Whilst the football has changed so much over the last 40 years, if I was forced to choose one player who affected the games they played in the most, It has to be Ray Wilson. Even though he was 31 when he joined us, we still got 5 good years out of him, and the extra experience was a bonus. Like Baines, he was very good at getting involved in attacks, he defined the over-lapping full-back, but where he wins over Leighton is as a defender. Peerless timing, never going to ground unless strictly necessary and I don't think I ever saw him miss a tackle, he read the game beautifully and had that extraordinary quality of looking like he had more time on the ball than anyone around him. He was universally accepted as the best left back in the world at the time and, with Tommy Wright, John Hurst, and Labby, made up the best back 4 in the country. They could all play. The only unfortunate thing about Ray Wilson, was that he was developed into a pro from non-league football by Shankly, who managed Huddersfield at the time.
Baines is still 2nd in my book. It's rare to find a left back that has such a big effect on a match, and whilst Ray's left peg was sublime, I don't think it was technically as good as Leighton's. He seems to get better with every game so who knows? Maybe in time he will be looking to take over top spot
