Next to face judgement is our defensive line.
Dean Moxey
Moxey joined us with good credentials- he has Championship experience; he was a vital part of Crystal Palace`s promotion campaign and actually did quite well in the Premier League before falling out of favour with Tony Pulis. During his first pre-season I was quite happy with what I saw- he`s tall and is quite good on the ball. Since pre-season is largely fitness and skill based I didn`t get to see an awful lot of the tactical side of his game which is a major weakness of his. He has the tendency to make huge mistakes but ultimately he is the best left back we`ve got and the best we can afford. While mistakes are part of his nature, I really do think that he`ll have gained confidence from his form towards the end of last season and he can kick on this year.
I`ll give him a 6.5/10
Tim Ream
Two ‘Player of the Season` Awards in three full seasons says a lot about what Ream offers as a defender. He brings composure and a touch of class to our defence but I can`t help but bring up the ‘what`s Ream`s real position` debate. I`m still lost on this- he`s maybe not strong enough to be a centre back, but his lack of pace has been exposed while playing as a full back and he just won`t get a game as a holding midfielder since we have so many. I`d always be inclined to play him at centre back alongside a bigger defender. Ream`s calming influence on the ball combines well with the likes of David Wheater.
7/10 for Ream.
David Wheater
I rate Wheater as highly as anyone and I feel that his performance against Liverpool in the replay was terrific. There is a reason that he was called up to the England National Team when he was younger. I know he may have been part of the ‘Jay Bothroyd and David Nugent England contingent` but he is a good defender. He`s not as good as he was back then but as a Championship defender he offers a decent option- he`s good in the air and will throw his body at anything. His obvious weaknesses are his mobility and his recently adopted proneness to injury.
With the injury problems in mind I can`t offer him more then a 6/10
Lawrie Wilson
I can`t say I`ve seen a lot about Wilson, but the fact that he was released by Charlton, havnig only managed 74 starts in three years doesn`t fill me with confidence. There are no two ways about it- he is a Championship reject and I`ve written about them before and the reality is that that`s all we can afford. He did well in League 1 and let`s just hope that Neil Lennon can tap into the form Wilson showed then.
Errrrr? 5/10?
Dorian Dervite
Upon signing, Dervite was described as some special ball playing defender whom Charlton were desperate to hold onto. A CV that boasts spells at Tottenham and Villareal, Dervite sounded like a classy addition to our defence. Despite a strong start to last season he later began to show a tendency to (like Moxey) make mistakes and panic. He looks the part- he`s big, he`s not too slow and I think he does have ability on the ball but he lacks composure. This season could prove to be very important for Dervite and he needs to step up.
5/10
Derik Osede
Osede`s CV is also very encouraging, having played for Real Madrid Castilla and attracted a lot of attention throughout his career. He`s our way of taking part in the trend of buying youngsters from the Madrid and he`s already shown his impressive passing range. He needs to get used to the physical aspects of the Championship but I`m confident that he will. My other criticism is that at times he looks a little random. He`ll play complicated passes just for the sake of it as I feel that he wants to show that he`s not just an ordinary Championship defender. He looks like he could have errors in him too, so I hope is mistake during pre-season will prove to be a one-off.
6/10 with the potential to rise to 8/10 as he develops.
Andy Kellett
Friend of the site, Andy Kellett clearly isn`t favoured by Lennon and the only explanation that I can think of is his lack of height and strength which is something that he`s always insisted is very important in a Neil Lennon full back. However, his balance is wonderful and he`s great on the ball. I still think that he really deserves a chance.
Potentially 7/10, but Lennon would probably rate him a 4/10. He could be shown the towards exit door.
Oscar Threlkeld
Threlkeld burst onto the scenes with encouraging performances during the tail end of the penultimate season but doesn`t seem to have improved much since. He needs playing time, whether that means he stays here or goes out on loan. The problem is that we have no backup defenders anyway so we`ll probably need him to stay for cover.
5/10
Hayden White
Having impressed during his baptism of fire at Loftus Road in January 2014, we haven`t seen much of White since. Lennon seems to fancy him as a centre back now for some reason despite his lightning pace. Is he ready to make the step up? I couldn`t tell you.
5.5/10
Quade Taylor
My main concern with Taylor was his use of the ball and his technical ability but whether he`s improved or I was negative when I saw him, he looks better that that which is good. I think he be part of the the first team setup this season and will need to show that his performance against Birmingham City last season can be matched on a regular basis.
6/10
Rob Holding
Holding spent time at Bury last season and has shown his ability to get forward for the Development Squad. He got to be involved with the first team during pre-season but could be in for another loan move.
N/A
Niall Maher
He looked set to join Blackpool this summer, but following Lee Clark`s departure, the Tangerines have decided against signing Maher who can operate at right back or centre back. Form what I`ve seen, he looks okay as a youth player but joins the list of right/centre backs who haven`t quite made it yet and is probably behind Threlkeld and White in the pecking order. Needs loan time to prove himself or a permanent move away.
N/A