Joseph Henry "Joe" Baker (17 July 1940 – 6 October 2003) was an
England internationalThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballerAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. Born in
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he spent virtually his entire childhood growing up in Motherwell,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He is notable for being the first player to have played for England without having previously played in the
English football league systemThe English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
, and for scoring over 100 goals in both the English and Scottish leagues. His brother
Gerry Baker Gerard Austin "Gerry" Baker was an American-born British football player. From 1955 until 1970, he played sixteen seasons in either the Scottish or English first division. He also earned seven caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S...
was also a professional footballer; Gerry signed for
HibernianHibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
not long after Joe had left Hibs to play for
TorinoTorino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
.
Club career
A centre forward, Baker spent a month on trial with
ChelseaChelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
as a youngster, but was not signed. He signed professional terms with
HibernianHibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
after playing junior football for Coltness United and
Armadale ThistleArmadale Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from the town of Armadale, West Lothian. Formed in 1936 and nicknamed The Dale, they are members of the Scottish Junior Football Association and presently play in the East Region Premier League....
. In his first season with Hibs, the 17 year-old Baker scored all four goals in Hibs' 4–3 victory over
city rivalsThe Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any football match played between Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian , the two professional clubs based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The two clubs have a fierce rivalry that dates back to the clubs being founded in the mid-1870s, which...
HeartsHeart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
in the quarter-final of the
1958 Scottish CupThe 1957-58 Scottish Cup was the 73rd staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Clyde who defeated Hibernian in the final.-First round:-Replays:-Second round:-Replays:-Third round:-Replays:...
. Baker played in the 1958 Scottish Cup Final, which Hibs lost 1–0 to
ClydeClyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
. He also scored nine goals in a
Scottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
tie against
Peebles RoversPeebles Rovers Football Club is a Scottish football club based in Peebles, Scottish Borders. The club name was resurrected in 2010 after playing since 2006 as Peebles Football Club...
. Baker was Hibs' top goalscorer for four consecutive seasons, scoring a club record 42 goals in 33 league games during the
1959–60 seasonThe 1959–60 season was the 63rd season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: HeartsRelegated: Stirling Albion, Arbroath-Scottish League Division Two:Promoted: St...
. In all he scored 102 goals in just 117 league games, and 159 goals in all competitions for the
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
club.
In 1961, Baker was transferred to Torino for £75,000, after the Hibs board refused to give him a £5 wage increase from his existing wage of £12 a week. Despite scoring a winning goal in a Turin derby match against Juventus, his time at the Italian club was short and almost ended in tragedy. Baker was involved in a serious car crash, which meant that he needed life-saving surgery and spent over a month on a drip feed. It was a generally unhappy spell as Baker did not like the press intrusion, which meant that he and teammate
Denis LawDenis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
spent most of their time in their Turin apartment.
Baker recovered from his injuries and he returned to the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in July 1962, joining Billy Wright's
ArsenalArsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
for a club record fee of £70,000. He made his debut against
Leyton OrientLeyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
on 18 August 1962, and in all spent four seasons with the Gunners. For three out of those four seasons (
1962–63The 1962–63 season was the 83rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*Everton won the League Championship, their first post-war title.*Manchester United won the FA Cup, their first major trophy since the Munich Air Disaster in 1958....
,
1964–65The 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....
and
1965–66The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...
) he was the club's top scorer; in total he scored 100 goals in 156 games in all competitions, making him one of the club's most prolific goalscorers of all time.
His pace and acceleration made him a highly effective and dynamic attacker, and he was equally adept with his feet and his head, despite his lack of height. With
Geoff StrongGeoffrey Hugh "Geoff" Strong is an English former footballer.-Arsenal:Strong played as an amateur for his local club, Stanley United, before being spotted by Arsenal; he signed for the London club as an amateur in November 1957 and turned professional the following April...
he formed one of Arsenal's most prolific striking partnerships, but Arsenal's defence could not match the quality of their attack, which meant they were unable to finish above 7th in the league during his time at the club. After a poor
1965–66The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...
season, Wright sold Baker to
Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
for £65,000.
Baker had a successful first season at Forest, as the club finished runners-up in the league. After three years at Forest, scoring 41 goals in 118 league games, he moved to
SunderlandSunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
for £30,000. After two seasons there, he returned to Hibernian for a second time in 1971, but his comeback did not last long and he moved to
Raith RoversRaith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
in 1972 after 12 goals in 30 appearances for Hibs. He retired in 1974, having in all scored 301 league goals in 507 games. His elder brother
Gerry Gerard Austin "Gerry" Baker was an American-born British football player. From 1955 until 1970, he played sixteen seasons in either the Scottish or English first division. He also earned seven caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S...
was also a footballer, who played for
HibsHibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
,
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
,
Ipswich TownIpswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
and
Coventry CityCoventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
.
International career
Baker was born in
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Scottish parents, and moved to Scotland while he was a young child. His talents meant that he was selected by the Scottish Schools team, but his birthplace made him only eligible to play for
EnglandThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
under the rules of the time. He made his England debut against
Northern IrelandThe Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
in 1959, which made him the first player to be capped for England while playing for a club outside the
English football league systemThe English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
. It also meant that he was the first player to play for England without having ever played for an English club.
Owen HargreavesOwen Lee Hargreaves is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Premier League club Manchester City and the English national football team....
is the only other player to have done this.
Baker won eight caps for the senior England side, five while he was playing for Hibs and three while with . These later caps were won when he earned a brief recall to the England side in 1965. Despite scoring in a 2–0 win over
SpainThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Baker didn't make the squad for the
1966 FIFA World CupThe 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
.
Managerial career and later life
Baker later became
Albion RoversAlbion Rovers Football Club are a Scottish football team from the North Lanarkshire town of Coatbridge, who are currently playing in the Scottish Football League Second Division...
manager on two occasions, but never pursued a full coaching career, instead running a
pubA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and working for Hibernian's hospitality service. He died at the age of 63, after suffering a
heart attackMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
during a charity
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament, dying in
Wishaw General HospitalWishaw General Hospital is a district general hospital in the Craigneuk area of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire.-The Hospital:Wishaw General Hospital opened on 29 May 2001. It is a 633-bedded hospital, with the second-largest maternity unit in Scotland, delivering 5500 babies each year...
soon after.
External links