Royal Blue: Leighton Baines is the hero in a supporting role
Blues left back has set up ten of last 20 goals in league and Europe
Seamus Coleman celebrates his goal against Villa with Leighton BainesIs there a more consistent footballer in the Premier League than Leighton Baines?
The Everton FC left-back has been transcending the limitations of his position for some time now, and is currently in the middle of another productive streak to go alongside the regularly superb execution of his other duties.
And in an age when there are neatly-packaged stats for everything, few streaks get over-looked by the boffins at Opta and elsewhere.
As noted by ESPN, Baines’ assist for Samuel Eto’o’s opener at Turf Moor last weekend, meant he has directly contributed to 10 of Everton’s last 20 goals across the league and in Europe, over 10 appearances. And whoscored.com, a goldmine of data and analysis, have released a study which underlines just how impressive the England international has been since a move to Merseyside.
“It’s true that the full-back has always been an integral player to the Toffees’ attacking forays,” they write. “But his crossing game has been tempered to a degree under Roberto Martinez, with a more balanced approach that allows Seamus Coleman to prove just as effective from an attacking sense from the opposite flank.
Leighton Baines holds off a challenge
“Under Moyes, Everton were often extremely lopsided, constantly looking to Baines to produce the sort of delivery that he’d become renowned for following a move from Wigan. Over the course of Moyes’ final two seasons at the club, Baines attempted a massive 595 crosses in 71 appearances (8.4 per game). In that time he registered a relatively modest seven assists.
“Martinez certainly has a different view of how best to play and, it seems, has asked Baines to offer more variety in the final third, now looking for late runners to slide in rather than constantly trying to cross.
“He’s still getting into positions to deliver into the box, evidence by the 44 crosses he’s attempted this season, but it’s a significant drop to 4.9 per game. He’s registered just one fewer league assist (six) in 62 fewer appearances than the aforementioned sample under the former Everton boss.
“To look at his statistical strengths, which include key passes, crossing, passing and dribbling, is effectively to look at a blueprint for the modern-day offensive full-back.
“The quality of Baines’ final ball is instead improving now that he’s picking his moments to cross with more care. It would also be easy to attribute such figures to his set-piece duties, but since the start of the 2009-10 season he’s picked up just five assists directly from corners.
“Few defenders in the Premier League era could match his figures when it comes to goal contribution. Over the last six seasons, Baines now has 36 league assists, fewer only than David Silva (41), Wayne Rooney (40) and Steven Gerrard (37).
“If he can maintain anything close to his current form, then he may be challenging the likes of Silva and Co. at the top of the assist leaderboard before too long. The fact that he’s presently anywhere near the top of the pile, let alone fourth, remains an unbelievable achievement for a player of his position.”
Fright Night for junior fans at spooky Goodison Park
There were scares aplenty at Goodison Park on Wednesday night as ghosts of Everton’s past came out for the club’s special ‘Fright Night’ tour.
In the lead up to Halloween, a selection of junior season ticket holders were invited to go behind-the-scenes at the Blues’ famous old stadium – and they encountered phantoms, spirits and even zombies along the way!
Armed with just a handful of torches, former Everton stars Graham Stuart and Ian Snodin joined the youngsters on their walk around Goodison once darkness had descended. Along the way, they stumbled upon the ghosts of Jemima Bushell – the first ever Everton Toffee Lady – and Blues great Dixie Dean who regaled the tale of his record-breaking goalscoring season of 1927/28.
It was one big Everton history lesson for those on the tour as apparitions of supporters from the 1970s and 80s, who were seated in the Gwladys Street and Family Enclosure, recalled the times that legendary strikers Bob Latchford and Graeme Sharp were gracing Goodison. A visit to the home dressing room was also in order, and it was here that Stuart and Snodin spoke about what life was like at Everton in the 1990s.
Leon Osman’s fascinating book deserves to be readLeon Osman received some concerted stick this week after excerpts from his new autobiography, printed in the ECHO, were misinterpreted as a scathing attack at Tim Cahill.
Osman actually speaks glowingly of the Aussie in other parts of the book but this passage, in which he makes a reasonable point about how the entire team teased Cahill over his top billing on the Goodison pitch when David Moyes was supposed to be bidding farewell, irked the keyboard warriors no end.
Everton's Leon Osman looks dejected after seeing his header saved against Manchester United during the Premier League match at Old Trafford.
Cahill seemed peeved too, and decided to not-so-subtly express it by favouriting tweets criticising Osman.
While it’s clear Cahill is a fans’ favourite who scored some crucial goals and fought tirelessly for the Blues, it seems grossly unfair that Osman, who has spent his whole career at the club and fought just as hard, was so pilloried.
His book is an absorbing read, full of anecdotes and searingly honest insight into what it was like to play for Everton over the last decade. It’s also often hilarious. Those who took umbrage to the passage about Cahill are entitled to their opinion of course but could at least read it before judging a man who is Blue through and through.
Echo
