Interestingly Iit seemed lost on these local men after the decades had passed on how Jim struggled in the Garibaldi Red of their beloved team, (mainly due to the wonderful social life James Curran Baxter had sought out in the Lace city). Back on Trentside: Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth, Torquay United 5 1 Notts County (Magpies promotion hopes falter), Viewpark Glen, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, The Former Children's Hospital, Nottingham, A Short History of Hibernian Football Club, Down by the Riverside - Nottingham to Newark by Bicycle, The Former Childrens Hospital, Nottingham, (Hibs on a) Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Another Bad Day at the Office for Hibernian, Another four goals! These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. I think I devoured every joyful word in every Sunday newspaper. THE football shirt worn by Jim Baxter during Scotland's famous victory over England in 1967 could fetch up to 60,000 when it goes up for auction next month. I know for a fact Willie Johnston used to sit on the ball. One while at university, I had a summer job working on a farm near Dunfermline. You shouldn't, really.'. . I think we paid about 17k for him from Raith. Jims pass, timed to perfection 12 minutes from the end, allowed Lennox to steer the ball beyond Englands Gordon Banks. After 49 appearances, he left Forest in May 1969 to return to Rangers. The idea had been to talk to this icon of Anglo-Scots rivalry about the forthcoming games, and try to work out quite why the two nations love to hate each other so. [22] In the 1963 game Scotland were reduced to 10 men when their left back Eric Caldow's leg was broken in a tackle by Bobby Smith substitutions were not allowed at that time. When he went to Wembley that day it was simply with a sense of excitement, and occasion, and his attitude to the English now - 'I just wanted to beat the shite out of them and have a good laugh; it was nothing personal' - is a long way from the resentful kind of half-surly, half-deferential culture which has since flavoured so many of the North's dealings with the South. Apr 22, 2022. Always a team I like to see do well. Although he was given most of the credit for the 32 win, some commentators wished he had made an effort to run up a bigger score. Full list of new DWP weekly payment rates from April for PIP, Universal Credit and other benefits. Right along the Wemberly touchline And even now I can watch the grainy black and white highlights again and again and watch him. [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. A team in navy blue toying with the Auld Enemy, then the official world champions, in their own fortress. Maybe The Black Cats did the right thing in getting rid of him at that time though as things went disastrously wrong at Forest for him afterwards. Jim was known to be fond of the odd Bacardi and Coke and found a terrific ally in Garfield Sobers, the greatest cricket player that ever lived and also a world class drinker. [7][12] He played for Rangers from 1960 to 1965, mainly as an attacking left half. Jim Baxter played that in front of ninety thousand fans, Nottingham Evening Post reporter Tony Pritchett described the signing of Baxter as "probably the worst transfer in Forest's history". BA1 1UA. On 15 April 1967, a glorious sunny Wembley afternoon, England were world champions; Scotland were rank outsiders, and no self-respecting Englishman would have tipped them to be able to find the ball with both hands. At Sunderland his cross field passes and at time his vision were superb . Across the next 50 years whether at home or in Downing Street Id watch either on TV, or in person, most of Scotlands internationals and cheer as I did when we qualified for tournament after tournament and sat head in hands in the stand when Gary McAllister missed that famous Euro 96 penalty and watched in disbelief as Paul Gascoigne scored for England a minute later. 5 Where was Jim Baxter buried in his hometown? When you drank the heavenly elixir In particular, the disparity between what a parsimonious Rangers board would pay and what could be earned south of the border rankled and would help to create an impasse. Jim just kept repeating to anyone who would listen, Just give the ball to me, thats all I want, recalls Lennox. The end of Nottinghams German Christmas market? The memory of him is already kept alive by the statue erected in his home village of Hill of Beath near where he lived, went to school and first played football and I am proud to have worked with so many locally to raise funds for this memorial. My bonnie wee lad, the story gos like this [12], His other lifelong addiction was gambling, at which he lost 500,000 by his own estimate and 250,000 by third-party estimates. Now years on I hope we can celebrate Jims genius by supporting the next generation of Fife footballers who will carry his legacy forward. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Nov 10, 2011. By the end of the game of his life, 'Slim Jim' Baxter, left-midfield architect of the Scots' victory, was openly toying with the furious, frustrated deities in white. He started doing. Get5 copies of the world's greatest football magazine for just 5 (opens in new tab) the game's greatest stories and finest journalism direct to your door for less than the cost of a London pint. But Baxter? ', 'Aw, come on. A terrific victory One who passed through that decades football folklore like a shooting star. What a player! At the end of 1967 Sunderland transferred him to Nottingham Forest, who gave him a free transfer back to Rangers in 1969 after 50 games. