The Baker boy.

[Big Frank]

On another thread Spike Mandela posted the top 10 Hibernian Goalscorers of all time.

One that jumps out is :

J Baker 140 apps 114 goals.


That is a tremendous strike rate!!!


Older Hibs.netters, what was he like? Any good baker stories out there??

[--------]

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On another thread Spike Mandela posted the top 10 Hibernian Goalscorers of all time.

One that jumps out is :

J Baker 140 apps 114 goals.

That is a tremendous strike rate!!!

Older Hibs.netters, what was he like? Any good baker stories out there??

Simply The Best.

[CapitalHibs]

Was lucky enough to see Joe in his prime and he could do anything - left foot, right foot, heiders, beating players with his pace - the guy was the complete centre forward. It didn't happen very often, but I would get very dissapointed if was at a Hibs game and Joe didnae score at least one.

[NaeTechnoHibby]

Joe Baker was revered by the older peeps, he came in for Lawrie Reilly, and he delivered their expectations

From what I have been told though, Lawrie was as a sublime goalscorer too... hence the song.... ..gie the baw tae Reilly..

I would loved to have seen them at their peak, with Hibs

Now they are what you call "Legends"

[hhibs]

Apart from his legend status at ALL his clubs he was a lovely man and a real gentleman.

I was fortune to be in his company a few times and a more modest and warm person would be hard to find.

A true Hibee legend,

GGTTH

[mim]

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On another thread Spike Mandela posted the top 10 Hibernian Goalscorers of all time.

One that jumps out is :

J Baker 140 apps 114 goals.


That is a tremendous strike rate!!!


Older Hibs.netters, what was he like? Any good baker stories out there??

Fantastic. In his first spell he scored 102 goals in 117 games, yet overall his strike rate (.814) is not quite as good as Neil Martin, who scored 53 in 65 (.815).

As for Joe - he was simply the complete centre forward - fast, brave, two-footed and good in the air. He became the first player, playing outside England, to be capped for England. That's how good he was.

[--------]

Good obit here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ob...er-548877.html


Joe's selection to play for England means that Hibs were the first Scottish League side to have players capped for all four Home Nations.

The trouble was that though in footballing terms being born in England meant that he was English, he had been brought up in Larkhall and spoke with a broad Lanarkshire accent. He used to tell the story of how he arrived in London to meet up with the rest of the England team before his first match (a scoring debut against Northern Ireland) and how no one would believe him when he said he was down to pay for England. IIRC the doorman at the team hotel initially wouldn't let him in - thought he was at the wind-up - and someone had to go to fetch Walter Winterbottom, the manager, to vouch for him....

Joe was as Mike says the complete centre-forward, and a lovely man to meet with. A true gentleman and a sad loss to football and to Hibs.

A legend at Hibs, and equally fondly and reverently remembered at Torino, Arsenal, and Forest.

He had a career strike-rate of a hair's-breadth under 60% - 304 goals in 515 games - 59.03%.

[hibbybrian]

List of Arsenal players who scored 100 goals for them - and Arsenal weren't a top team when Joe played for them

Thierry Henry 226 370 0.61
Ian Wright 185 288 0.64
Cliff Bastin 178 395 0.45
John Radford 149 475 0.31
Ted Drake 139 184 0.76
Jimmy Brain 139 232 0.60
Doug Lishman 137 244 0.56
Joe Hulme 125 374 0.33
David Jack 124 208 0.60
Dennis Bergkamp 121 423 0.29
Reg Lewis 118 176 0.67
Alan Smith 115 347 0.33
Jack Lambert 109 161 0.68
Frank Stapleton 108 300 0.36
David Herd 107 180 0.59
Joe Baker 100 156 0.64

Nuff said

[hibbybrian]

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Good obit here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ob...er-548877.html

Joe was as Mike says the complete centre-forward, and a lovely man to meet with. A true gentleman and a sad loss to football and to Hibs.

In the early-mid 1990's Joe used to be in Tamsons before almost every home match and took time to chat to all the supporters - unfortunately I was so in awe of the man that apart from returning his greetings I was so gobsmacked that even after a few pints I couldn't bring myself to get into conversation with him :notworthy:

[--------]

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In the early-mid 1990's Joe used to be in Tamsons before almost every home match and took time to chat to all the supporters - unfortunately I was so in awe of the man that apart from returning his greetings I was so gobsmacked that even after a few pints I couldn't bring myself to get into conversation with him :notworthy:

You don't expect to meet a player of Joe's stature in the boozer just before the game, do you?

