otterjohn Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Just wondered what everyone's thoughts on Alex so far.its early days but he's looked better each game to me anyway.He played really well on Sunday and could be a worthwhile addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gedster Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Think he's very good defensively but in wide areas needs to stop putting the ball backwards 90% of the time. More creativity needed but very positive so far for a youngster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
been here before Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Seemed keen enough to get forward, vocal on the pitch but I thought he was a bit hit and miss on Sunday. But then so was everyone else. Early days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Reynolds Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 He's fine. Looks solid enough and will probably have a decent, if uneventful, season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stendelnator Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Boring player whose first instinct is to play a safe pass. Good defender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruyff Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Looks alright but it's too early to say. I'd imagine Kingsley is first choice once we sort Centerhalf out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Jambo Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Defensively he is what I'd expect. Fairly athletic and makes some good challenges, but also a bit positionally suspect. In the first half he got a great last ditch block in to divert the ball over the bar, but only because he was out of position and had lost his man when the cross came in. My bigger concern is going forward. He doesn't seem to have a natural attacking instinct. He receives the ball out wide and his immediate inclination is to play it straight back to the central defender he was receiving it from. In the first half, when Kingsley had the ball, Cochrane generally needed to be 10 to 15 yards further up the line to stretch ICT. When he did get the ball with space ahead of him he didn't seem to have the confidence to carry the ball forward into it. He also seems pretty quiet and doesn't demand the ball when he is the best option. Hopefully some of that is down to a lack of confidence and will come with more game time. To be fair he wasn't helped by Kingsley who didn't seem to have a natural awareness of when Cochrane was in space and inclination to quickly move the ball out to him. If he was a Hearts youngster, I'd be happy with how he has shown up so far and looking forward to seeing him develop. If I'm honest, if he is going to be a first choice and we are only going to have him for a year, I expect more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTT Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 35 minutes ago, gedster said: Think he's very good defensively but in wide areas needs to stop putting the ball backwards 90% of the time. More creativity needed but very positive so far for a youngster. IMO Michael Smith is every bit as bad for taking the safe option there. Unsure if that means they're under instruction to do that or if we just have two fullbacks who are defensively minded (rather than say, Hickey or Demi Mitchell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 38 minutes ago, Stendelnator said: Boring player whose first instinct is to play a safe pass. Good defender That will be the coaching he gets since joing us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartsfc_fan Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 I like him. Not the finished article but defensively decent. Made a great block to preserve Gordon's clean sheet record. Bit of work needed going forward but done fine so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackOfTheNet Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Got some decent attributes but still early to say. Although doesn’t look like a youngster, like some players of a similar age. One thing that I noticed though was he had a great last ditch block that Gordon thanked him for, it was indeed a great block, but his positional sense meant that he lost his man in the first place. So that’s not ideal. But at least if he does make errors he’s quick to rectify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointon Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Looks solid against shite teams his test is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnthomas Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 1 minute ago, pointon said: Looks solid against shite teams his test is coming Indeed but is he vocal or is he quiet ? Seems to be some disagreement on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregzy2k7 Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Haven't watched many games but from what I have heard and seen on the highlights he seems to be pretty solid tbf, I said before I just have a gut feeling he will surprise a few and be one of our best signings this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tian447 Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 3 hours ago, Stendelnator said: Boring player whose first instinct is to play a safe pass. Good defender 4 replies before the negative shite begins. Good going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaps Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Some folk really do hate being positive on here. Made an incredible block in the first half on Sunday that looked definitely goal bound. Looks decent so far all be it against lesser teams, we’ll see what he’s all about when the league campaign starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambof3tornado Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 7 hours ago, Stendelnator said: Boring player whose first instinct is to play a safe pass. Good defender This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spookie Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 The lad ha Been decent so far for us let's see what he's like against Premier opposition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambo Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 8 hours ago, been here before said: Seemed