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Where was Jim Baxter buried in his hometown? Breaking his leg in Austria didn't help matters. Aye, it was great. In fact, I work out later, with a twitch of mournful, perverse nostalgia for my homeland and precisely what this says about it . Youll hear praise as old ones sing it That afternoon, after a few hours sleep, he and his left foot would captivate 120,000 fans at Hampden Park, giving what was by his own reckoning his finest performance against Celtic in a 3-0 win. Subscribe to the Worlds #1 football magazine. But before then 'Slim Jim' was instrumental not only for Rangers - where . With a taunt, a feign, a pass, They tried hard to get the ball off him Around 1984 Peter McCloy fumbled the ball to allow them to . Its 50 years ago yet still we smile. So I'd trap the ball with my arse, or shy it off some boy's back at a throw-in, and we'd all have a smile.' Family of dog walker tragically mauled to death break silence on shock death. Ill alternatively offer an individual take on a man who entranced the world of football during the 1960s. Together with former Hibees Centre Forward, Neil Martin, they were 2 of the leading lights of Sunderlands scots imports. Jim, of course, went on to play regularly for Scotland scoring both goals in the 2-1 win over England in 1963 despite Scotland playing the bulk of the game with only 10 men after Rangers full-back Eric Caldow broke his leg. Good luck to Sunderland for the coming season. I didn't actually sit on the ball, not that game. Peter Barr Cormack Rock and Roll Footballer! You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. he never showed any regret for his lifestyle and we should remember he left his elegant footprint on football more than most. He ordered a bottle of Bacardi and a jug of Coke, and asked for a small bottle of ice. Sun Apr 15 2001 - 01:00 Former Rangers and Scotland legend Jim Baxter has died at the age of 61, the Scottish Premiership club said today. And so, of course, I run through my own unimpressive, cod-sociological, middle-class theorising . Baxter was such a majestic player, if you look at his ball control at that goal it gives you an idea of how goal he was. 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Edinburgh Evening News Im the Fan of the Week! [7] Baxter, supported by Mackay, White and Law,[8] led Scotland to a 21 win, scoring both of the goals, the first being Baxter's first-ever penalty kick, for an English foul on Willie Henderson. He divorced and remarried. The Scotland jersey worn by Jim Baxter against world champions England at Wembley in 1967 could fetch a record 60,000 at auction next month. . Scottish public opinion at the time blamed lack of commitment by the "Anglos", Scottish-born players who spent little or none of their playing careers in Scotland. The broken leg had reduced him as an athlete, he already knew that, but the long recovery had allowed alcohol to really tighten its grip. And, sadly, I know where I'd put my money this time. In 2003, a statue was erected in his honour at his hometown, Hill of Beath . . The man who utterly humiliated England the year after they won the World Cup. He out played them, Grown men were seen to cry the tears Just a breathtaking talent. oh, playing on that pitch, it was what I was born for!' There was something about the . He also broke with Glasgow tradition by becoming friendly with several members of their major Glasgow rivals, Celtic. Jim Baxter played in this game as if his very life depended on it, fantastic poem At the end of the season he would be sold to Sunderland, one of the few English teams who werent deterred by his reputation. Tell of us of the day? The football shirt worn by Jim Baxter during Scotland's famous victory over England in 1967 could fetch up to 60,000 when it goes up for auction next month. However, in 1965 he married Jean Ferguson, a hairdresser, and the couple brought up two sons Alan and Steven. A year later, this time at Wembley, he was part of an even more unlikely 2-1 win the second tenet of his legacy. Baxter was entertainment and flair. To play the champs of 66, Were England unbeatable grand-dad? [13] This was to be a watershed for Baxter. Scotland legend "Slim Jim" famously humiliated the previous year's World Cup winners on their own hallowed turf, capping his performance with an iconic keepy-uppy display considered one of the most memorable moments in Scottish football history. His football career would be over at just 31. He was the elegant rapier that cut and tore England to pieces with his cavalier midfield play, prompting prodding and waltzing around the England rearguard in elegant style. Something went wrong, please try again later. Baxter was from Hill of Beath, a small village in Fife which was built to the serve the mining community. Stirling Albion's fixture hopes washed away again as they wait to make 2023 bow. [29], Scotland did not qualify for the final stage of the FIFA World Cup during Baxter's playing career. ", http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/braveheart.html. Jim Baxter keepie uppie against England, 1967 Scotland National Team 80.2K subscribers 299 96K views 9 years ago Scotland became the unofficial world champions after an epic 3-2 victory against. [10] He later said of his time with the two Fife clubs, "I would never have made it in today's circumstances. The one with him and Pele is a great photo. Jim Baxter was my boyhood hero, I bought a poster of him the week before he was transferred to Forest and like Neil Thompson I cried the day he left. Let me declare, I wasnt there. In a 1995 interview, he likened his upbringing to a scene from a Charles Dickens novel and recalled the forty-a-side playground matches which would have first demanded his delicate touch and technique. Interestingly Iit seemed lost on these local men after the decades had passed on how Jim struggled in the Garibaldi Red of their beloved team, (mainly due to the wonderful social life James Curran Baxter had sought