If Baines was made available for transfer some seriously big clubs would be in for him.

Mmmm FIFA also seem to think your a bit wrong as well:

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football ... nders-list

Compo, you sound like one of those people who thinks the world begins and ends at the Premiership, I wouldn't claim to have seen every left back in the world but the fact that he still plays for Everton, and non one apart from Man U and his old boss have really chased him tells you a story.
I can give you 3 left backs I personally rate higher than him just in England (Cole, Shaw and Gibbs) 2 of those are playing for Champions League teams and the other is just a kid who soon will be.
Baines is a good option when you are playing weaker teams as he is a good attacking outlet but against stronger teams when you have to defend more he is exposed.

But as usual the tabloids have hyped him up the last 6-9 months and you seem to have unquestionably fallen for it and think he is now comparable to the likes of Philip Lahm (yes I know he has been playing in midfield recently)

It will be good to watch the World Cup so some people get a realistic idea of how good some of our players really are on the World stage....but great to know we will have the 2 best left backs in the competition according to you!

Mmmm FIFA also seem to think your a bit wrong as well:

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football ... nders-list[/quote]


Jesus Christ!--what does 4-4-2 tell you to think?--have they got a survey as well to go with your wallchart?

I dont think anyone has an unrealisitc view of our players, most normal footy fans know the level we are at and the quarter finals at the world cup, imo, is probably the best we can hope for, anything after that is a bonus.

You sound like your going to revel in us being shite tho.

Thats a pretty dull n boring way to watch football.

I dont envy you at all.

Not at all. I want us to do well, and I really like Hodgson, great we have a decent intelligent bloke in charge.
I too think last 16 or 1/4 is th ebest we can do, but worse sides than us have done better (eg Greece in the Euro's)

I am looking forward to it as think it will be a great tournament, but will be a lot more interesting for having us in it.
I am supporting England....and after that anyone but the Germans!!

Hasn't Baines been pretty strongly linked to Real Madrid?

ffs do you ever get sick of banging on about Baines? Its just like that tosser who used to whinge about Flinders each week.

Considering I said Cole was above him that point about him I am agreeing you with.

On the flip side you could say that as Baines is playing for a weaker team so to speak in the PL his performances have been better as dont get as much protection. I would never say he is as good as Lahm as he isnt what I said was that he is up there as one of the best left backs in the world or at least in the top 10-15. I am just looking at the evidence from last two years and also the fact that England have the 3rd best defence in qualifying so the defenders in the Squad must be doing something correct.

I dont think the world ends at the PL at all and if you knew me you would probably laugh at that comment, yeah I watch this as well as a lot of other games from around Europe and I would say that Baines would probably fit better in the Spanish leagues than ours as Alves does.

Shaw and Gibbs have the potential to be as good as him but Baines and Cole have been doing it consistently for years and not half a season.

Jesus Christ!--what does 4-4-2 tell you to think?--have they got a survey as well to go with your wallchart?[/quote]

No its called research and backing your argument up with facts, something ewhich you havent done and everyone else in world football agrees that Baines is up there. You know as much about left backs as you do about cricket.

Sorry Compo, but I really don't put too much stock in those surveys, they seem just like a waste of newspaper to me (or web space) mainly done for the kids

The thing is PJ--although I doubt Baines would go to Madrid he is more suited to them than England.
He would be very good for a team that has a lot of the ball, and is constantly attacking and has the vast majority of possession because of his attacking capabailities....does that sound like England in the World Cup?

I suppose time will tell, it looks like he is going to Brazil and I hope if he plays he does well.

I think the same sort of people bigging up Baines were the same ones singing 'Danny Mills is fucking brilliant' in 2002 and claiming he was better than Gary Neville!

So you don't have time for stats and facts then? Ok then I can't argue with you.

Baines is the second best left back for England everyone but you knows that.

He's the best for me, Cole is past his best Mourinho has realised this he'll probably be playing in the MLS next season.

Surely the best way to have more of the ball is to select people who are better in possession and forward thinking. Fuck being defensive minded lets have a go.

To be fair you have used no facts whatsoever.

Opinions is all you have used and all that can ever be used in such an argument.

what is it with you lot and full backs?

Its a fookin english disease.

Nearly all of the best "full backs" in other countries are more like attackers that pop up all over the pitch.

Thats one of the reasons why we are so easy to play against.

Other countries know exactly where our players will be on the pitch.

Just look at any action from the spanish side, or the great brazilian teams. They have players that are mobile and are allowed to express themselves.

Can you imagine Ashley Cole starting an attack from the right hand side of midfield? Or getting beyond the strikers?

Not fookin chance.

Its a strict and traditional 4 4 2 for us.......its never let us down.

