The Tragedy of Jim Baxter, How he Lived is Sad...

#jimbaxter #footballicon #footballlegends
Step into the life of Jim Baxter, known as "Slim Jim." He was a star in football, playing brilliantly for teams like Rangers and the Scotland national team. His most famous moment came in a game against England in 1967. But Jim's life wasn't just about football success. He also had tough times, especially with his drinking habits. Let's find out how Jim managed the ups of his sports career and the downs of his personal life, revealing the story of a man full of talent and facing big life challenges.
Jim Baxter was born on September 29, 1939, in the mining town of Hill of Beath, Scotland, a place deeply rooted in working-class values and a strong passion for football. Growing up in a close-knit community, Jim was the youngest of three children in a family where life was modest but full of love and support for his interests.

[@DannyBhoy88]

I was one celtic fan who was glwhen he got transferred south. He was a truly gifted player and a real thorn in our side. Unfortunately jim couldn't handle drink or fame, they came hand in hand to him. He was a shadow of the player he was when he returned to Glasgow. Should and could've been world class. Still, it was a pleasure seeing him play.

[@pureloyalist9277]

Cheers obviously a true football fan 🫡👍🏻 Rangers fan 👍🏻

[@jimbrown2688]

How he played football, and by God he could play, was so amazing that the term genius is an understatement. Celric fan...

[@rian202003]

Celtic fan here, RIP slim Jim. World class player. And sadly wasted talent as we have saw with others 😕

[@johneyton-ze6ws]

I was at Wembley in 1967...magic performance by Jim and the whole team. Saw him many times at Ibrox and Hampden. Many years later I went with friends to Jim's bar after a mid-week Rangers European win. The singing of some songs was quite loud and the language raucous. Jim Baxter came to the bar and said 'Enough'....Total silence then normal chatter restarted..showing the respect to the one and only Jim Baxter. Very sad ending of one of the very best. Not long after the visit to the Bar mentioned above, I was in London with some nephews....We went for a walk to a nearby bar in Marylebone. George Best was there....talking to the locals.

[@charlieemslie7708]

A great player in a great team at the time.Both Rangers and Celtic had exceptional players in an era where they were lauded in Europe.Fantastic time for Scottish football 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@markwatson9521]

Still my all time hero to this day. His record in Old Firm games between 1960 & 1964 with only 2 defeats was the driving force in a great Rangers team. His finest moment for Scotland wasn't 1967 but 1963 when he scored both goals and that's in his own words.

[@eddiejohnstone9797]

Thank you for such a fine and honest - if hard-hitting - tribute to one of Scotland’s greatest players whom I saw play many times throughout the 1960’s. I was proud to meet my hero in his retired years when, as “mine host” in a hotel near my home and warmly shaking my hand, Jim said “I hear that you are some player, wee man”. Alas Slim Jim was only referring to the fact I was setting up on stage as the keyboards player for the evening and not that I was a great footballer like he indubitably was. Thanks again for the memories and all the great pics. Regards. Eddie

[@UKsoldier45]

Saw him whilst he was playing at Nottinfham Forest. A class player.

[@andrewsmith-cm9qw]

On my way to Ibrox my pals and me would drink in his pub on Paisley Road West he always looked in control and I never saw him pissed. Wonderful footballer and great Publican

[@randlepmcmurphy6117]

The New Regano? I used to drink in it when I worked in kinning park, Big Jim’s boy had the Old Toll Bar and he frequented in there also. A bit before my time but heard he was some player.

[@andrewsmith-cm9qw]

@@randlepmcmurphy6117 it was called Jim Baxter’s that was around 78/79

[@daviethomson5707]

I met Jimmy god knows how many times over the years, and he was always the same, full of life and up for a laugh. Wee fun fact: his pub on the Paisley road, was right across from a pub owned by Alex Ferguson.

[@user-ht9jw5mo4s]

I met Jim and Billy McNeil at a paid tour in Buckie. Jim had recently had surgery. I watched with sadness as he sank a number of rum and cokes. The drink took over him. Alcohol obsession is awful. Billy was the opposite. So sad.

[@jeffreyhodge5564]

Watched him play for Sunderland ,Wonderful,

[@Bri-254]

Great player !

