Paul Davis on winning in London and a NLD debut | Interview | News

For both Arsenal and Chelsea, the contest between the sides at the start of March was the ninth London derby of the Premier League. By the end of the campaign, both the Gunners and the Blues will have taken part in 12 capital clashes each in the division.

With the intensity of those derby matches well known, it raises the question: is it harder for London teams to achieve their objectives in the Premier League than those from outside the capital?

“I do think that’s the case,” says Paul Davis, who was born in Dulwich on December 9, 1961 and played the first of his 447 competitive matches for Arsenal between 1980 and 1995 in a north London derby against Spurs on April 7, 1980.

“Our main derby is obviously against Tottenham but Arsenal-Chelsea has grown to be a hugely significant derby in recent decades. And then, you look at the league this season, and you’ve also got matches against Brentford, Crystal Palace, Fulham, West Ham.

“All London derbies, all tough games against clubs that really want to beat you. So, with that in mind, I do think it’s tougher to win the league as a London-based team or, in Chelsea’s case this season, tougher to get into the Champions League.”

Well-versed in the London football scene, Davis watched Chelsea matches at Stamford Bridge as a youngster, where his friend’s father owned season tickets.

The midfielder trained with Fulham as an 11-year-old before he was spotted by Arsenal scout Ernie Collett representing South London Schoolboys in 1974, thus starting his 21-year association with the Gunners firstly as a trainee, then as an apprentice before signing a senior contract in 1979.

In his last season as a professional, Davis made eight appearances for Brentford in 1995/96.

Firstly, Paul, is it fair to say it was something of a dream come true for you to start training with Arsenal as a 13-year-old?

Very much so. I was an Arsenal fan from 1971. I remember watching Charlie George scoring the winning goal for Arsenal in the FA Cup final against Liverpool.

So, you can imagine what it meant to me to be approached by an Arsenal scout and eventually, start training with the club.

What were those early years like for you at Arsenal?

I would train at Arsenal on a Monday and Thursday evening. I’d make my way to Highbury from Stockwell after school. I’d go home after briefly, get my kit ready and I’d jump on the Tube up there.

I’d go Stockwell to King’s Cross, then change there and get on the Piccadilly Line to Arsenal. We had to be at Highbury around 6:30pm, when training started. It was a good journey, because there wasn’t much walking to and from the stations for me.

I used to do the journey on my own because my parents were both working. I did that from the age of 13, two days a week for about 18 months. As well as training, we played matches during the school holidays. The coaches were assessing you and trying to improve your game.

After signing my apprenticeship, I later found out each of the coaches had a vote to decide whether or not you were offered an apprenticeship. Of the three coaches, I got two votes for and one against. So, it had been touch and go as to whether I stayed on at Arsenal. Thankfully, I was given that opportunity.

Your reserve team debut for Arsenal came in a South East Counties match against Crystal Palace in February 1978. That must have felt like a significant career milestone for you?

I can’t remember too much about playing that game against Crystal Palace, but yes, it would have certainly been a significant milestone in my Arsenal career. What I will say about reserve football back then is that it was very competitive.

We’d play matches at the club’s main stadium so, we’d play at Highbury, we’d play at Selhurst Park, at Upton Park and so on. That was a big thing to get a taste of what first team football could be like. It drove you on to want to get there.

And your first-team debut came, in all fixtures, against Tottenham Hotspur in a north London derby in April, 1980!

That’s right. It was an amazing day for me. In the few days leading up to the game, there were rumours that Terry Neill was going to put a few youngsters into the team. It was the season where we did well in the cups, getting to the final of the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

But at that point in the season, there wasn’t any chance of us winning the league, so I guess the manager saw it as a good opportunity to rest some of the players ahead of big matches in Europe and the FA Cup.

I can remember the day quite clearly, the meeting at Southgate Golf Club. We’d meet there before home games for breakfast or a pre-match meal and we were able to do the same for this game, with it being at White Hart Lane. The manager would then take us into a room, tell us who was playing and discuss tactics. That’s when I knew I’d be playing. It was an amazing feeling hearing my name read out.

We had a number of team changes and we had a “weakened team” so to speak, whereas Spurs had a strong team with their regular starters. I was up against one of the best players in the country at that time, Glenn Hoddle.

Fortunately, things went well for us and for me. We won the game 2-1. I was happy with the way I played, as was the manager. It’s probably my most treasured memory as a footballer looking back, making my first-team debut for Arsenal.

I had some good experiences playing against Spurs during my career. We didn’t lose that many matches against Tottenham when I was playing for Arsenal and we also had some good results against them.

For someone who used to go and watch Chelsea matches as a youngster, it must be incredible for you to have seen the rise of Chelsea Football Club over the last three decades or so?

Chelsea are obviously one of the biggest clubs in Europe now. When I was growing up, Chelsea always had good players, players like Peter Osgood and Ron “Chopper” Harris. But they weren’t the size of club they are now. You’d always be talking about Arsenal and Tottenham as the two biggest clubs in London.

Chelsea have come on leaps and bounds since I stopped playing. They have had ownerships with the sort of money that has enabled them to take things on to another level and we’ve seen all the trophies they’ve won. The stadium shows how much Chelsea has changed as a club.

I remember Stamford Bridge being a bit run down when I used to go there with my friend and his dad to watch matches, and it had the dog track around the ground. It would take ages to get the ball back because there was the huge gap between the pitch and the stands and the ball would carry on rolling!

In August 1984, you played for Arsenal against Chelsea in what was the Blues’ first top flight fixture in five years. Any memories of that one?

I vaguely remember that one. I think Kerry Dixon was playing for them (and equalised in a 1-1 draw – with Paul Mariner getting Arsenal’s opening goal).

Chelsea always had a decent team, with the kind of players I mentioned earlier and then I remember players like Kerry Dixon and Paul Canoville from my era of playing. I got to know Paul during my career and I still keep in touch with him.

Turning our attentions to the Carabao Cup final, which takes place later this month. How special was it for you to win the League Cup twice during your time at Arsenal?

They were great experiences. The second League Cup success came in 1992/93 – the season we won the two cups in the same season, which was an amazing thing for us to achieve.

We had a team then that had a lot of homegrown players. We were a tight-knit group with a real good understanding. George Graham had been at the club for a while by then and he knew how to get the best out of us.

Winning the two domestic trophies in one season had never been done before and I think it has only been done once since (by Liverpool in 2001, although Manchester City also won them as part of their domestic treble in 2019). We celebrated at the time but it’s when you look back now and really appreciate what an achievement it was and how much it meant to us and to the fans.

I still have fans coming up to me, wanting to talk about the cup successes of 1993. That 1993 final against Sheffield Wednesday was a slightly strange day too. We were all celebrating and then suddenly Steve Morrow was on the floor and in a lot of pain with the medics around him. I didn’t see the incident where he’d fallen from Tony Adams’ grasp.

It was such a shame to see a team-mate in that situation and ultimately, our match winner leave the stadium in an ambulance and not be able to collect his medal on the day. I remember being in the changing room after coming in and everyone asking what had happened to Steve, what he’d done.

How do you think Arsenal will get on in this year’s final?

It occurred to me the other day that Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since when we won it back in 1993. It would be great to see us win it again. I think we have a really good chance of winning the trophy. We know what a good team Manchester City are but Mikel has got this squad of players performing so well.

I obviously don’t know the two teams that will be playing on the day, but all things being equal, I think Arsenal have a good chance of doing it. I like the characteristics I see in this Arsenal team.