3: Leighton Baines - Hotter than Cole (sort ya hair out lad)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8536491.stm

Surely this means Baines is nailed on to get an England call-up for the Egypt game next Wednesday

Aston Villa defenders Stephen Warnock and Nicky Shorey, Everton's Leighton Baines and Manchester City's Joleon Lescott are all possible replacements in the English defence.

When Lescott played for us didnt he sulk at left back for a while? I seem to remember Standard having a great time down the left hand side of our attack when we lost to them?

I dont think he is an international left back. I like Warnock but I cant see him going as only been regular in a big team in Aston Villa this season. I would take Baines deffo.

On the other hand best chance you guys have of winning it for a while and then this

Leighton Baines is 9-1 to start against the USA with skybet.

Super wrote:Leighton Baines is 9-1 to start against the USA with skybet.

Whats odds for him to get clogged by Donovan?

Named in squad to face Egypt.

Bryan wrote:Named in squad to face Egypt.

Thoroughly deserved - well done Leighton

WellOilBeefHooked wrote:

Bryan wrote:Named in squad to face Egypt.

Thoroughly deserved - well done Leighton

I think it is not only good for England but for Everton. He will benefit from the experience. I would echo the sentiment, well done lad. Our most consistent player this year.

Baines did well on his England debut, a positive to come out of the England 3-1 win, said Garreth Southgate on ITV, even though Gerrard at LM did not give Baines much defensive cover. Baines played for the full 90 mins and got involved with a solid display, taking corners and passing confidently.

Ashley Cole will do well to get his place back, especially if he is not fully match fit.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/england/7361501/England-v-Egypt-Leighton-Baines-nails-his-national-audition.html?

He is brilliant, a good world cup will see his value double.

Thought Baines was very assured last night, certainly the most composed in that back four. Apart from one corner though his delivery wasn't great. As has been mentioned he got zero support down the left flank, apart from when Rooney gave him an outlet. To get the best out of Baines going forward he needs someone to link up with and look what happened when Milner came on? I know Baines fucked his cross up, but the point was he was finally able to get forward into a crossing position and it led to a goal. I guess one way of looking at it was Capello was confident in Baines ability to cover the whole left side himself perhaps? He played for the 90mins and seemed disciplined in not over committing himself.

Fair paly to Capello as well for giving Baines a full 90 minute run out. If this game had been played under Ericsson, he would have subbed Baines for Warnock at half-time.

good performance from baines, solid in the first half given that Gerrard is a thourough twat for that performance. left mid may not be his position but to desert it leaving baines with no defensive support or attacking options was un proffesionally twattish and self indulgent to say the least. Milner, a very underated player IMO, made a huge impact to the team and baines just by sticking to his position. after he came on we saw baines confident to comit himself to attacks knowing he had some support and to also have someone who would actually make the simple pass that his runs warranted.

baines would have had an even better night if the midfield would have aloud him more of the ball, instead they chose to go down the right side with brown & walcott both loseing the ball far to many times to remember,the equaliser came in the second half when for the first time in the game baines was allowed
to get forward and put in a cross we know hes capable of,the cross wasn't fantastic it hit the defender went out to james milner who hit a bullet of a shot that the keeper couldn't hold and crouch finished the rebound.

WHEN ARE ENGLAND GOING TO LEARN? YOU CAN'T PLAY BARRY-LAMPARD-G*RRARD IN THE SAME TEAM

Gerrard! I don't WANT to pick on him just because he's a RS but, f**k me, he is AWFUL for England.

Brown - some top sides are going to lay into him!

I thought Capello moved Gerrard inside to counter the Egypt formation, they had an extra player in the middle of the park, no? Really I would say Fat Frank should be making way and Gerrard should be in the middle of the park

Its different for Baines, Eng, to Everton, he can normally stick the ball down the line and bomb on, except the 3 centre mids always drop in about 2 yards away and demand the ball, purely because there not used to an Eng Def who can use the ball. We looked better when Baines slid the ball forward, not inside and behind.

Brown isn't a good RB

Leighton Baines was 'buzzing' after an England debut he says was the proudest moment of his career.

