as Derby found themselves in the top four for the majority of the opening 12 games of the season. Davies was displaying his best form in his three years at Derby before an innocuous-looking clash of heads in the 1–1 home draw with league leaders Southampton left Davies ruled out for 12 weeks after it left him with 10 metal plates in his skull. The injury meant that Davies had had six operations in his three years at Pride Park, following treatment for a fractured eye-socket and cheekbone, cruciate ligament damage in his knee, an ankle problem, a broken foot, hamstring, groin and hernia problems, and an infected big toe. It meant Davies had played a role in just 78 of Derby's 169 games (46%) on 21 October 2011 during his time at the club, despite being considered a first-team player by most commentators.