In a week when Joey Barton has been given a free transfer in direct response to his negative postings about Newcastle and Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has again spoken about the perils of players offering their own thoughts for public consumption, Davies has outlined why he opted out of the Twitterverse. The one-time England striker had amassed almost 100,000 followers before announcing in May that he would no longer post his opinions, citing abuse received from fans as the major reason for his decision. However, there was a secondary aspect too, which became so time-consuming it was interrupting his preferred status as a quiet family man. "It is difficult to have an opinion when you are high profile," said Davies. "Seventy percent might agree with you, the other 30 per cent might not. Even if someone asks you to predict a score and you say 2-1, the fans from the other team have a go, when it is just your opinion. "I am man enough to take a bit of stick but I was constantly having to worry about what I was saying and justifying my performance or a missed chance. "Twitter is a very addictive thing. I didn't want to sit at home thinking what can I put on there. It is not the way I live. "I have a normal life. I would rather spend time with my kids and doing stuff at home rather than checking my Twitter all the time." Leeds manager Simon Grayson has already banned the use of Twitter by his players, McCarthy is clearly not a fan, whilst Newcastle are said to be reviewing their position in the wake of Barton's outbursts. "It has caused a few problems and there are one or two clubs who have banned it, but it is difficult," said Davies. "When you are away from the football club it is hard to say you can't do something." Like Bolton, who have won six pre-season matches on the trot heading into their final friendly against Levante at the Reebok Stadium tomorrow night, Davies has enjoyed an excellent summer. Now 34, the Trotters striker has found the net on four occasions and is relishing another crack at the Premier League's big boys. Whether it will lead to further England honours remains open to doubt though. Davies made his debut as a substitute against Montenegro at Wembley in October but was then overlooked for the Three Lions' remaining five matches, a situation he does not see altering any time soon. "It is not something I have thought about," he said. "For me, it is back to work for Bolton. If I get off to a decent start and score goals, you never know but I am not working hard to get into the England squad. I am working hard for Bolton Wanderers. "I got a cap, which was great, and I hoped to get some more. "I got a call after the France squad was announced in November explaining they wanted to look at other things. "I argued back and said I didn't feel I had been given a chance, coming on for 20 minutes. "It would have been nice to play in a friendly but that chance has not come around."
