Source: Daily_Mail
It's not for kids! Leighton Baines axed from World Cup squad by Fabio Capello outside toy shop
The trampoline salesman who encountered Leighton Baines shortly after he heard he had been left out of Fabio Capello's World Cup squad will appreciate how well Everton's left-back has bounced back from that huge disappointment. [LNB]Baines was on his way to Toys 'R' Us with his family in early summer when England manager Capello called to say he had not made the plane to South Africa. [LNB]After taking in the news, Baines walked into the store and bought a trampoline. He has been riding high ever since and is one of Everton's key men in today's Merseyside derby. [LNB] Axed: Baines bounced back from news of World Cup agony by buying a trampoline[LNB]'I was on my way to buy a trampoline when I got the 10-second call from the manager,' said Baines. [LNB]'I had to pull up for five minutes and take stock. The World Cup was a big deal for me because I hadn't been part of that scene before.' [LNB]Baines still does not know if a poor display in a pre- World Cup friendly against Mexico was to blame for his omission, or an interview which gave the impression that he felt homesick when away on international duty. [LNB]'If I played my way out because of a poor game, I've no qualms about it,' he said. 'I'd like to think it was that rather than the interview, but I'm not too sure. [LNB]'My form has been OK again this season and I've not been included in an England squad since the World Cup. All I said at the time was that the hardest part of being a player is spending time away from my family. That's natural and other players have said it, but you also accept it. [LNB]'I did take stock in the summer and felt I needed to be bolder. 'I'd go away with England and look at everyone else and think how natural it seemed to them while I was just trying to be part of it.' Liverpool have their problems but Everton are also feeling blueMartin Keown's essential guide on how to deal with derby daySpurs OK Birmingham's £6m Robbie Keane fee as Harry Redknapp bids £2m for Steven PienaarAll the latest Everton news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Fabio Capello Places: United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa
