Jim Baxter
Nottingham Forest | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | James Curran Baxter[1] | ||
Date of birth | 29 September 1939 | ||
Place of birth | Hill of Beath, Fife, Scotland | ||
Date of death | 14 April 2001 | (aged 61)||
Place of death | Glasgow, Scotland[2] | ||
Position(s) |
Left-half | ||
Youth career | |||
Halbeath Juveniles | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
Crossgates Primrose | |||
1957–1960 | Raith Rovers | 62 | (3) |
1960–1965 | Rangers | 136 | (18) |
1965–1967 | Sunderland | 87 | (10) |
1967 | → Vancouver Royal Canadians (loan)[3] | 12 | (2) |
1967–1969 | Nottingham Forest | 48 | (3) |
1969–1970 | Rangers | 14 | (1) |
Total | 359 | (37) | |
International career | |||
1958[4] |
Scotland Under-23 | 1 | (0) |
1960[5] | SFL trial v SFA | 1 | (0) |
1960–1967 | Scotland | 34 | (3) |
1961–1964[5] | SFA trial v SFL | 2 | (0) |
1961–1964[6] | Scottish League XI | 5 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
James Curran Baxter (29 September 1939 – 14 April 2001) was a Scottish professional
From 1960 to 1967, he was a leading member of a strong Scottish international team that lost only once to England, in 1966, shortly after he recovered from the leg fracture. He thought his best international performance was a 2–1 win against England in 1963, when he scored both goals after Scotland were reduced to 10 players. In the 1967 match against England, who had won the 1966 World Cup, he taunted the opposition by ball juggling while waiting for his teammates to find good positions. Although he was given most of the credit for the 3–2 win, some commentators wished he had made an effort to run up a bigger score.
In his prime, Baxter was known for his ability to raise a team's morale, his good tactical vision, precise passing and ability to send opponents the wrong way – and for being a joker on the pitch. He also broke with Glasgow tradition by becoming friendly with several members of their major Glasgow rivals, Celtic.
Although he gained a reputation as a womaniser when he moved to Glasgow, he married in 1965 and had two sons. The marriage broke up in 1981, and in 1983 he formed another relationship that lasted the rest of his life. After retiring from football he became manager of a
Early life
Baxter was born in
His former headmaster James Carmichael took an interest in ex-pupils and encouraged Baxter to join local football team Halbeath Juveniles instead of one of the glamour clubs.
Club career
Raith Rovers
Baxter joined
In an interview on his career, Baxter was asked if joining the senior ranks was the beginning of his football education. He said he found the idea of being given any sort of football education laughable, before then commenting on Willie McNaught. Describing McNaught as, 'a smashing guy', Baxter explained how instead of thoughtlessly charging forward with the ball, McNaught suggested more considered football – change from running 30 yards to produce a five-yard pass to running five yards and producing a 30-yard pass. This, Baxter then stated, was his football education with Willie McNaught the provider.[10] He later said of his time with the two Fife clubs, "I would never have made it in today's circumstances. I needed bastards like Carmichael, Buckard, Ferrier, Herdman and McNaught. Young players like I was would simply tell them to get stuffed and take their talent elsewhere. I owe them."[8]
Rangers
In June 1960,
His first Rangers game was in August 1960 at
In December 1964, Baxter played brilliantly to set up a 2–0 win for Rangers in an away game against Rapid Vienna in the European Cup. With the game won, rather than play out time Baxter's confidence over-extended into arrogance to make fun of his opponents with the ball. In the last minute he went to 'nutmeg' an opponent, who was having none of it and broke Baxter's leg with his challenge.[13] This was to be a watershed for Baxter. During the four months in which he was unable to play he began drinking to his detriment; this ultimately was to curtail his playing career and his life.[8]
Sunderland
Baxter joined
Nottingham Forest
In December 1967, English First Division club
Return to Rangers
Baxter moved back to Rangers.[7] His return to Rangers was brief, as he retired from football in 1970, aged only 31.[14] By the end of his career with Rangers he had made 254 appearances for the club, including victories that led to three Scottish League Championships, three Scottish Cups and four League Cups.[14]
International career
In the 1960s Baxter gained 34
According to many commentators, his greatest performances were against England in 1963 and 1967.
