WHATEVER happens with Jordan Rhodes and Rudy Gestede, we have to improve defensively next season.

And we’ll stand a better chance of doing that if we can keep a settled back four and goalkeeper.

We haven’t been helped by injuries but playing the same defenders and keeper together helps massively.

They get used to each other and they will get better from playing alongside each other.

We haven’t really had that these past two seasons but, hopefully, come the start of next season, that will change.

I’d go with Jason Steele in goal as whenever I’ve seen him, he’s done well.

At left-back I’d go with Markus Olsson, providing he’s still here, as I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody came in for him because he had a great season.  He’s like his twin brother – he works very, very hard, defends well, and gets up and down all day. I think he’s a very good player.

At right-back I’d go with Adam Henley. He came on leaps and bounds in the second half of the season and did really well. If he can stay injury free, which he has been doing, I think he’s got a great chance.

But it’s when you get to the centre-backs that it becomes more difficult.

All three are good players but I think all three are prone to switching off. So I’d go with the two who are able to concentrate the most.

That may mean starting with Grant Hanley on the bench. He’s the club captain, yes, but in some games I’ve watched, he’s lost his concentration. Yes he’s still young and yes he’s a leader on the pitch, but I think he’s had long enough now playing in the first team to show he can do it for 90 minutes.

Once you’ve got your back four and goalkeeper in place you can drill them.

I remember playing under Howard Kendall at Blackburn.

He used to love us to win games 1-0. He’d expect the team to defend from the front and, while it was hard work, it did work.

We always knew that if we kept a clean sheet we’d always get a goal because of the players we had in the team.

Not that we were particularly prolific, but we had enough goals in us and a back four and a midfield four who could all defend and who all knew what job they had to do.

If we were to lose Rudy or Jordan we’d need players from elsewhere in the squad to weigh in with more goals.

But, as was proven this season, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got goals in you if you can’t keep the opposition out.

That’s what Gary Bowyer and his staff have got to work on this summer and I’m sure they know that.