I know, right?
Leighton Baines
- Thread starter ::sonny::
- Start date
It was only after we signed him people were saying though, a bit like after Moyes became our manager that everyone stopped being doom and gloom about him. I suppose when you know it has happened you have no choice but to be optimistic sometimes. Young's potential signing was heavily criticized by many.
As said before, with so many rare talent around I wonder how England keep on underachieving on a year in year out basis
. Dont take me wrong, I rate Baines as a good player but he's certainly not as good as Evra.Young's only just turned 27 and so still has many years football ahead of him. The only thing that has held him back at United has been a series of unfortunate injuries.
Anyway.
Baines is much better than Evra.
edit.
Or is he soon to be 28? I can't remember whether his birthday is June or July.
Anyway.
Baines is much better than Evra.
edit.
Or is he soon to be 28? I can't remember whether his birthday is June or July.
We have enough young players in the squad, at the back especially. We could do with the experience. DDG, Rafael, Evans, Jones, Smalling..
la la la two midfielders la la la
Our set pieces will greatly improve with Baines here.
Moyes has worked for Baines for a good few years now, so if he wants to take him to United with him, then I'd trust his judgement on that.
English and a good modern-day professional. Similar to Carrick in that regards.
Evra coming off a very good season - but maybe he wants to leave? We'll find out soon enough.
Moyes has worked for Baines for a good few years now, so if he wants to take him to United with him, then I'd trust his judgement on that.
English and a good modern-day professional. Similar to Carrick in that regards.
Evra coming off a very good season - but maybe he wants to leave? We'll find out soon enough.
28 in 2 weeks.
I don't rate Evra's past season that highly tbh. An improvement on the previous two seasons, but still not great.
Yet another English player we'll get our pants pulled down over the transfer fee. I guess if Evra wants to leave we don't have a choice and Everton will know this. Hopefully Baines will then himself force a move, frankly if he doesn't I would be slightly concerned with his ambition.
I usually hate when people pull this line out, but in this case its true. If Baines was a foreigner playing for Malaga or Sevilla or someone like that, people would be well up for this signing.
If Evra does go, we probably wont be anle to do better than Baines, which is pretty damn good to be fair. Cole is considered world class, and Baines has been pushing him for the LB spot in the National team, so surely then Baines has to be there or thereabouts? Mayne not quite WC, but able to make that final step if he were to come here.
If Evra does go, we probably wont be anle to do better than Baines, which is pretty damn good to be fair. Cole is considered world class, and Baines has been pushing him for the LB spot in the National team, so surely then Baines has to be there or thereabouts? Mayne not quite WC, but able to make that final step if he were to come here.
My major issue with the signing is that its not really improving the squad is it? Baines isn't a significant upgrade on Evra to justify potentially spending so much on him given his age.
RvP cost £24m last summer at 28 years old, but he was a significant upgrade on Hernandez/Welbeck in that position. Signing Baines for the rumoured £16-20m would be silly imo.
RvP cost £24m last summer at 28 years old, but he was a significant upgrade on Hernandez/Welbeck in that position. Signing Baines for the rumoured £16-20m would be silly imo.
And if we were to sell Evra for 8-10m?
There are very few class LB's available on the market, and Baines is certainly up there with the very best. Evra must be wanting to move for United to have made an offer. Even at his age Baines still has 4 years at the very top. The price reflects market conditions.
Evra - god love him - has always had some defensive issues. Its not that difficult to put up a solid argument that Baines is a better player than Evra both defensively and offensively.
I'd hate to see Evra leave though, but we obviously can't keep flogging him for 60 games a season now like we have been doing.
I'd hate to see Evra leave though, but we obviously can't keep flogging him for 60 games a season now like we have been doing.
Aye, but in the pros column, it can't be overlooked that apart from being the best 1 or 2 in his position, he is a player the manager has worked with and if he, the manager, wants one or two familiar faces to ease the huge transition, and they improve the team, then how much is too much?
I would pay £15,354,194.34, and not a penny more!
The manager is welcome to bring in a familiar face as long as that face doesn't belong to Fellaini.
I'm not saying it's a negative if we signed Baines, I'm saying I'm not sure he would be my choice if I chose a LB.