Or that he would be such a nice, unassuming guy?

[stu in nottingham]

Long, loud and respectful will always be the response from his legion of fans including me, when asked about Joe's many attributes.

Perhaps one thing I can add here is that he was loved whever he played, nowhere more so than here in Nottingham. If I can just offer you one small example of that it would be in a friend (a life-long Nottingham Forest supporter) here's reaction the first time I saw him after Joe's passing. He simply said to me 'my one and only all-time hero died this week'.

This man was the real thing. It really doesn't get any better.

My own personal tribute to Joe

Joe and Me

[ancient hibee]

The thing about Joe was that he was the first Hibs star who was in my age group-the Famous Five etc.were grown men but he was a teenager like us and I think that strengthened the bond.The Hibs team of the time was pretty poor with highlights along the way.When Bobby Johnstone came back Baker was unstoppable.

When capped for England he naturally scored in his first game.

[KeithTheHibby]

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Long, loud and respectful will always be the response from his legion of fans including me, when asked about Joe's many attributes.

Perhaps one thing I can add here is that he was loved whever he played, nowhere more so than here in Nottingham. If I can just offer you one small example of that it would be in a friend (a life-long Nottingham Forest supporter) here's reaction the first time I saw him after Joe's passing. He simply said to me 'my one and only all-time hero died this week'.

This man was the real thing. It really doesn't get any better.

My own personal tribute to Joe

Joe and Me

Nice piece Stu.

[Risboro Hibby]

Joe in his first spell with Hibs used to frequent the Dean Hotel. when my mother run it.

It was him and later the other legend Willie Hamilton who made me when I was a young lad, a hibby for life. He was a cracking guy and one who preferred a quiet life rather than being in the more fashionable esablishments of the time

[mim]

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Long, loud and respectful will always be the response from his legion of fans including me, when asked about Joe's many attributes.

Perhaps one thing I can add here is that he was loved whever he played, nowhere more so than here in Nottingham. If I can just offer you one small example of that it would be in a friend (a life-long Nottingham Forest supporter) here's reaction the first time I saw him after Joe's passing. He simply said to me 'my one and only all-time hero died this week'.

This man was the real thing. It really doesn't get any better.

My own personal tribute to Joe

Joe and Me

A great piece from you there, Stu.

I'll always remember that minute's silence as well.
Unfortunately, I'll also remember the totally inept display that Hibs put on that day, but that could never tarnish my memories of the great man.

[jdships]

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Was lucky enough to see Joe in his prime and he could do anything - left foot, right foot, heiders, beating players with his pace - the guy was the complete centre forward. It didn't happen very often, but I would get very dissapointed if was at a Hibs game and Joe didnae score at least one.

Along with "gie the ba' tae Reilly " he was
"The best of the best of the best" for me

[thebakerboy]

As you can see from my user-name thebakerboy was my all time football hero as a young lad. My dad had been taking me ER since the early 50's but really I dont remember much but at one game the team changed drastically Reilly was on the wing and this young upstart played at centre Joe Baker , from that day on my love of footbal changed and I had found my first Hero. As posted already Joe was a great guy and I remember him getting me and a mate official lapel badges from Barcalona and Roma amongst others. What modern star would really give time like that to a couple of wee chancers standing outside the players door after games. Also scoring a goal against Hearts at Tynie with his fist and getting away with it what a hero. Just the best of memories from over 50 years watching Hibs.

[WindyMiller]

His performance as a 17 year old in a Scottish Cup game against probably the greatest Hertz team of all time, is IMO the greatest performance by any Hibby ever.

[gillythehibby]

I was lucky enough to be present at His testimonial at the sheraton years ago and he was a class act. He spoke to everybody there that night and his love for the Hibs was not in doubt. I didn't see him play but my old man said he was superb. LEGEND.

[PapillonVert]

I only saw Joe in his second Hibernian incarnation, that is to say when he returned to ER for the second time. The game was against Aberdeen who had a great goalie and defence who hadn't conceded a goal in, oh, eons!!!!

Joe Baker came back to ER wearing (for the times!) oh so swanky white boots and long sideburns and, you guessed it, in went a goal. That was Joe.

Legend of legends.