keen enough to get forward, vocal on the pitch but I thought he was a bit hit and miss on Sunday. But then so was everyone else. Early days. Agreed. Though our manager thought he couldn't ask for any more from our players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stupid Sexy Flanders Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 I'd swap him and Kingsley around. Play Cochrane centre half and Kingsley LWB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleLafferty Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Chaps said: Some folk really do hate being positive on here. Made an incredible block in the first half on Sunday that looked definitely goal bound. Looks decent so far all be it against lesser teams, we’ll see what he’s all about when the league campaign starts. I’m as Positive as it comes but he lost His man in the box badly And had to recover. Other than that he’s been solid. He could be more Positive going forward but that will Come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Treasurer Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 5 hours ago, tian447 said: 4 replies before the negative shite begins. Good going. And only a couple more replies before the coaches were blamed for him not looking like the next Carlos Alberto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nookie Bear Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Can we merge this with the 404-page thread for Alex? 🙃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ainsley Harriott Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 9 hours ago, Cruyff said: Looks alright but it's too early to say. I'd imagine Kingsley is first choice once we sort Centerhalf out. You sound optimistic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRightPeg Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Technically very good. He isn’t as quick over the ground as I expected him to be. Our shape should allow him to overlap more than he does though, would like to see that more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRightPeg Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 2 hours ago, Chaps said: Some folk really do hate being positive on here. Made an incredible block in the first half on Sunday that looked definitely goal bound. Looks decent so far all be it against lesser teams, we’ll see what he’s all about when the league campaign starts. Gordon’s reaction was top class when this happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinRummy Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 An improvement on Aidy White. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr ewing Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 He'll get more confident as he plays more games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debut 4 Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, gedster said: Think he's very good defensively but in wide areas needs to stop putting the ball backwards 90% of the time. More creativity needed but very positive so far for a youngster. Noticed this but I think RN had a word a half time on Sunday and it was noticeable he started to be more positive in the 2nd half. He looks a reasonable player though. It really has become an ingrained mindset in modern players, playing safe. Of course, there’s times you just need to keep the ball but I’ll never understand players who receive the ball as they open up their body looking to move forward(while there’s clearly space in front), but turn away and knock it back? I remember when full backs(or wide players) first thought was to stand the player up coming to close them down, they had the poise and unpredictability to the leave their opponent guessing what they’d do with the ball. Edited July 27, 2021 by Debut 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigO Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 10 hours ago, Saint Jambo said: Defensively he is what I'd expect. Fairly athletic and makes some good challenges, but also a bit positionally suspect. In the first half he got a great last ditch block in to divert the ball over the bar, but only because he was out of position and had lost his man when the cross came in. My bigger concern is going forward. He doesn't seem to have a natural attacking instinct. He receives the ball out wide and his immediate inclination is to play it straight back to the central defender he was receiving it from. In the first half, when Kingsley had the ball, Cochrane generally needed to be 10 to 15 yards further up the line to stretch ICT. When he did get the ball with space ahead of him he didn't seem to have the confidence to carry the ball forward into it. He also seems pretty quiet and doesn't demand the ball when he is the best option. Hopefully some of that is down to a lack of confidence and will come with more game time. To be fair he wasn't helped by Kingsley who didn't seem to have a natural awareness of when Cochrane was in space and inclination to quickly move the ball out to him. If he was a Hearts youngster, I'd be happy with how he has shown up so far and looking forward to seeing him develop. If I'm honest, if he is going to be a first choice and we are only going to have him for a year, I expect more. This is a general worry of mine in a 343/541 type thing. Our wide guys can't be Smith AND Cochrane. Yeah u maybe get away with one WB being more defensively minded but not both. There have been games already this season where we've had 8 defensive minded players on the park. We need way more thrust and creativity. That's not a slight on Cochrane who I think has done pretty well and looks a good player to have around. Everyone banging on about CHs and strikers. To me we need a proper RWB (and CM) more than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmfc_liam06 Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Solid enough start, hopefully once he gets comfortable with his team mates and how we're looking to play he'll start being more effective going forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ribble Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Looks like a very competent left back, not so sure on him as a wing back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5jambo1 Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 1 hour ago, TheBigO