The Championship’s best defender: Hull’s Curtis Davies ahead of Leeds’ Sol Bamba

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Hull City, Blackburn Rovers, QPR, Leeds, Birmingham, MK Dons, Cardiff and Reading stars feature.

10 games into the season, the Championship is at an interval for the second international break of the campaign.

It gives us a chance to look at the top performers to date, and defensively there is one standout candidate as the best players in the division.

Rating a defender on the basis of key performance indicators, tackles won, interceptions, aerial duels won, and shots blocked, while factoring in any goals or assists made too – there is one key winner, Hull City defender Curtis Davies.

Davies outranks his nearest competitor, Shane Duffy by more than 20 points, with Nedum Onohuua of QPR and Sol Bamba of Leeds closely following.

Bamba’s solid season has been marred by a comical slip which allowed a goal against Middlesbrough, but apart from that the Leeds captain has been a dependable part of the club’s backline, which until the last two matches had conceded under a goal a game.

Shane Duffy is into his second season at Blackburn Rovers after signing from Everton, and is really showing his worth for the club, even though they sit in a mid-table 15th.

Davies’ effect on Hull has been more telling, with the defender who was one extra-time’s worth of football away from lifting the FA Cup in 2014, helping the Tigers reach fifth place heading into the international break.

Hull fans may also note Paul McShane featuring in the top 10, a player they released in the summer, who has gone onto become a first team regular for Reading.