The following year Scotland, again inspired by Baxter and Law, beat England 1–0, and only poor finishing prevented them from scoring a bigger win. In 1966, sixteen months after his leg had been broken, Baxter was not able to inspire his teammates, and Scotland lost 4–3 to England.[8]
In the 1967
In October 1963, which may have been Baxter's best year overall, he played for the "
Scotland did not qualify for the final stage of the
Personal life and retirement
After moving to Rangers, Baxter became a notorious womaniser. In his words, "One day, I was a Raith Rovers player who couldnae pull the birds at the Cowdenbeath Palais. The next day I was in Glasgow and the girls were throwing themselves at me. It was certainly a change and I wasn't letting it go by." However, in 1965 he married Jean Ferguson, a hairdresser, and the couple brought up two sons Alan and Steven. His marriage to Jean broke down in 1981 and the two divorced. Jean married golfer William McCondichie three years later.[12] In 1983 Baxter formed a relationship with Norma Morton, and the couple remained together until his death in 2001.[34]
Baxter was free of the sectarianism that marked the rivalry between Glasgow's two leading teams. His close friends included the Celtic players Billy McNeill, Pat Crerand and Mike Jackson, in defiance of the unwritten rule that rivals did not associate.[8][35]
Like some other British football stars of the late 20th century, Baxter drank to excess,
His other lifelong addiction was gambling, at which he lost £500,000 by his own estimate and £250,000 by third-party estimates.[7][12] Later in his life, when asked if earning the huge incomes of footballers in later decades would have made a difference, he replied, "Aye, I would have gambled £50,000 a week on the horses instead of £100."[37]
In February 2001, Baxter was diagnosed as suffering from cancer of the pancreas, and he died at his home on Glasgow's South Side on 14 April 2001, with his partner Norma and his sons Alan and Steven at his bedside.[12] His funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral, where a reading was given by Gordon Brown, a long-time fan of Raith Rovers F.C., where Baxter began his career.[34]
Style of play
Baxter is generally regarded as one of Scotland's greatest ever players.[17] He was noted for accurate passes, for sending opponents the wrong way with a swivel of his hips, and for inspiring teammates with his confident approach.[34] He attracted attention by his stylish play, controlling the game with "unhurried artistry". He refused to conform with the "efficient" style that dominated British football or the energetic, physical style that was typical of Rangers at the time.[25] Indeed, although Rangers insisted that players tuck their shirts completely into their shorts, Baxter always let part of his dangle over his left hip.[14] He described his approach to playing football as "treating the ball like a woman. Give it a cuddle, caress it a wee bit, take your time, and you'll get the required response".[38]
Baxter played most of his best football in his early twenties, before the leg fracture against
Legacy
Baxter is a member of the Rangers supporters' Hall of Fame,[14] and one of the first 50 added to the Scottish Sporting Hall of Fame when it was created in 2002.[42][43] In 2004, he was also inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.[44] In the December 1999 issue of World Soccer magazine he was voted by a readers' poll into a list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century.[45]
The
In 2003, a statue of Baxter was erected in his birthplace, Hill of Beath in Fife, after a campaign that raised £80,000.[17][37] Fellow footballer and midfielder Scott Brown, who would become Scotland captain in the 2010s, was also raised in the village and attended the same school, with the Baxter statue across the street from his childhood home,[50] although Brown chose to sign for Celtic rather than Rangers.[51]
Career statistics
International appearances
Scotland national team | ||
Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|
1960 | 1 | 0 |
1961 | 7 | 0 |
1962 | 4 | 1 |
1963 | 7 | 2 |
1964 | 5 | 0 |
1965 | 3 | 0 |
1966 | 4 | 0 |
1967 | 3 | 0 |
Total | 34 | 3 |
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 2 May 1962 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | Uruguay | 1–3 | 2–3 | Friendly |
2. | 6 April 1963 | Wembley Stadium, London | England | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1963 British Home Championship
|
3. | 2–0 |
Honours
Club
Rangers
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Runner-up: 1960–61[55]
- 1963–64[57]
- Scottish Cup: 1961–62,[58] 1962–63,[56] 1963–64[57]
- Scottish League Cup: 1960–61,[55] 1961–62,[58] 1963–64,[57] 1964–65[59]
Individual
- Scottish Football Hall of Fame (inaugural inductee)[44]
- Scottish Sports Hall of Fame (inaugural inductee)[43]
- Ballon d'Or: 1965 (13th place)[60]
- World XI: 1963
See also
References
- ^ "Jim Baxter". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ "Rangers legend Baxter dies". BBC Sport. 14 April 2001. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ "NASL profile - Jim Baxter". North American Soccer League Players. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ "Matches played by Jim Baxter for Scotland Under-23". Fitbastats. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9781785312458.
