What next for Danny Fox?

Coventry left back Danny Fox struts around the pitch and has the swagger of a player who feels he deserves to be playing in a higher league. A fan of the white tape and white boot combo, popularised by Ronaldo: a style solution that lends a player the air of an ice skater, the emphasis on grace and elegance about the pitch, it certainly convinces: Fox had an outstanding first full season for the Sky Blues, having joined the club in the previous season’s transfer window, part of a double deal with Scott Dann.

So when Dann signed for cross Warwickshire rivals Birmingham this month, I wondered if it was a case of their choosing the wrong player. Granted, Dann had delivered a litany of tenacious, aggressive displays, not something that could be said for many of his colleagues, but it’s Fox who stands out to the untrained eye: his composure and skill on the ball are noteworthy at this ordinarily frantic level. A purveyor of Brazilian style free kicks and excellent bombing forward, the highlight of the his campaign was a twisting run at Loftus Road, capped with a marvellous curler. He also claimed the attention of Stuart Pearce and the England under-21s.

Fox may have defensive shortcomings, but that never stopped the likes of Graeme Le Saux or Wayne Bridge in the past. By his own admission, he failed to make the grade at his first club Everton due to a lack of application. This close season is crucial for him: he is very close to the big time and in a nation bereft of left footers, may even have a chance of representing his country at senior level. As more and more ineligible players clog the Premier League, Fox is near the head of the queue of Championship players who have a big chance.

Rob Langham

Rob Langham (pen name: Lanterne Rouge) is co-founder of the defiantly non-partisan football league blog, The Two Unfortunates, a website that occasionally strays into covering issues of wider importance. He's 47 and lives in Oxford while retaining his boyhood support of Reading FC. He tweets as @twounfortunates and has written for a number of websites and publications including The Football Attic, The Inside Left, When Saturday Comes, In Bed with Maradona, Futbolgrad and The Blizzard as well as being nominated for the Football Supporters' Federation Blogger of the Year Award in 2013.