Martin Hunter, who coached Jimmy at international level for the past three years was devastated by the news: "Jimmy was one of the most popular boys in the England youth setup," he said.

"The last game he played for me was in the Toulon tournament last year when he scored a goal against Portugal, dribbling all the way from from the halfway line in the very last minute. That was the last time I saw him.

"His death is an absolute tragedy.

"Jimmy will be sorely missed. He's been with us right from the Under-16s through to the Under-20s and obviously we'd hoped his progression would have continued.

"Credit should go to his parents and club for bringing up such a well liked and admired boy.

"It really is a huge loss. Jimmy wore the England shirt with such pride.

"He will be sorely missed by everyone who ever came into contact with him.

"Jimmy was a very family-orientated boy and our thoughts are with his relatives at this time."

There will be a period of silence directly before the kick-off of today's FA Community Shield.

Both teams will wear black armbands.
 

Football fans have sent in their tributes to popular Jimmy Davis, who sadly died on Saturday morning. Here are just a handful of the many message we have received from United supporters, Swindon Town supporters and old school friends, deeply devastated at the loss of a bubbly young character and talented footballer...

From: Ember
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 12:50
I can't believe such a superb person has been taken away from us. Jimmy had a heart of gold and was a pure diamond geezer. I had so many laughs with him - usually at my expense when drunk! My brothers Clint and Adam, who went to school with Jimmy, and myself are all deeply saddened by this. He will be very much missed and never forgotten.

From: Paul Wright, K Stand Red
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 12:43
I had the pleasure of knowing Jimmy as a personal friend, and as Sir Alex said, you could not wish to meet a nicer lad. A tragic loss. R.I.P. Jim, see you again someday.

From: Allan Hussey
Sent: Sun 10/08/2003 18:56
After hearing the tragic news of Jimmy's death, I felt I couldn't let it pass without paying my respects to such a young talented player. I am a Swindon Town supporter and Jimmy's three-month spell with us last season brought enjoyment to what was a dull season for us. His talent and rapport with our fans was amazing and worth the admission money alone. When he finished his last game for us he went off to a standing ovation and threw his boots into the crowd. Jimmy was fighting back the tears, and I'm sure many Swindon fans are doing the same now. My deepest condolences to all his family, friends and everyone at Manchester United. It's a shame so few people knew he was a star in the making. God bless you, Jimmy. Thank you for all the enjoyment you gave us.

From: Robert Langley
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 13:55
I was very sorry to hear the news at the weekend. Love to his family and girlfriend at this very difficult time. I was really looking forward to seeing him play at Watford - it is a dear loss to Watford and United.

From: Adrian, Altrincham
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 13:43
It was so sad to hear about Jimmy's death. I used to watch him quite often at Altrincham for the reserves, and thought he was a very good player. For his partner, family and friends my sincere condolences. After hearing about his character it seems even more of a tragic loss and shame. For those who knew him I am sure they'll meet again sometime. Jimmy has just passed into another world where he will no doubt be watching those he loved.

From: Carl Warburton, Sale
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 13:30
Having watched Jimmy many times on MUTV, he certainly looked promising. His work-rate and commitment were an example to others. What a tragic loss he is to United and most of all his family and friends. Sincere condolences to all who knew Jimmy. RIP
 

From: V. Clarke
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 13:27
There are few words that can be used at a time like this. My thoughts are with Jimmy's family and friends.

From: A. Richards
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 13:11
I'd like to send my tribute to Jimmy Davis. His spirit is still alive in other people.

From: Jemma
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 13:10
I am a Manchester United fan from Scotland and I was very shocked and devastated when I found out about Jimmy. He was such a good player and it's a real shame to lose someone so young and talented. He had so much going for him, that's why he went to Watford to boost his fitness and gain experience. I think he would have been a star. It's a sad loss. The Community Shield victory should be dedicated to our Jimmy. My thoughts are with his family. R.I.P Jimmy x

From: Uth, Uganda
Sent: Mon 11/08/2003 13:03
Though i didn't know much about Jimmy, I knew he was an up-and-coming youth striker. It's a great tragedy to lose such a lad - he'll be greatly missed. Condolences to his family. I wish them all the best.

From: Liz, Somerset
Sent: Sun 10/08/2003 21:11
I would just like to say how sorry I am to hear about the death of Jimmy Davis. I saw him play a lot in the reserves last season and he was a great player. My thoughts are with his family and friends. He will be a big loss to the club and it is a great shame that his life has been cut so short.

From: Amy, Worcester
Sent: Sun 10/08/2003 10:29
It is days like Saturday which put football in perspective when a young life is taken away as cruelly as Jimmy Davis'. I have the honour of saying that I saw him play and he was a real talent and it is a shame that he cannot further that. God Bless Jimmy xx

From: Alice
Sent: Sun 10/08/2003 01:11
I'm a Swindon Town fan, and I think in this message I represent the views of every single STFC follower. The tragic news filtered through whilst we were all in the County Ground Hotel ready for our game with Sheffield Wednesday. This young boy came to us on loan last year and lit our season up. Supremely talented, his last game for us - at home to Tranmere - his face was a picture when he was given a standing ovation and cheered off the pitch. It speaks volumes that he took the time to give an interview for our local paper, the Advertiser, to apoldgise to us for going to Watford instead of coming to us! As if we could blame him. It was our first game on Saturday, and obviously in our division a club like Sheffield Wednesday is like a cup final. That didn't matter today, Jimmy Davis' name was sang loud and proud all afternoon. Our lads were visibly gutted, he made many friends during his time at Swindon. I just wanted to let your lads know that we appreciate the loss of not just a potentially brilliant footballer, but an obviously bubbly, lovable young man. What a waste. God Bless Jimmy Davis.

