Chris Davies hails 'under-appreciated' Birmingham City star and makes stunning £1m prediction
Birmingham City boss Chris Davies thinks one player has gone particularly under the radar.
Chris Davies has made a prediction for left-back Alex Cochrane, who he believes has been vital for his consistency and adaptability to Birmingham’s new structure this season.
Davies thinks Cochrane, who has played the second most minutes out of anyone in the squad this term, is under-appreciated for his efforts. The 24-year-old has started 32 of Blues’ 36 League One matches this season, only being substituted once due to an injury concern against Barnsley back in December.
The summer could bring another intense flurry of transfer activity but Cochrane is one player who should be fairly safe in his role. Anything can happen, of course, but Davies is very confident in the former Brighton & Hove Albion man’s ability.
“He’s just got this position now that he’s nailed,” Davies told Birmingham Live. “He really understands it. Alex is probably a good example of the whole team.
“Alex is a great example in this role he’s got as left-back. Sometimes he stays, sometimes he joins in, sometimes he’s passing it more, sometimes he’s running more. He has a great understanding of when to do those things now against different types of wingers.
“I think he deserves a huge amount of credit. He will always go under the radar because he won’t score the goals or have the glamour moments, but he’s played well over 3,000 minutes already.”
Cochrane signed from Hearts for around £1 million last summer and hasn’t looked back, building on the promise he showed in the youth ranks at Brighton several years ago. The left-back was a reliable fixture in the Scottish Premiership for three seasons and has since taken to League One like a duck to water.
Competition hasn’t been fierce for Cochrane as Lee Buchanan has been injured for much of the season and new signing Lee Myung-jae is only just getting up to speed. But even then, it’s not easy to maintain such high levels throughout a hectic fixture schedule, especially when it has been two games per week since the turn of the year.
Chris Davies makes Alex Cochrane prediction
In total, Cochrane has racked up 3,730 minutes of action across all competitions, just 86 fewer than Christoph Klarer who leads in that department. Davies, complimentary about Cochrane’s individual attributes, has predicted the defender will become a fans’ favourite before he eventually leaves Blues.
“He very rarely gets beaten one-v-one, he’s a very good passer, but to last the games he has done is exceptional. There aren’t many who could just go game after game after game,” Davies added.
“At Hearts he inverted into midfield at certain times and I think with the profile of him, he was joining in when he could, but he was really good at serving and passing the ball. He deserves a lot of credit. By the time he leaves this club he will be a real fans’ favourite and one they will be very fond of.”
In other news, one Birmingham player is walking a disciplinary tightrope.