Jim Baxter was born at Hill O'Beath in Fife in 1939 just as war was breaking out across Europe. Jim, at 60, has a careful, self-deprecatory way with him these days. Scots man hit with $1m medical bill after stroke on US trip to see sick granddaughter. I've just spent the last two hours watching England v Scotland in 1967 for my Sports Journalism class. I needed bastards like Carmichael, Buckard, Ferrier, Herdman and McNaught. 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. so when he left sunderland and came to nottingham forest my local team i was elated. The 28-year-old's family say this is an "extremely difficult time" as they try to cope with the sudden loss. And it was fun, my God it was. [34], Baxter is generally regarded as one of Scotland's greatest ever players. . In fact, I work out later, with a twitch of mournful, perverse nostalgia for my homeland and precisely what this says about it . And what football! Slim Jim Baxter was .. . It does not store any personal data. Free Online Library: My Story Jim Baxter: Day 3: YES, MY CAREER WAS A BALL; As these pictures show, there was always time for a laugh amid the highs and lows of football. [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. Even conservative estimates pitched his winnings at 1,800. Simply the Best. After he died of pancreatic cancer in 2001, his funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral and his ashes were buried at Rangers Ibrox Stadium. How many liver transplants did Jim Baxter have? His drinking was almost as accomplished as his football, the former finally overruled the latter as he attempted one last hurrah at Rangers after Forest freed him. Totally ignoring my partner of course, I listened in with glee as the names of Jim Baxter and Joe Baker dutifully came to bear upon proceedings. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. They celebrated him leaving . . He made our dreams into a reality. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown flew across the room to shake his hand. The Scottish Labour leader said it was up to Keir Starmer to judge how the controversial law looks in the rest of the UK. Edinburgh Evening News Im the Fan of the Week! I remember Slim Jim from Roker Park in the mid 1960s. Did they try to stop him playing? But Wembley in 1967 was a game just out of reach for a boy who had just turned 16. Slim Jim claimed to have won 3,000 at the roulette table. During this period the team won the Scottish League Championship in 1961, 1963 and 1964,[12] and were winners of three Scottish Cups and four League Cups from as many finals, Baxter playing in all seven ties. "[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. There, now Ive got that out of the way Ill begin. But now I'd be done for professional misconduct. Had it not been for a Fiorentina side managed by Nandor Hidegkuti - Englands tormentor from 1953 - Rangers and Baxter might also have won the Cup Winners Cup in 1961. The other thing he will always be known for is for kicking his career away at a very early age. What is the formula for calculating solute potential? For Jim, a one-time-miner who learnt his football on the ash-pitches of Fife, is and always has been staunchly apolitical. Not just a pastiche of other greats who have been consumed by their compulsions and vices, but a real and original immortal of Scottish football. what a loss football when he retired at 31, R.I.P JIM. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. That exactly. 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. Not Baxter, though. What a match! One of the greatest talents Scottish football has ever seen, Jim Baxter's years at the top were curtailed by his lifestyle which saw him fade from view by his thirtieth birthday. He was mischief. The Press Association arent known for breathless flair in their reporting, but they were captivated. According to Ken Gallachers fine biography of Baxter, Symon would admit as much when a deal was completed in 1960, telling him that: You controlled everything and that was in a Raith Rovers jersey and I wondered just what you would be capable of in a Rangers jersey.. You shouldn't, really.'. rangers, scotland My bonnie wee lad, the story gos like this The Ibrox side are facing issues up front after a fresh injury blow for Kemar Roofe. A Fatal Accident Inquiry will examine how Derek Roan, 71, died at his family farm near Dalbeattie, Dumfries and Galloway, in June last year. As Stevie says, wee Bud Johnston did make a habit of things like that. A town mourned. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Pancreatic cancer Baxters bar tabs from around Glasgow would be sent to the club and Rangers seemed prepared to turn a blind eye to his lifes hedonistic blur or did, until Baxter wanted more money. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. Jims pass, timed to perfection 12 minutes from the end, allowed Lennox to steer the ball beyond Englands Gordon Banks. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. . Rangers dominated the 1963 Scottish Cup Final, but it finished 1-1 and needed a replay. And right in the thick of it James Curran Baxter. 