The Everton man gave a good account of himself as he played the full 90 minutes of England's 3-1 win over Egypt on Wednesday night.

Baines was expected to share left-back duties with another World Cup hopeful, Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock. But England boss Fabio Capello instead chose to hand the ex-Wigan man a whole game to state his case for a place on the plane to South Africa.

"I'm absolutely buzzing," said Baines afterwards. "I only found out I was in the team just before we left the hotel to come to Wembley.

"I thought I might get to play 20 minutes at the end or maybe a half if I was lucky. I'd heard that people were saying me and Stephen would get a half each and I thought to myself ‘I'll take that'.

"I wanted to start, because I wanted to be on the pitch for the national anthem and feel a part of it. But to play the full game was totally unexpected and that's why I'm just over the moon. It's got to be the proudest moment of my career."

Typically level-headed, the defender is now intent on keeping calm and focussing on his Everton responsibilities rather than getting carried away with thoughts of football's biggest spectacle.

"Playing for England is not something you expect to do," said Baines. "I suppose it's all happened quite quickly but you have got to take your chance if it comes along. The next meet-up is not until May now and I have got to make sure I am in that.

"The more time I get to spend with the England squad, the better it will be. You can build up relationships then. I've just got to keep playing as well as I can for Everton.

"Playing 90 minutes has been a big confidence boost and I've just got to keep it going. It would be a dream if I managed to get to the World Cup."

Thought Baines did ok. You could see he was apprehensive to get forward due to said RS shite player's lack of cover. Gerrard didnt even appear to want to pass it to him either!
In the second half when Egypt were on the back foot a bit more I expected to see Baines come bombing into view from the corner of the screen when England were in the final third but maybe he was just given the instructions to be less adventurous on his debut?

Must say Im a big fan of Milner. He comes on, oozes confidence, just ran at Egypt and when he gets near the box, he just shoots at will. A better player now then Barry and even more effective for England then Gerrard. I think Capello needs to put Gerrard behind Rooney to be most effective, and stick Milner out left. Walcott/SWP/Lennon/Brandman out right and Barry and Lampard coming from deep in the middle.

Anyone know why Capello didn't give Warnock a run out after most of the media had picked him ahead of Baines?
Was it case of Capello using up all of his substitutes, was Warnock carrying an injury, or maybe Baines was so much better than Warnock in training?

SouthernSmugToffee wrote:Anyone know why Capello didn't give Warnock a run out after most of the media had picked him ahead of Baines?
Was it case of Capello using up all of his substitutes, was Warnock carrying an injury, or maybe Baines was so much better than Warnock in training?

Milner was the fifth and final sub that Capello brought on alst night. Haven't they change the rule regards subs in friendly games after Ericsson made fooking loads.

Warnock's a bag of wank

Top Balcony Blue wrote:Warnock's a bag of wank

And according to Samuels, so was Baines. But I guess you see what you want to believe, eh...

With Steven Gerrard starting wide but enjoying a free role once play opens out, there is often an acre of space in front of England’s left back. Baines failed to make use of it.
More often than not, he refused to advance over half way, much like a cow confronted with a metal grid. When he did venture forward, his passes were higher on nerves than direction. It highlighted what England miss in Cole, and, Terry’s critics will say, what is lost with Bridge’s absence, too.
Bridge’s worth, however, grows more in the memory than reality. The night that England were torn apart by Croatia here under Steve McClaren in 2007, he had a woeful game, and before becoming the injured party in a bizarre love triangle, few saw him as an adequate replacement for Cole.
He would have been better than Baines, true, because he would have had the assurance to emulate the forward thrust required from England’s left back, but a fit Cole is what matters most in South Africa.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1255298/MARTIN-SAMUEL-John-Terry-wins-England-fans-does-better.html#ixzz0hCqxVpwL

From the s*n...

LEIGHTON BAINES
Not the most confident debut for the Everton defender but he grew into the match as it progressed. Showed early nerves with a hashed clearance with his knee to concede a corner.
But after that he looked more at home at Wembley. Took a safety-first approach by prioritising his defending instead of going forward. Kept a level head. 6