He's not the best defender no, and anyone expecting a massive upgrade on Evra defensively are off beat. I wouldn't say he is poor though Pete his positional sense and timing is pretty solid. Can't recall the Downing humiliation but he has been bossed before. All full-backs have their off days and particular nemesises.
Leighton Baines
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He's not the best defender no, and anyone expecting a massive upgrade on Evra defensively are off beat. I wouldn't say he is poor though Pete his positional sense and timing is pretty solid. Can't recall the Downing humiliation but he has been bossed before. All full-backs have their off days and particular nemesises.
Nemeses is the plural of nemesis. The film Mystery Men taught me that.
You are dead right though, every full back has been skinned or turned or put on their arse by someone at some point.
I once saw Vidic get embarrassed by Carlton Cole. He's poor.
Utd fans don't love Evra for being a badge kisser. They love him because he's a top class performer for several years and the best full back in the league. His peers have seemed to think so quite often. The only area Baines has proved better than Evra is in crossing the ball.
We'll have to agree to disagree on that. I think you have better players who have played more games but don't enjoy the same affection Evra gets from the fans.
Nah. Baines has comfortably been the better left back in comparison to Evra for a couple of seasons.
For example? There was a time when it would've been a close call between him and Dennis Irwin. That says a lot given how great Irwin was. He'd a bad spell but over his seven and a half years at the club he's been a great player and a lot better than Leighton Baines who is a good player himself.
People were thinking we needed a new left back at the end of last season, but now apparently Evra was the best in the league?
Same could be said of every player in the league, everyone has a great moment, or awful day. Even Andy Carroll has upsides.
Baines though, if Evra is leaving, he's a perfect replacement, probably the best LB in the league this season, at worst top 3 between him, Evra and Cole. He hasn't the raw pace of them two, but still a mighty attacking full back.
Nah. Being a great crosser has made him a good highlights player. I think he's good but Evra's better.
Are they the same people? If not your post is utterly irrelevant.
Evra has been an important attacking option for Man Utd - practically all Everton's build up play came through Baines last season (if you discount the hoof to Fellaini). Baines would largely be a defensive liability for a top 4 side, who won't be using him as their primary wide attacking outlet.
I have no idea, but it was a fairly popular opinion. Basically you're wrong. Evra was world class at his peak but he probably wasn't the best left back at any point.
Rio, Vidic & Carrick have all been better players for you and don't enjoy as much love from the fans.
I would rather we sign Luke Shaw, and keep Evra for another year because of Baines' age. But I guess Chelsea will be Shaw's first option as he's apparently a childhood Chelsea fan.
Vidic is a cult hero, not sure where you get the idea that he enjoys less affection than Evra. Carrick has always been a player who divides opinion, we know that while Ferdinand's contract debacle (old news, I know) and his Twitter personality put many people off.
All this doesn't mean that Evra hasn't been a fantastic left-back for United and that it's only his character that made people warm to him. He's been consistently great between 2006 (after a rocky start) and 2009, during one of the most successful periods of the club's history.
And yet all have songs sung about them regularly. I wouldn't say Evra is held in greater affection than Vidic.
Basically you're wrong. See how easy that is?
Well was he better than Cole when at their peaks? No. Loads wanted him replaced last year but you have some magical insight that shows you he was better than the left back who got into the Team of the Year, Baines.
Does the team of the year matter then? If so you're contradicting your opinion on whether he was better than Ashley Cole who he regularly was voted above. Yes he was better. In short, you're wrong.
Fans sing songs about everyone. I'm not saying you don't love Vidic or Rio or Carrick.
You said "they love him because he's a top class performer for several years and the best full back in the league." That's not the whole story. His persona is also part of why you guys love him so much.
I'm not having a dig at Evra, he's one of the best left backs the Prem has ever seen.
It's a completely different situation though. If you have two top class left backs playing for the two top clubs it's easy to pick the one who won the league over the other, Baines isn't challenging for the title every year, the team he plays for isn't a top side so for him to get into the team he has to be clearly better.
If Cole was better why wasn't be selected above Evra by his peers? The team of the year only seems to matter to you when it reinforces your opinion. Baines success has come at a time when both haven't been at their peak.
I know it has come at a time when both aren't at their peak? I'm saying that Baines is better than Evra now not at Evra's peak? And I just explained my opinion on the team of the year you just didn't bother digesting it.
If we get him because Pat is leaving then fair enough.
Just hope we don't end up paying the English Premium Tax resulting in total fee being around £18m+
Just hope we don't end up paying the English Premium Tax resulting in total fee being around £18m+
Cheers man, obviously not thinking straight.....when you actually repeat it out loud it does sound ridiculous "nemesises"
Shit that's dire.
It's pretty obvious isn't it? Whenever a player from outside of the top teams gets into the team of the year it's because they have been truly outstanding because the easy choice is a player from the top 4. Evra and Cole were at a pretty similar level when at their peaks but the fact that Evra was winning the league was probably the big factor in putting him ahead of Cole. In fact as soon as Cole won the league in 10/11 instead of Evra he got in ahead of him.
Apart for part of last season, Evra has been crap defensively for a while.
So is it correct that once the bid for Baines was made public it has irked Evra?
Evra was linked to Monaco before this bid came to light. He also asked to move back to France a few years back, but Sir Alex persuaded him to stay. We have been strongly linked to Baines for several seasons. In fact we were linked with him whilst he was still at Wigan.
How many years does Evra have left on his contract?
One
The problem with that being that it's voted for before the league is decided and Evra was in it in a season Chelsea won the league and Cole in a season Utd won it. Basically you're wrong. Utd won the league in 10/11.
Shaw is the best prospect, but we have a prospect in Fabio.
Classic example of an opposition supporter making a statement from the outside looking in and talking out their arse. Sorry duffer, you're usually sound but probably best you stick to topics you know something about!
The only reason to even think about Baines is the prospect of Evra leaving on his own volition. Otherwise, it's ridiculous to dump Evra for Baines, especially when we have perfectly suitable Fabio waiting in the wings.
If he comes here he will be the best left-back in the league because Valencia will be playing with him instead of against him.
Reports suggest it is Evra himself who has spoken of a desire to leave.
Mirror earlier this Month.
I'd much rather we signed Shaw and kept Evra for another season. Baines will need replacing within the next 3-4 years and we'll have to spend another £10m+ or so. We might have no choice with Evra though if he really wants to leave now and to replace him with an inexperienced 18-year old straightaway when the second choice is a 22-year old Brazilian who didn't have a good season last term would be quite risky.