out in the Lace city). Not Baxter, though. . I hear your dad's wee Jimmy Clitheroe?" Two fruitless years later, he would move further south, down to the City Ground and Nottingham Forest, but making one final stop at Wembley first, for a very last dance. [23] Bobby Moore thought this was the best team Scotland ever fielded. After he died of pancreatic cancer in 2001, his funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral and his ashes were buried at Rangers Ibrox Stadium. Best of luck with the biography. And a broken leg. Bath But I did a bit of keepie-uppie. Four years later, toying with the World Cup giants, he remembers: 'We'd just decided to enjoy ourselves, and it worked. Jim was a hero of mine, Id be glad to help if I can. The Harder They Come: Footballs Hard Men, A Highland Tour: (2) Plockton and Applecross, Attenborough Nature Reserve: A Triumph of Nature over Industry, Come a walk around Nottingham Goose Fair with me, Come Walk the Green Fields of Nottinghamshire, Down by the Riverside Nottingham to Newark by Bicycle, In and around Lambley village, Nottinghamshire, Land of Legend and Dreams, Sherwood Forest and The Major Oak, North Yorkshire: Robin Hoods Bay and The Cleveland Way, North Yorkshire: Whitby, Runswick Bay and Staithes, Nottinghamshire countryside: Stoke Bardolph and The Ferryboat Inn, Sadly missed: Kellys Tavern, Newark-on-Trent. Jim Baxter. After retiring from football he became manager of a pub, and his continued heavy drinking damaged his liver so badly that he needed two transplants at the age of 55, after which he swore off alcohol. When England saw him gliding oer the green Jim Baxter was our conductor in dark blue When was Jim Baxter married and how many children did he have? On leaving school he saw his best prospects in becoming a miner and joined many other Fifers in starting a life down the pit. But Saturday, April 15, 1967 has stood the test of time. Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister remembers our wonderful Wembley Wizards of 1967 and his memories of one of Fife's favourite sons. Sign up for a new account in our community. At the end of the season he would be sold to Sunderland, one of the few English teams who werent deterred by his reputation. But I did a bit of keepie-uppie. Its a man who knows he hasnt got much time, who isnt afraid of his regrets, but who is comfortable with the effect hes had and how hell be remembered as a footballer. [38], Baxter played most of his best football in his early twenties, before the leg fracture against Rapid Vienna in December 1964 and the start of his heavy drinking that made his nickname "Slim Jim" less appropriate. He will always be remembered. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The pair look to be high on the agenda for Michael Beale and his Ibrox recruitment drive. . His liking for the sauce shortened his career dramatically and led to two (aye, two) liver transplants. My father watched lay the flat of his hands on to the bar. Of course orchestrating two Scotland victories over England at Wembley in 1963 and 1967 (and humiliating them in the process in the latter game) elevated Jims standing in our house to astronomic status. Well-Known Member. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. When did Jim Baxter sit on the ball? It was an order, barked to Bobby Lennox, then passed around. The Nottingham Panthers Memories from Lower Parliament Street, Market Square, Nottingham by Arthur Spencer, A Physiotherapist visitand the Running Streak endures, My Fourth Marathon The Nottingham Robin Hood Marathon, 2009, The Marathon Diaries: Cleaning up the Act, The Marathon Diaries: The First Fifteen Weeks, The Marathon Diaries: The Inspiration of Terry Fox, Hibs manager, Lee Johnson, at his post-match interview after the derby loss today had the look of a man who is meas. Heres how it works. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. [42][43] In 2004, he was also inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. How did it end up? 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 a game against Rapid Vienna in Austria, in the second round of the European Cup, Baxter suffered that broken leg at the end of a tie which was already won. I was always a man of simple tastes. 6 Where did Jim Baxter get his leg broken? Or grab yourself some me-time and treat yourself! Jim Baxter was born at Hill O'Beath in Fife in 1939 just as war was breaking out across Europe. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It wasn't a plea. . Slim Jim claimed to have won 3,000 at the roulette table. He is generally regarded as one of the countrys greatest ever players. The Lionesses produced a fine second-half display against Ayr United on their return from the winter break - and are set for a crucial clash away to Rossvale this weekend. I have searched Utube and the net in general but can't find any footage of it. He was earning 7 a week sorting the stone from the coal at Fordel Colliary and 3 a week in Raiths reserves. But, yes, essentially it was 14 years in the pub. A one-word swagger a wink and the promise of something special in what is still probably the greatest Scotland game of all time. By He would retire in 1970. After leaving school he spent eight months as an apprentice cabinet maker, and then worked as a coal miner. Jim will always be immortalised for that heroic display in 1967. His passing, movement, positioning and first touch was absolutely exceptional. Ca n't find any footage of it ball, not that game and at his... Scottish football Hall of Fame carry his legacy forward cookie is used jim baxter sits on ball store the user for! Net in general but ca n't find any footage of it Necessary cookies are essential. At university, I know Where I 'd put my money this time on leaving he! 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