Leon Best: Boo Boys Favourite


By AD
February 16 2009

From the start of this season a small but vocal minority of fans seem to have decided that Leon Best is the worst player ever to have pulled on a City shirt, and harangue him from start to finish for every little mistake, even cheering his substitution or booing him if he comes on. They claim he’s lazy and not committed to the cause.

Well, to those people I say look at the picture accompanying this article, and tell me if that looks like a man who doesn’t care? Wearing a facemask so that he can play despite a fractured cheekbone, the delight on Best’s face at Westwood’s last gasp penalty save against Wolves is more than you see from some players after they’ve won major competitions.

Coventry goalkeeper Kieron Westwood celebrates his penalty save with Leon Best (c) and David Wright

 

This is also a player who collapsed from exhaustion after a game against Wolves last year and spent much of the latter half of last season ploughing a lone furrow up front, a job which requires a tremendous amount of work for very little reward. Does that sound like someone who’s lazy? Yes, Leon can have quite a languid style that can give an impression of disinterest, but the evidence shows he does put the work in.

 

So maybe he’s just rubbish then? Well, the Trust voted him their Young Player of the Year last season, with Chris Coleman and the coaching staff doing likewise, so he can’t be all that bad can he?

 

The fact Coventry City supporters were upset that Best wanted to join Nottingham Forest shows that he can’t have been considered that bad a player by the fans, or we wouldn’t have been so bothered about him wanting to leave. I don’t remember fans getting angry about Kevin Kyle wanting to leave – most were just upset more clubs weren’t interested in him so he could leave as quickly as possible!

 

Anyway, the young lad is from the Nottingham area and the opportunity to play for his hometown club must have seemed like a dream come true, just as it would be for any of us if we were ever fortunate enough to be offered the chance to don the Sky Blue shirt, and his desire to leave is surely therefore understandable.

 

Anyone who saw the recent Blackburn game has to acknowledge the massive difference Leon made after coming on as a substitute. With the crowd behind him rather than on his back, he showed that he’s more than capable of taking on the ‘big’ striker role which many fans believe our squad lacks.

 

Yes, he does seem to get caught offside far too much for most people’s liking, but this is the type of thing that can be rectified by decent coaching, and just as Ben Turner seems to have made great strides this season a bit of work with Leon on this side of his game could see him jump up another level.

 

Best averages a goal about once every 5-6 games, which isn’t a fantastic return, but goal-scoring isn’t his only role. He’s there to do the donkey work to allow other people to get goal-scoring opportunities. A similar comparison could be made with Dele Adebola – a man who could infuriate with a lacklustre performance one week and look like a world beater the next.

 

Adebola also incurred the boo-boys wrath at the start of his Coventry career, but eventually went on to become a sort of cult hero once the fan’s had come to accept that he wouldn’t tear defences apart every week, but on those occasions he did it was a joy to behold.

 

I really hope Leon’s career at the Sky Blues can follow a similar vein, because he is undoubtedly a decent member of this squad.

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Leon Best: Boo Boys Favourite
Discussion started by Covcitytilidie , 16/02/2009 22:21
Covcitytilidie
16/02/2009 22:21
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CCFC Sid / CovSid67
16/02/2009 22:28
Cheers AD! The pic was one that I am allowed to use from the sites library.... winking smiley

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RansonIsGod
17/02/2009 00:22
Here here! Well said AD.

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CCFC AD
23/02/2009 21:06
The masks are now on sale! Apparently he's being touted as 'Superhero' but "The Leon Ranger" sounds much better

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