following a rare spell out of favour that saw him placed on the transfer list, his reply was to score four goals in a 6–1 win against Southport in October 1962.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} Port Vale manager Norman Low offered £7,000 plus Terry Miles for Davies, but the deal fell through after the Vale directors vetoed the move.{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Tales: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories|publisher=Witan Books|date=December 1991|page=171|isbn=0-9508981-6-3}} He went instead to Luton Town for a fee of £12,200 and, when they were relegated, he moved on again to Norwich City.{{cite web |url=http://www.chester-city.co.uk/what_happened_to_Ron_Davies.asp |title=Ron Davies |publisher=Chester City F.C. |access-date=30 May 2013}}
Norwich City
His transfer to Norwich in September 1963 involved a fee of £35,000. He averaged more than a goal every other game for Norwich, starting with a goal in each of his first four matches. He went on to score 30 goals that season in a side who finished 17th in the English Football League, Division Two. In the next two seasons he scored 15 and 21 before being sold to Southampton for £55,000.
He made his international debut at the age of 21 for Wales on 15 April 1964 in a 3–2 defeat against Northern Ireland.
Southampton
Ted Bates had spent a then club record £55,000 for Davies as the club prepared to face their inaugural season in the top division. Already an established Welsh international, Davies scored 12 goals in 10 consecutive League games, and ended that season having scored 37 goals in 41 games, more than any other player in the division. The club retained their place in the division. The first of his 134 League goals for Southampton was on 27 August 1966 at Bloomfield Road, as his club beat hosts Blackpool 3–2.{{cite book|last=Gillatt|first=Peter|title=Blackpool FC On This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year |publisher=Pitch Publishing Ltd|date=30 November 2009|isbn=978-1-905411-50-4}} In front of a crowd of 15,258, he lobbed Tony Waiters. "The 'keeper came off his line – way out of the box. I was 35 yards out and I couldn't believe it. I just knocked it over his head."
He was joint top goalscorer in the division in the following season, 1967–68, along with George Best. On 16 August 1969, he scored four goals, all headers, in a match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, after which Matt Busby said that Davies had no peer in Europe.
By the 1970s, many clubs had learned how to cope with Davies' aerial power, and he was often neutralised by defenders playing the man rather than the ball. A series of injuries reduced his effectiveness, and his scoring was reduced. By 1973, he was unable to retain a regular place in the first team.
Later career
He left Southampton for Portsmouth in April 1973, and scored 18 goals for them in 59 games. Manchester United then signed him in November 1974 but his playing opportunities were limited. He left for Millwall a year later after making eight appearances for United, all of them from the substitute's bench. He appeared three times for Millwall.
His final international appearance was on 11 May 1974 in a 2–0 defeat against England, bringing his total number of caps to 29, with 9 goals scored.
Davies returned to Southampton to live, but then moved to Los Angeles to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs alongside George Best. When the 1976 North American Soccer League season ended, Davies returned to the UK for the winter and had a five-month spell (October 1976 to February 1977) playing in the Southern League for Dorchester Town. He then had two further seasons with the Aztecs with a modest scoring record before moving on to the Tulsa Roughnecks in 1978 and the Seattle Sounders in 1979. He also coached at local schools in LA and Florida.
Davies subsequently moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he lived in a motor-home and worked in the construction industry. He lost touch with many of his former playing colleagues. Contact was re-established in 2006 when there were discussions of an appeal for support to enable him to have a hip replacement. He said that his hip had been damaged due to the wear and tear of his playing days and that he could not afford the necessary surgery and would soon have to stop working.{{cite news |title=Please help Saints legend Ron Davies |date=6 October 2006 |newspaper=Southern Daily Echo |url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/display.var.956010.0.please_help_saints_legend_ron_davies.php |access-date=30 May 2013}} The appeal organised on his behalf by fans of Southampton was successful, enabling him to have two hip replacements and providing a surplus for his general use. However, following the death of his American partner, Chris, in 2009 he once again became reclusive.
