5'10"  12st.2lb.
b. Stirling 25 June 1976
 

Debut 13 April 1998 (21y 292d) Final Game 24 April 2000 (23y 303d)
First Goal 3 October 1998
CAREER: Dunblane High School;St Johnstone[42+2-4];Heriot-Watt University;Blackburn Rovers Feb'98 (£1,750,000);Leicester City Jul'00 (£1,700,000)[90+11-2]; Preston North End Jul'04-Mar’11 (free)[153+13-21]; St Johnstone Jul’11 (free)[45+1-1].
INTERNATIONALS Scotland  16 + 3 apps
’99 v Lit(s),Est,Far,Cze,Ger,Far,Cze.’00 v Est,Bos,Lit,Eng,Fra.’01 v Lat,Pol.’02 v Lat.’03 v Ice(s),Can(s).’10 v Nor,Svn.
HONOURS Sc 2 Div Ch (St Johnstone) ’97.
SQUAD NUMBER  2 Feb’98 - 3 Aug’98.
 

PL/FL  63 + 2 apps  1 gl   - 4 wdn                                                 11 ns
FAC      6 apps
FLC       4 + 1 apps                                                                            1 ns
UEFA   1 + 1 apps                                                                             1 ns
Total  74  + 4 apps  1 gl     - 4 wdn   +79m -140m et 60m        13 ns
 

The son of a merchant  seaman  Davidson  was born in Stirling but grew up in a village outside Perth. His footballing progress was  limited by his involvement with other sports (he had a golf handicap of two and played for Scotland's boys' team and represented his area at squash) and his part time civil engineering studies at Edinburgh University. St Johnstone  nursed him carefully into first team football and after receiving under 21 caps several  clubs began to watch him. A speedy player, who tackled fiercely and had confidence on the ball.,his early Ewood career was punctuated by injuries and changes of management affected his confidence. A new career with struggling Leicester was not ideal  to rediscover his abilities  but in the First Division he prospered and became an integral part of the team. Unhappily his stay at the club attracted adverse publicity  from the blow to his face, in an off-field incident, that led to the dismissal of Dennis Wise  by the club's management. Craig Brown, his old international manager, recruited him for Preston, where he played well  despite suffering from recurring hamstring problems, and he even regained his place in the Scotland squad. In June 2013 he was appointed assistant manager of St Johnstone and in his first season  the club won the Scottish Cup. He remained with the club until 2018 when he joined Gary Rowett's staff at Stoke City. When at school he was a member of the side  coached by Judy Murray that won the Scottish Schools’ tennis championship.