Martin Skrtel

[AngryRam]

Good though he undoubtedly is, why would older, less mobile and more injury prone Davies be ‘more a Cocu type player’ than Keogh?

Better footballer? Better positional sense? We are going to play zonal?

[Manofpride]

Keogh is a shoo in and rightly so, if he is to be replaced it will need to be someone special.

[MadAmster]

Koegh should indeed be a shoe in.

[mistaram]

Would this mean Keogh losing his place? I would guess that Curtis is more a Cocu type player.
Totally agree about 3 30+ CBs. Madness.

No Cocu plays a pos session game Curtis great defender but can't pass water

[AngryRam]

No Cocu plays a pos session game Curtis great defender but can't pass water

Agreed Keogh is a better passer of the ball but Davies is better in other areas. Awareness, reads the game better, positional..
Will depend on what Cocu wants and sees in training.. I can’t see Skirtel as a playing option anyway..

I will bow to your better knowledge of Cocu’s style.. Do you think he will play zonal defending? Are his options suited to that?

[MadAmster]

Agreed Keogh is a better passer of the ball but Davies is better in other areas. Awareness, reads the game better, positional..
Will depend on what Cocu wants and sees in training.. I can’t see Skirtel as a playing option anyway..

I will bow to your better knowledge of Cocu’s style.. Do you think he will play zonal defending? Are his options suited to that?

It's not impossible that he might go the Dutch back 4 way where a lot of clubs, and the national side, play with a diamond back 4.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Don't you mean back 5? You forgot to add the GK! 😋😋

[Manofpride]

I think Martin Skrtel would be a brilliant signing, I'd only give a one year contract though and see how it goes. Would be great if we're aiming for top 6 again!

[AdiSalisbury]

I think Martin Skrtel would be a brilliant signing, I'd only give a one year contract though and see how it goes. Would be great if we're aiming for top 6 again!

Agree, nothing wrong with a short term offer

[MadAmster]

IMO we need a new centre half and not one in his 30s. Keogh should be a shoe in for one spot. I don't think Davies will be the other. One reason is he's not a ball player and that is one of the things Cocu likes his defenders to be. Another is, I don't think he will be back to his best until 3/4 of the way through the season at best. Just like Fozzy wasn't last time and like Hughes and Bryson took a season to get back to their best. Davis is a very good defender but, like Forsyth, won't be ready for a while yet.

With Malone and Lowe, we are OK at left back for options, especially if Lowe has learnt not to dive in so quickly and so early.

At CH we have Lee Buchanan who was on the edge of the squad last season despite being just 18. He is a ball player, that fits the Cocu way. There will be those who say he is only 1.75m (5' 9" in old money) and is too small but the Dutch have had a lot of successful central defenders down the years who weren't 6' 6" man mountains. Will Lee fit the Cocu bill? We shall have to wait and see.