said: This is a general worry of mine in a 343/541 type thing. Our wide guys can't be Smith AND Cochrane. Yeah u maybe get away with one WB being more defensively minded but not both. There have been games already this season where we've had 8 defensive minded players on the park. We need way more thrust and creativity. That's not a slight on Cochrane who I think has done pretty well and looks a good player to have around. Everyone banging on about CHs and strikers. To me we need a proper RWB (and CM) more than anything else. i have said this as well, playing a 3-4-3 has been good and suited us and I think playing someone like Cochrane and smith away at the old firm makes sense as they are both defensively minded so will offer a bit of protection. However I think, especially in home games we need wing backs who have got energy and pace to get up and down and who are attack minded as well. Cochrane has been solid, you forget how young he is which is a compliment, very calm on the ball and is always available which is good. As mentioned, I hope he can be more positive on the ball and make more forward runs as he gets more comfortable playing with us and in this league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Beni of Gorgie Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Dont think he will ever let you down, 7/10 every week player, never be an EPL player, someone who would suit our level very well I think. Really happy to have him, a stand up and be counted lad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indianajones Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Seems decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadj Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 5 hours ago, The Treasurer said: And only a couple more replies before the coaches were blamed for him not looking like the next Carlos Alberto 🤣 Been solid and done as asked so far , cant ask anymore. Doesnt tend to hit the first defender with corners either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berra than you Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 3 hours ago, Debut 4 said: Noticed this but I think RN had a word a half time on Sunday and it was noticeable he started to be more positive in the 2nd half. He looks a reasonable player though. It really has become an ingrained mindset in modern players, playing safe. Of course, there’s times you just need to keep the ball but I’ll never understand players who receive the ball as they open up their body looking to move forward(while there’s clearly space in front), but turn away and knock it back? I remember when full backs(or wide players) first thought was to stand the player up coming to close them down, they had the poise and unpredictability to the leave their opponent guessing what they’d do with the ball. He was far better at getting forward second half, and I notice the first time he turned back on himself in the second half, Neilson was at him telling him to go forward. On the whole I think he will be a positive signing. I think he was caught out positionally a couple of times on Sunday, but tbf he wasnt the only one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemclaren Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 If he was a permanent signing I we would see him as a very decent solid one. I’m sure he will do a job this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locky Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 15 hours ago, Stendelnator said: Boring player whose first instinct is to play a safe pass. Good defender Not really much wrong with that at the moment is there? He's a young lad, eager to impress his teammates, manager and fans at his new club. Can't fault him for trying to get through games without putting a foot wrong and slowly building his confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Tolbooth Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 I think he's looked solid enough so far, harder tests to come though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo-Jambo Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 15 hours ago, wavydavy said: That will be the coaching he gets since joing us. Not hard to work out is it ? 😏 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 4 hours ago, Robbo-Jambo said: Not hard to work out is it ? 😏 It seems to be for some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamhammer Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Thought he’d been pretty grey up until Sunday but better Sunday. Agree needs to do more going forward if playing in front of Kingsley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upgotheheads Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 21 hours ago, Stendelnator said: Boring player whose first instinct is to play a safe pass. Good defender as defenders boring players are worth their weight in gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAlim Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 very run of the mill player so far, however I don't believe that he'll play very often after our quality, amazing, out of this world defender arrives as promised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr ewing Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Coached to never play the ball forward. Nothing new there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartofmidlothian Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 Beni's rightly stolen the attention tonight, but Cochrane also looked composed and classy in his first top-flight match for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One five Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 He will only get better as the season goes on . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinRummy Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 Cochrane answered a lot of questions tonight. Absolutely top performance from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Tamland Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 Very composed for his age, defensively I thought he did really well tonight, Forest struggled to get past him. Good athlete, good awareness and positionally astute. Loses a point for his corners though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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