Jake Davis loved his part-time, three-month coaching role with Hartford Athletic during the 2021 season, but there was also a palpable feeling of hate that he could not shake during the first few weeks of his stint.
"I’m sitting here for the first four or five weeks, and I’m like, 'This guy hates me. He is hammering me every day,'" Davis said.
That guy was Harry Watling, Hartford’s then 31-year-old English coach, who was in his first season with the club.
Davis said Watling constantly prodded him about the "little details" and gave him constant feedback. One of Watling’s favorite sayings is "feedback is the food of champions." Between the attention to detail and full plates of feedback, Davis was a more focused coach. Also, it meant that Watling did not hate Davis after all. Far from it.