Davies' caricatures of his teammates often featured in the local press.{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Glanville |title=Ron Davies obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/30/ron-davies-obituary |work=The Guardian|date=25 May 2013 |access-date=31 May 2013 }}
Death
Davies died in Albuquerque on 24 May 2013.{{cite web |first1=David |last1=Bull |first2=Duncan |last2=Holley |title=Ron Davies: An Appreciation |url=http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/ron-davies-an-appreciation-840269.aspx |publisher=Southampton FC |access-date=29 May 2013 |date=29 May 2013 |archive-date=9 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609031745/http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/ron-davies-an-appreciation-840269.aspx |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=Ron Davies: Southampton mourn death of club legend aged 71 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22706791 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=29 May 2013 |date=29 May 2013 }}
Career statistics
=Club=
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition{{cite web |title=Ron Davies » Club matches |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/ron-davies/2/|website=worldfootball.net |access-date=5 May 2023}}{{NFT|35515}} | ||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|Cup !colspan=2|Europe !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan=5|Chester City
|8 | 1 | colspan=2|— | 8 | 1 | ||||
| 1960–61
|Fourth Division |39 | 23 | colspan=2|— | 39 | 23 | ||||
| 1961–62
|Fourth Division |38 | 14 | colspan=2|— | 38 | 14 | ||||
| 1962–63
|Fourth Division |9 | 7 | colspan=2|— | 9 | 7 | ||||
| colspan="2"|Total
!94||45||||||colspan=2|—||94||45 | ||||||||
| rowspan=3|Luton Town
|29 | 21 | colspan=2|— | 29 | 21 | ||||
| 1963–64
|3 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 3 | 0 | ||||
| colspan="2"|Total
!32||21||||||colspan=2|—||32||21 | ||||||||
| rowspan=4|Norwich City
|Second Division |38 | 26 | colspan=2|— | 38 | 26 | ||||
| 1964–65
|Second Division |35 | 14 | colspan=2|— | 35 | 14 | ||||
| 1965–66
|Second Division |40 | 18 | colspan=2|— | 40 | 18 | ||||
| colspan="2"|Total
!113||58||||||colspan=2|—||113||58 | ||||||||
| rowspan=8|Southampton
|41 | 37 | colspan=2|— | 41 | 37 | ||||
| 1967–68
|First Division |40 | 28 | colspan=2|— | 40 | 28 | ||||
| 1968–69
|First Division |38 | 20 | colspan=2|— | 38 | 20 | ||||
| 1969–70
|First Division |29 | 12 | 6{{efn|Appearances in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup}} | 4 | 35 | 16 | |||
| 1970–71
|First Division |40 | 17 | colspan=2|— | 40 | 17 | ||||
| 1971–72
|First Division |27 | 11 | 2{{efn|Appearances in UEFA Cup}} | 0 | 29 | 11 | |||
| 1972–73
|First Division |25 | 9 | colspan=2|— | 25 | 9 | ||||
| colspan="2"|Total
!240||134||||||8||4||248||138 | ||||||||
| rowspan=3|Portsmouth
|Second Division |42 | 13 | colspan=2|— | 42 | 13 | ||||
| 1974–75
|Second Division |17 | 5 | colspan=2|— | 17 | 5 | ||||
| colspan="2"|Total
!59||18||||||colspan=2|—||59||18 | ||||||||
| Manchester United
|Second Division |8 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Millwall (loan)
|Third Division |3 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 3 | 0 | ||||
| rowspan=4|Los Angeles Aztecs
|1976 |NASL |24 | 6 | colspan=2|— | 24 | 6 | ||||
| 1977
|NASL |25 | 6 | colspan=2|— | 25 | 6 | ||||
| 1978
|NASL |20 | 3 | colspan=2|— | 20 | 3 | ||||
| colspan="2"|Total
!69||15||||||colspan=2|—||69||15 | ||||||||
| Dorchester Town
|17 | 7 | colspan=2|— | 17 | 7 | ||||
| Tulsa Roughnecks
|1978 |NASL |4 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Seattle Sounders
|1979 |NASL |22 | 1 | colspan=2|— | 22 | 1 | ||||
| colspan=3|Career total
!661||299||||||8||4||669||303 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite book |first1=Duncan |last1=Holley |first2=Gary |last2=Chalk |title=In That Number - A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC |publisher=Hagiology Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=0-9534474-3-X }}
- {{cite book |first=Jeremy |last=Wilson |title=Southampton's Cult Heroes |publisher=Know The Score Books |year=2006 |isbn=1-905449-01-1 }}
External links
- [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_international.asp?HeroID=3392 Wales international career at Sporting Heroes]
- [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=555 Southampton career at Sporting Heroes]
- [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10125674/Ron-Davies.html Daily Telegraph obituary]
- [https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/30/ron-davies-obituary Guardian obituary]
- [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ron-davies-prolific-southampton-striker-hailed-by-matt-busby-as-the-best-centre-forward-in-europe-8638550.html Obituary in The Independent]
{{English First Division/Premier League top scorers}}
{{Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Ron}}
Category:People from Holywell, Flintshire
Category:Footballers from Flintshire
Category:Welsh men's footballers
Category:Welsh expatriate men's footballers
Category:English Football League players
Category:First Division/Premier League top scorers
Category:Wales men's international footballers
Category:Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
Category:Chester City F.C. players
Category:Luton Town F.C. players
Category:Manchester United F.C. players
Category:Norwich City F.C. players
Category:Portsmouth F.C. players
Category:Southampton F.C. players
Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
Category:Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players
Category:Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players
Category:Los Angeles Aztecs players
Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States