'Aye, that stuff. The reasons for that are many but in simple terms it was because my father worshipped him and this suggested that I ought to too. You just wanted him to play football forever but that was never his style. how on earth did he celebrate something like that? Youll hear praise as old ones sing it For a nation once more proud Jim Baxter Baxter during his time at Nottingham Forest Personal information Full name James Curran Baxter[1] Date of birth (1939-09-29)29 September 1939 Place of birth Hill of Beath, Fife, Scotland Date of death 14 April 2001(2001-04-14)(aged 61) Place of death Glasgow, Scotland[2] Position(s) Left-half Youth career Halbeath Juveniles We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. Can anyone tell me - Did Jim Baxter actually sit on the ball during a International match against England? well done I let them down; I didn't have one good game for them' - and an anti-climactic return to Rangers. Shaming England on their own turf, and with a performance - the footballing equivalent of the Ring Cycle - that has since seen him lionised, along with Kenny Dalglish, as the finest player Scotland ever had . [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. Student dies after being told 'you sound like you're feeling a bit sorry for yourself' by NHS 111. Bath That left foot was a stunning yet delicate tool. When you drank the heavenly elixir In two and a half years at Sunderland he played 98 games and scored 12 goals, becoming known for drinking himself unconscious the night before a match and playing well the next day. Wembley this is the London Palladium, Baxter said according to Tom Miller in a marvellous book Slim Jim: Simply The Best. 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. Meghan and Harry release statement after Jeremy Clarkson's latest public apology. The marriage broke up in 1981, and in 1983 he formed another relationship that lasted the rest of his life. English football was polluted by the direct and brutish corruptions of the game played in the public schools. Thank you for signing up to Four Four Two. The other twenty one? Absolute GENIUS. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. He was formerly a regularly columnist for the FourFourTwo website, covering all aspects of the game, including tactical analysis, reaction pieces, longer-term trends and critiquing the increasingly shady business of football's financial side and authorities' decision-making. A fully-fledged international, who would also appear for Rest of the World sides, he would regularly mix with players earning far in excess of his 35 a week. However, he started drinking heavily during a four-month layoff caused by a leg fracture in December 1964, his fitness suffered, and he was transferred to Sunderland in summer 1965. He led the Rangers team to such a dominant victory in the 1963 Scottish Cup final that the Celtic chairman placed an ad in the paper apologising to their fans for the humiliation. [7][14][16] Baxter played 98 games for Sunderland in England's First Division (then the top tier), scoring 12 goals. His frequent brilliance in spite of a decadent, nocturnal lifestyle had convinced him of his talents invulnerability and, unfortunately, the club did little to dissuade him of that assumption. [7], 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. Brought cheers that echoed loud, Jim Baxter sat upon the ball 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. Football Player; A Fife lad 'Slim' Jim Baxter was born in Hill of Beath in 1939. Jim also joked: If I dont turn it on here you can kick me up the backside.. By 1965, his relationship with Rangers was close to fracture. In 1966, sixteen months after his leg had been broken, Baxter was not able to inspire his teammates, and Scotland lost 43 to England. [51], Raith Rovers F.C. 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. 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. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Tis hard to say James Curran Baxter (29 September 1939 14 April 2001) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a left half. Forest had a team on the wane when Jim arrived and his football brain, though let down by his physical condition, was still razor sharp. 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. The one with him and Pele is a great photo. But Scotland led by Baxter . 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. . The man was a genus, and I dont use that term lightly. [7] In his time at the Kirkcaldy club he orchestrated a 32 win over Rangers at Ibrox Park; Scot Symon decided he wanted to sign him for Rangers from that performance. Rutherglen Glencairn 'made their own luck' to jump up three league places, says boss, Willie Harvey was delighted with the win over Neilston and wants to go on a run, Former Masters champion Yan Bingtao among TEN Chinese snooker players charged with match fixing. North of the border skill was still king and there at Wembley, decades after those differences had stopped being relevant, was Baxter as their cipher. He'll be sitting at home in Glasgow, watching the game on Sky. Remembering Red Star Belgrades European Cup winners, 29 years on from their greatest victory. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. How do I choose between my boyfriend and my best friend? He was born, educated and started his career in Fife, but his peak playing years were in the early 1960s with the Glasgow club Rangers, whom he helped to win ten trophies between 1960 and 1965, and where he became known as "Slim Jim". CaleyThistleOnline.com 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. Now 2017 offers a golden chance to celebrate him 50 years on from that Wembley triumph and I can think of no better tribute than creating funds and the means to find the next Jim Baxter. Way back in footballing antiquity, all the skill came from Scotland. Its one of the anecdotes which sustains Baxters legend. Some of the guys were saying that they were raging at him as they wanted to score more goals! Full list of new DWP weekly payment rates from April for PIP, Universal Credit and other benefits. The way that Job stroked the ball around was just inimitable. On a research study at my favourite watering hole The Woodlark at Lambley, (tours available), I , Baxter and Joe Baker dutifully came to bear upon proceedings. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In an interview on his career, Baxter was asked if joining the senior ranks was the beginning of his football education. Was never his style way that Job stroked the ball during a International match against England it finished and! Spent the last two hours watching England v Scotland in 1967 for my Sports class. 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