ManUtd.com would like to thank all those who sent tributes in response to the tragic loss of Jimmy Davis.

Published by Ben Hibbs.

Gone but not forgotten:
Jimmy Davis
 
Position: Right midfielder
From: Manchester United - on loan - July 2003

Position: Right midfielder
From: Manchester United - on loan - July 2003
This is about so much more than football, of course. For all that the game we follow must've played a massive role in Jimmy Davis' twenty-one years, the loss of a footballer is merely a part of an altogether greater and more devastating loss. A reminder for us, perhaps, that players are human beings, and as fragile as everyone else. That we have no right to claim ownership of them.
So, what am I doing here? Because I cannot imagine the grief of those to whom Jimmy Davis was more than a Watford player for five short weeks. And even if I could, I wouldn't want to insult them by attempting to find words on their behalf. All I can do, for what it's worth, is to describe this particular, terribly small part of that greater loss. And to be aware that terribly small is all that it is.
For those of us who have experienced the tragedy from this particular perspective, its timing seems especially shocking. It goes without saying that there could never, ever be a good time...but all the same, it just seems extraordinarily, unbelievably and unbearably cruel.
The first day of a new season is a special moment for everyone involved in football, even more so than the much-heralded Third Round and Final of the FA Cup. It's a time when everyone - players, managers, fans, pundits, reporters - is looking forward, perhaps with a sense of nervous anticipation but always with optimism, no matter how ill-founded that might ultimately prove to be. We'll never learn because we don't want to learn, and whether the previous campaign finished with promotion, relegation or stagnation, the following August will bring the same eager excitement. It'll always be so.
On Saturday 9th August 2003, Watford were to begin with a home fixture against Coventry City. All the usual feelings, of course, but a few unfamiliar ones too. For this had been a particularly positive summer, culminating in a sense of detachment from a baggage-laden recent past, a freedom to succeed or fail on our own merits rather than those of previous regimes. A new beginning, a fresh start. When the news filtered through that Jimmy Davis, who'd joined on loan from Manchester United for the season, had been killed in a car crash earlier in the day, it felt as if the ground had just disappeared from underneath our feet.
I doubt if I'll ever be able to forget that day. Walking through the High Street, it felt as if the world had suddenly been divided into two sets of people - those who were enjoying a leisurely stroll around the shops in the fierce sunshine of one of the hottest days on record, and those who were stumbling around in an absolute daze, numb and confused and broken. The contrast seemed utterly unreal, almost surreal. Sadly, it was neither. It was all too true.
Of course, the grief of the supporters pales into insignificance in comparison to those who knew and loved Jimmy Davis personally. The vast majority of Watford fans had not even seen him play, after all. First and foremost, our hearts went - and continue to go - out to his family, his girlfriend, his friends, his manager and teammates at both clubs. Yet relative insignificance does not mean that those personal feelings weren't acute, heartfelt, genuine.
Because Jimmy Davis' future, in the short-term at least, was very much a part of our shared future, of Watford Football Club's future. Of the thing that we invest so much time, money and love in.
Even if you'd yet to see him on a football pitch, you would've had plenty of advance notice that he was a little bit special. For a start, following the success of Danny Webber's second spell, we were pretty much allowed to take our pick from the youngsters at Old Trafford for a season-long loan...and you don't get rubbish by doing that. Although his appearances were curtailed by a groin injury, pre-season reports provided plenty of confirmation:
"Davis looks to be a treat indeed, scurrying this way and that on tiny, frantic legs, plenty of pace, plenty of tricks... but a healthy dose of grit in the mix too, as he revealed when holding off a robust challenge on the halfway line. His was the first breakthrough... Ardley played a fine ball through, and Davis scampered onto it, left the keeper on his backside and flicked the ball into an empty net. It will certainly be no hardship to see more of him."
- Matt Rowson, Aldershot Town v Watford report
But it was more than that. It was abundantly clear that he had already become much more than just a temporary addition to the squad, someone passing through. As he discussed the coming season in the week before its kickoff, you could sense the paternal twinkle in Ray Lewington's eye as he talked about "little Jim", about how "he is an infectious little character and the crowd will grow to like him". You could feel the manager's eagerness to introduce this lively, sparky youngster...and you could share that eagerness, mixing it in with all the excitement of the new campaign.
And then, of course, there's the story that emerged later, behind the choice of "Gangsta's Paradise" as the team's intro music for the season. Of the tradition that dictates that all new arrivals must sing to the assembled management and players for two minutes at their first away match. Of his word-perfect performance, continuing even when the required time had passed and even when Terry Byrne had picked him up, slung him over his shoulder, and carried him away. A wonderful image. No wonder he was already much loved.
And no wonder the loss felt so tangible, so personal. So firmly connected with our own lives. Most of us are unable, and unwilling, to maintain a healthy distance between our day-to-day existence and that of our football club. Perhaps we can only feel the echoes of the pain that those closest to Jimmy Davis must be experiencing right now, but those echoes are painful enough.
Tragically, the memories that he was able to give us exist mainly in the imagination. But for anyone who'd looked forward to experiencing those moments-to-remember, who felt the ground disappear from underneath them when the news broke, who left flowers and messages outside the stadium, who felt spine-shivers during the silence before the Bournemouth game, or who reacted in any number of different ways, those daydream memories will stay forever.
Rest in peace, Jimmy. Or if you prefer, entertain everyone else up there with a song or two....
Ian Grant

 

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