Leighton Baines

[ToxtethBlue]

Baines is one player we don't overrate, I know that much. He's one of the best left backs in Europe and our most important player by quite a difference. Just watch him is all I'd say, his consistency is on a different level, and it's got nothing to do with us overusing him or putting too much expectation on his shoulders. If he played for Utd on a regular basis he'd be just as important to them. Not even concentrating on his ability in the final third, he's also that player who makes the first pass for us and gets everything going. He's miles better than the likes of Evra and Cole when it comes to drilling that pass into a forward's feet from deep. A multi-talented player who has the mentality to play and deliver at the highest level.

 

[Pabbers]

Baines is one player we don't overrate, I know that much. He's one of the best left backs in Europe and our most important player by quite a difference. Just watch him is all I'd say, his consistency is on a different level, and it's got nothing to do with us overusing him or putting too much expectation on his shoulders. If he played for Utd on a regular basis he'd be just as important to them. Not even concentrating on his ability in the final third, he's also that player who makes the first pass for us and gets everything going. He's miles better than the likes of Evra and Cole when it comes to drilling that pass into a forward's feet from deep. A multi-talented player who has the mentality to play and deliver at the highest level.

Just a shame his defending is poor, which is what will always be picked up on, and is what I am reading from so many fans, used to highlight he is not worth the fee we are asking !

 

[Pabbers]

If Andy Carroll can be sold for £35m, then Baines must be in the stratosphere.

Really does not work like that though does it !?!

United could say, "Well Enrique only cost £6 million, so £12 million is fair"

 

[Brennan]

Just a shame his defending is poor, which is what will always be picked up on, and is what I am reading from so many fans, used to highlight he is not worth the fee we are asking !

He's the best left back in the league defensively. Whoever says he isn't needs to put their crack pipe down.

 

[billy_the_blue]

If someone HAD to be sold, I don't think Moyes would have looked so happy in the press-conference. Everything about his mood and body language compared to the last few transfer windows, screamed positivity.

 

[Whitty]

Would anybody be happy knowing that 15m for Baines could buy us a decent left back, a better right back than Hibbert/Neville plus a genuine winger?

If we could get a replacement left back and Adam Johnson then i'd take that (assuming we have money for Pienaar already). Hibbert would be fine with a player like Johnson who can beat players in front of him. Hibbert could just do his defensive duties then

 

[Pabbers]

He's the best left back in the league defensively. Whoever says he isn't needs to put their crack pipe down.

He is not poor imo, just not great. He backs off, and is often out of position. But he is not the worst at it !

£15 Million is were im at with him, anything more is a bit silly !

Alba just cost £12 million. Armero is costing Juventus £7 Million!

 

[Whitty]

He's the best left back in the league defensively. Whoever says he isn't needs to put their crack pipe down.

he's not really though! As much as I dislike him (and I think Baines is a better all round player), Cole is a better defender than him

 

[ah11984]

Love Bainesy to bits, and am a huge fan of him going forward, but there is no way he is the best left back in the league defensively.

 

[Azzurri]

We massively over-rate our players.

Looking at a few forums, for different teams, even European teams. Would seem that nobody rates Baines anywere near what we do. And the £20 Million is laughed at by most !!!

People will say "fuk dem lid, baines is a worldy la" but these are the teams that would be buying him, and players are only worth what Clubs will pay.

We did the same with Jags. Arsenal wanted him, offered around £11 million....we wanted £18 Million apparently.....!

Is all these valuations based on what we got for Lescott ??!!

Yeah I agree. We massively overrate our players watching them play 40 games a season whereas other fans who watch them 4 times a year have got exactly the right opinion.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

Just a shame his defending is poor, which is what will always be picked up on, and is what I am reading from so many fans, used to highlight he is not worth the fee we are asking !

In comparison to who? If you think that's the case then I think your overrating the defensive abilities of attacking fullbacks in general really. Evra isn't a great defender, neither is Clichy, yet they both play for the best two clubs in the country. Baines isn't the best defender in the world but he's capable, has good recovery pace and competes, week in week out. Add to the fact that Utd retain the ball far better than we do and he wouldn't be tested as much.

The average fan on a forum knows very little about players outside of there own club.

 

[Walken]

There is no left back in the league who brings more to a team than Baines, I wouldnt take anyone else over him, but at the end of the day players are only worth what other teams are willing to pay for them, an thats the bottom line

 

[ijjysmith]

There is no left back in the league who brings more to a team than Baines, I wouldnt take anyone else over him, but at the end of the day players are only worth what other teams are willing to pay for them, an thats the bottom line

'cos Stone Cold Says So?

 

[Brennan]

he's not really though! As much as I dislike him (and I think Baines is a better all round player), Cole is a better defender than him

Baines outdoes Cole in almost every single category, including other less significant areas that do not even make this list. Obviously, as these stats demonstrate, Baines is the better attacker. His production last season was outstanding for a defender. That is reflected here by his goals tally, and the 74 chances he created, almost doubling the chances composed by Cole. In fact, by mid-April last season, only one player viewed as a defender (Dani Alves), playing in England, Spain, Italy or Germany, could beat his haul of 27 assists since the 2008/09 season. In this period, Cole has recorded only 11. Incredibly, only four Premier League players could surpass that amount.

Defensively is where most would presume Cole should triumph. However, again Baines trumps his rival across the board. Most surprisingly is the fact that Cole, revered by many wingers as one of the toughest opponents to beat in the game, was dribbled past 38 times last season. Once a game! Baines was only beaten 24 times. Cole did make marginally more tackles over the season (16), but only won two out of three, whilst Baines was successful three out of four times. Amusingly, despite his diminutive frame of 170 cm, being the tenth smallest player to play in the Premier League last season, Baines somehow even won more in the air than Cole, who stands 6 cm taller.

The only area Cole gains some supremacy over Baines is with his passing accuracy, and his infrequent loss of possession. Presumably the hordes of crosses Baines sends in contributes to this, but Cole’s passing percentage of 89% is one of the best in the Premier League. Fabio Capello is known to blow a gasket whenever England loose possession, so this seems to be an aspect likely to aid Cole’s selection. Conversely, this stat can still be negated by the fact that Cole passed 21% of his passes backwards, with barely half going forwards, numbers the attack minded Baines can top, as 72% of his went forward and just 14% back.Therefore there is scarcely a category where Cole overcomes Baines at all, in fact, Everton’s star player dominates the Chelsea left-back.

 

[Pblueman]

Boom! there it is. good find brennan