- ^ "Matches played by James Curran Baxter for Scottish Football League XI". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glenn, Patrick (16 April 2001). "Jim Baxter". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Dalyell, Tam (16 April 2001). "Jim Baxter". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ "Rangers legend Slim Jim Baxter would have been a crack shot in the army too, says his former Major". Daily Record. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "Willie McNaught (and Ken)". Queen of the South official website. 26 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ a b "On This Day: 29 September". UEFA. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McGill, Craig (15 April 2001). "Slim Jim Baxter 1939 - 2001: Death of a Legend". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "Jim Baxter". Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- RSSSF. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ^ a b c Jones, Ken (16 April 2001). "Baxter a self-confident master of sublime skills". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 23 August 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ ISBN 1-905519-02-8. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "Baxter the shooting star | Nottingham Forest chapter started the rapid decline of a glittering career". The Herald. Glasgow. 21 April 2001. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "John Greig". Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Jim Baxter - Scotland Football Record from 09 Nov 1960 to 22 Nov 1967". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
- ISBN 1-86105-465-3. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
- ^ Jim Baxter (2001). The Jim Baxter Story (DVD). John Williams Productions - JW129.
- ^ Shaw, Phil (14 October 1999). "Flower of Scotland stirs the passions". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ ISBN 1-86105-511-0. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-285229-9. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-28300-0. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-582-50596-4. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ Dart, James; Ahmed, Zohaib (8 June 2005). "Zimbabwe: Kings of the world". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ "England v Rest of World, 23 October 1963". Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-582-50596-4. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ISBN 0-9540134-8-4. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
- ^ "1962 FIFA World Cup Chile". FIFA. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
- ^ "World Cup 1966: The Qualification Rounds". Retrieved 7 January 2009.
- ^ Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the originalon 25 August 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ Baillie, Rodger (14 October 2007). "Firm pals who broke the Glasgow mould". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ ISBN 1-85973-558-4. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
jim baxter football rangers.
- ^ a b "Statue to football legend unveiled". BBC. 20 April 2003. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ISBN 1-86105-683-4. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ Pattullo, Alan. "Flawed legend - and greater for it". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ "Night Slim Jim Had A Ball". Daily Record. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ Massarella, Louis (December 2005). "George Best: Perfect XI". Four Four Two. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Scotland honours sporting legends". BBC. 30 November 2002. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Scottish Sports Hall of Fame: Jim Baxter". Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Scottish Football Hall of Fame - Jim Baxter". Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "World Soccer Players of the Century (2001)". England Football Online. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ISBN 0-9552183-1-4. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ "Battle of the bridge commences". London Development Agency. Archived from the original on 18 May 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- ^ "Baxter vs Moore - Costing you money in Parliament". Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ "SNP MP's motion backs Jim Baxter bridge at Wembley". Scottish National Party. Archived from the original on 20 June 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ Hardie, David (6 May 2003). "Slim Jim watching over Hibs kid Scott". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ Atkinson, Mark (16 May 2007). "Celtic bag Brown from under Rangers' nose". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ a b Jim Baxter at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ a b "Matches played by Jim Baxter for Scotland". Fitbastats. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Jim Baxter profile". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "Matches played by Jim Baxter for Rangers, 1960–61". Fitbastats. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Matches played by Jim Baxter for Rangers, 1962–63". Fitbastats. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "Matches played by Jim Baxter for Rangers, 1963–64". Fitbastats. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Matches played by Jim Baxter for Rangers, 1961–62". Fitbastats. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Matches played by Jim Baxter for Rangers, 1964–65". Fitbastats. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ José Luis, Pierrend (22 June 2005). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1965". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
External links
- Jim Baxter at the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
- Jim Baxter at the Scottish Football Association
- Jim Baxter's Funeral Images @ Glasgow Guide at the Wayback Machine (archived 4 March 2016)
- Jim Baxter at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database