The only one I can think of who I might prefer is Coentrao, but that's mainly because of his age. If we were in the market for an LB, I couldn't think of many better options than Baines.
I think its paying over the odds for a near 29 year old LB regardless. Unless Evra is forcing a move then keeping Evra and splitting the games between him and Fabio next season whilst strengthening in other areas (preferably not with Fellaini) would be the more sensible option.
116 chances created in a year, more than anyone in Europe. Well worth £16-18 million.
He's not near 29, he'll have played half a season for us before he's 29, and he could easily have four years left at the top of his game because he seems to be extremely fit and professional, and not a full back particularly reliant on pace.
He wont be taking all of our set pieces.
A proper class footballer and a top bloke by all accounts. Would be chuffed to bits if we bought him, but I feel it may cost upwards of 15m.
I'd either sign Shaw as first choice LB or keep Fabio and play him as first choice, with Büttner as challenger for the spot.
I think those £14 or so million would be better spent elsewhere.
Just to clarify - I don't think it's terrible if we're signing Baines, just slightly underwhelming. And I don't think Shaw's a better player currently than Baines, not by far, but I think he can become world class.
Very presumptive. Was there a poll? I presume you believe that 'neutral non British football fans' believe the gap the between Evra and Baines is the same as between Butt and Keane. Baines has been chosen by his peers in the last 2 seasons, as the best left back in the Premiership. I trust the opinions of the players in the league Baines play in, much more then 'neutral non British football fans'.
I'd be rather concerned if that were the case.
The thing is, right now Moyes is coming in knowing he has to follow in the footsteps of a manager who has brought us trophies practically every single season here, right now I doubt his first concern is bringing youth through, it's winning something so that the fans don't get on his back before he actually has a chance to develop a team, and doing that would be a lot easier with players like Baines than players like Shaw.
Devilish is a shocking poster isn't he?
It's an uninspiring signing. Nobody is in this thread getting excited because it just seems so unnecessary.
Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Baines, imo he's better than Evra offensively (but he'll have a battle with RvP to take FKs, corners and penalties here) but not defensively - Evra has been frequently busting a gut to get back this season which was his main criticism in the past couple of seasons, I just don't think us signing him for such a high fee makes much sense at all. It's not like he is a youngster with the potential to improve or like his addition will really improve the squad much (if at all).
I think he'll improve the squad.
A comparison of Evra at United vs Baines at Everton in regards to Games/Goals/Assists then Ratios:
Evra
Baines
Evra
Code:
G............. 333
Go............ 7
As............ 32
G/Go.......... 48
G/As.......... 10
G/Go or As.... 9Baines
Code:
G............. 246
Go............ 22
As............ 39
G/Go.......... 11
G/As.......... 6
G/Go or As.... 4We would all be fine with this transfer, but years of not signing a midfielder has left us mentally scarred and paranoid.
This is a fair point. Although Baines is as untested in terms of winning trophies as Shaw is.
Everyone knows hes better offensively than Evra, mainly because he takes penalties corners and free kicks at everton which he is unlikely to do with us since RvP will continue to take them imo. Comparing their interceptions, clearances, tackles and aerial duels too might be more insightful seeing as they're defenders.
Easy to say this now. Young was one time in the team of the year, defenders have made more penalties in him than in any other player for about two years and by many people he was rated as one of the best wingers (or likely the best when Ronaldo left) in the country. I even member a retarded Sky journo commented that he's as good as Messi and Ronaldo. Some thought that he's the typical overrated and overpriced English footballer though an okayish one, some like me thought that while he's no great, he's still a good player for us (wrong though cause he wasn't) and some were gone nuts for signing a great player. The 'meh' player was generally accepted only this season.
It's hard to know what will become for Baines. Could easily gone in both ways, and unless Evra is really pushing to leave us, I hope that Everton ask 100m for him so we don't make a 15-18m offer to sign someone which I don't think is an upgrade on Evra.
feck that, anyone who thought £18m was good for Young was deluded.
Anyway, wildly off topic.
I think the Young purchase will go down as one of SAF's strangest signings. Usually has a good eye for a winger.
He was a waste of money, a few good games at the start of 11/12 season doesn't change that.