CURTIS Davies has been tipped to bury the memory of a turbulent beginning to his Blues career.

The centre-half should be encouraged by his final-day performance at Spurs and build on it next season.

His best pal, former Blues favourite Darren Carter, said that type of display was the real Curtis Davies.

“I thought he was Blues’ man-of-the-match, it was everything he’s about,” said Carter, the 2002 play-off final hero.

“Curtis always knew it was going to be difficult joining Blues from Villa in January.

“It’s a big thing to do and he was up for the challenge.

“The other thing was that he was coming into a team where Roger Johnson and Scott Dann had done so well at the back.

“Everyone had raved about them and quite rightly.

“So there was a bit of pressure on Curtis right from the word go and then it didn’t help that the back four kept changing because of the injuries.

“But that game at Spurs, that was Curtis. I know him as well as anyone, as a player and a person, and he’s a strong character.

‘‘He’s a leader and Blues are going to need that next year when I think he will really show everyone.”

Davies was rebuilding his career at Leicester City on loan and looked set to sign for Sven-Goran Eriksson in a permanent deal before Blues made their pitch.

Because of Dann’s season-ending hamstring injury and also with an eye on the future, Alex McLeish felt his addition was good business.

Plus, it was never certain that Martin Jiranek would be staying after his move from Spartak Moscow – and so it proved.

Davies made an unconvincing debut against another of his former clubs, Albion, the week after Blues lifted the Carling Cup.

They lost 3-1. He then gave away a penalty in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Bolton Wanderers.