I can't remember the last time England played with an orthodox 442, that is just a myth

Ok the last season;

Appearances 38
Chances created 116
Crosses & corners 353
Shots 23
Assists 5
Mins per goal 684
Shooting accuracy 52%

This season;

Appearances 7
goals 2
chances created / assists 11
crosses 55

England;
Caps 19
Goals 1
Assists 5
Pass completion 87%
Cross completion 15%
Tackles won 79%

but he is crap according to triple decker

No facts prove whether he is the best defender in the world etc. Just the same as no facts exist of whether George Best was better than Ronaldo. Its all opinion.

Bloody hell, you have a short memory.

Try the last match.

I never said he was the best in the world just he is up there as one of the most consistent a fact that tripledecker doesnt agree with and thinks we should take two young lads that have had half a good season over him.

Plus the fact he adds an attacking threat down the left which we are lacking seems to be lost by him.

It's an absolute banker that Baines will be going to Rio if fit and a very good chance that he will play more games than Ashley Cole.

I am sure Baines will go, I just don't think he should
We need a balance between trying to compete and giving people experience.
IMO Cole should be our first choice left back, with Luke Shaw who is an outstanding prospect and already IMO a tougher defender than Baines as back up.

I don't think Baines is 'shite', just pretty average at best defensively at the very top level.
As well as being cringeworthy it was interesting to note most of the 'stats' put up about baines were all about what he does attacking wise.

I repeat IMO in the World Cup England will not have the majority of possession in most games and will have to do a lot of defending (especially against the better teams), for these scenarios I believe Baines will struggle.

Ashley Cole isn't even Chelsea's first choice left back anymore.

Seen this image circulated recently which is interesting... The Daily Mail WC 2014 team prediction from 2007...

Gavin Hoyte? Is that the one playing for Dagenham?

Hoyte played against us for Dagenham the other week

Didn't them think Wayne Rooney would be still playing at the age of 28!?

Ben Amos - Loan at Carlisle from Man U
Sam Hutchinson - Loan at Vitesse from Chelsea
Micah Richards - Man City
Gavin Hoyte - Dagenham
Robbie Threlfall - Morecambe
Dean Parrett - Stevenage
Michael Johnson - Fat and retired
James Henry - Loan at Wolves from Millwall
Theo Walcott - Arsenal
Jose Baxter - Sheff Utd
Scott Sinclair - West Brom

yep, those sort of predictions are always inaccurate, surprised Micah Richards has not played more like.

My team to start the World Cup

Gk Hart
Lb Cole
Rb Johnson
CB Cahill
CB Jagielka
DM Gerrard
DM Wilshere
RM Townsend
LM Lallana
FC Rooney
SC Sturridge

Ironic that you slaughter Leighton Baines about his defensive attributes then pick Glen Johnson right back

Great point, there is no way decker you can say Johnson is good defensively.

Defensively England are poor, Cahill and Jagielka are probably the obvious choices but neither are top class I think that is a bigger problem than the full backs our best chance is to play on the front foot because we struggle to keep clean sheets against minnows.

We have 2 decent attacking full backs in johnson n baines im confident they could cause teams problems if they are on there game, they are dodgy when retreating back to their goal but most full backs are, thats why they are full backs.

I cant remember the last time a full back won a world cup for someone im more than happy with them 2 and i think roy is too, cole's on the slide and shaws about 6 year old.

I'm more concerned with a our attackers and centre mids tbh. They are the ones who will win us games.

yep Johnson isn't great defensively but we have less options in that position.

How about John Stones I think he is class and should go ahead of Johnson.

Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Micah Richards, Nathaniel Clyne, Carl Jenkinson

I would actually prefer Micah Richards, but for some reason his face doesn't fit.

Kyle Walker is not good enough.

fookin hell man, none of them are good enough. You really dont need to be a rocket scientist to see that.

In the practice draw we got Spain, Ivory Coast and South Korea*


*allegedly

Stop being negative

England are shite, and they are gonna get fucked good style!!

and doggie style!!

Mongrels!!!

Fuck sake, what a terrible draw that is.

France cheat to get in the main draw and get the dream group. Bent as fuck

Kick off time for the Italy game is 2am UK time.

That'll be interesting for the pub trade.

Am in magaluf on a stag doo so 3am. Gona be hammered

I just seen highlights on BBC footy page, and all I can wonder is, if you could measure the amount of ejaculate shot off by gadgies around the world after watching that blonde bird, I wonder what the volume would be

We're fooked there then...

I think it's a good group. At least we get three good games rather than watch us play horrendously against three crap teams ala 2010.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

And the 2am kick off for the first game is great for a night out.

It cost me three new mop heads here in Chi...errrr....in the country I live in.

I'll probably have to re-floor the place. It's everywhere....

No wonder the Brazilians are up in arms about the cost of the World Cup with all the economic problems they've got.

That poor lass couldn't even afford a bra.