This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

New Derby County manager Phillip Cocu has moved swiftly to bolster his backroom staff with the appointment of former Brighton, Fulham and Hull defender Liam Rosenior as a specialist first-team coach, as confirmed on the club website.

Derby have confirmed he will also play a "prominent role" working with both scouting and analysis departments and joins as a second specialist first-team coach to Twan Scheepers, who followed fellow Dutchman Cocu to the Rams having worked at PSV Eindhoven's academy for 10 years.

The backroom staff are completed by Assistant manager Chris van der Weerden who worked with Cocu at both PSV and Fenerbahce, while Shay Given has remained as goalkeeping coach following Frank Lampard's departure to Chelsea.

So is the appointment of Rosenior a smart move by the Rams?

We discuss........

George Dagless

"It appears a wise move. He has the potential to be a very good coach for sure.

"It seems a little bit of an odd one perhaps just out of surprise that Rosenior has gone there to work with Philip Cocu - you'd certainly not be certain they knew much about one another before going to work.

"However, Rosenior has proven himself to be very knowledgeable about the game with his appearances on Sky as a pundit in recent times and it is clear that he has a keen eye for tactics and patterns of play which is half of the battle when becoming a coach.

"He takes a measured and calm approach to analysing the game and that will see players respect him and look to learn from him.

"He knows the Championship well from his playing days and also has experience of coaching already with his work at Brighton, so I think this is going to be a move that works out for all involved."

Gary Hutchinson

“It’s certainly an interesting appointment. It surprised me, I remember his Dad playing and to find out the son is now of coaching age makes me feel old!

“It’s a positive move; players need a life after the game and Rosenior has seen his Dad transition from player to manager and clearly wants to do the same. To make that a success I think coaching is the natural step. I know he’s been doing it with Brighton Under 23s, but if he does want to get into management then he needs to be working with senior players.

“It does hint at a succession strategy and that’s something we don’t do well with in this country. How often do clubs have to start again when a manager goes?

“This way, if Cocu leaves and Rosenior steps up it means a certain stability during what would usually be a period of instability.”

George Brooks

"I think this is a smart appointment for Derby and I'm interested to see how Rosenior gets on in his new role.

"He was a good player and he's got an extensive knowledge of the EFL, so he should be able to provide the Rams with some valuable insight and experience.

"Don't get me wrong, Phillip Cocu is an experienced coach and I think he could be a great appointment for Derby.

"However, the Dutchman has never managed in England before, so he could really benefit from having someone with the knowledge of Rosenior in his backroom team.

"Rosenior was also a youth coach at Brighton, so he could be able to get the best out of the young players at Derby and he will also learn a great deal from working under an experienced manager like Cocu.

"He could make a real impact behind the scenes at Pride Park next season."