[@davidsmythe9266]

Gentleman Jim, R I P.

[@LeonardHiggins-ph1cr]

1 of the greatest ever

[@johnoneil4456]

To me, he was the best player I ever saw playing for rangers. Fabulous , gifted, I worked on a gas escape right outside his pubs front door. He told us to Finish the job quickly, to allow access to his punters. and come in for a pint. We did, and He charged us full price.....swine lol someone must have told him We were tims

[@alexbowman7582]

Used to see Jim cutting about the West End. Quite a tall hefty man.

[@Norrie754]

There’s a statue of Jim Baxter in Hill of Beath. He played for Crossgates Primrose just two miles down the road from where he was born before going to Raith Rovers.

[@billmccarthy9689]

I remember the game in 1967 when playing us the world champions the game dubbed as the battle of the redheads Ball and Bremner. That duel was sidelined by a super smooth silky player, Jim Baxter. His 'keepy ups' the highlaight of the game. Seemed almost impertinent but a player at the top of his game showing his mastery. At school games later everybody was trying to do a Jim Baxter and we were all English!

[@user-ri2id1lu6k]

I remember Baxter signing for Forest in 1967 for a club record, £100,000. Turned out to be an absolute disaster, he looked unfit and out of sorts. it soon became apparent his signing was a mistake. The previous season (before Baxters arrival) Forest had finished first division runners up to Man. Utd. With Baxter in the team, they tumbled down the table

[@neildedden7325]

Best player to ever leave Scotland for England.

[@James-he8tx]

Kenny Dalglish was the best football player ever to leave Scotland to play in England

[@user-wz2ib9fq9w]

​@@James-he8txjim baxter was trully world class a notch above daglish not even a debate slim jim jimmy johnston both were better than daglish ... baxter was simply out of this world

[@alanhollands8901]

When Jim played for Nottm Forest he stopped opposing players just by breathing on them!

[@anthonymitchell8893]

come on Alan behave yourself .plenty wore alkies in nottingham back in the day him was a novice compared to the tramps drinking the pink.lady around the bus station

[@stewartgreig3272]

Im sure that i saw an interview with jim on the t v where he says he was just an ordinary man who liked to drink a lot and found it more enjoyable than football but he also said he just happened to have a talent for playing football. Football wasn't the most important thing in his life to him. He said he could never have maintained the discipline to be a top player. I thought this was very honest of him.

[@michealmackintosh4502]

In the U.S. alcoholism is called the Celtic disease after watching this Slim Jim fought a long battle against it.

[@WHU63]

Jim wouldn't have appreciate you saying he had the "Celtic" disease Michael. But I know what you're referring to. Scottish and Irish people tend to go a bit overboard with their drinks.

[@michealmackintosh4502]

I know it came out with the capital C not lower case for the ethnic group.worked it out that Jim would be £120mil.today.

[@WHU63]

@@michealmackintosh4502 I'm a Rangers fan but he was a bit before my time. My dad remembers him though and spoke of his skills. Like the great George Best, Paul McGrath, Gaza, Jimmy Greaves, Kenny Samson, Tony Adams.... Jim enjoyed a drink. Unfortunately none of these guys learned to drink in moderation.

[@connectcouriers]

😅😅😅 ​@@WHU63

[@keith3696]

Let's be honest, he was a dafty!

[@jimwatson3382]

If Jim were english he'd be lauded up to the rafters.sadly the Scottish Welsh or Irish players don't get the recognition down south heap on their lot!

[@geoffreyking4515]

He was gifted at his peak when at rangers ,then to sunderland and then the drink took its toll ,,possibly him and the lawman aretqo most gifted scots in modern times

[@michaelbarratt3067]

If he was going to go anywhere he should have gone to Europe. He would have flourished at somewhere like Barcelona because he played like Johan Cruyff

[@johncox5939]

What a player ! never understood how he never made the real big time.

[@chkhamis101]

He did he played for Glasgow Rangers.

[@johncox5939]

@@chkhamis101 yeah I give you that !

[@grahamrose6914]

Because he was a drunk

[@alexandercormack6818]

​@@grahamrose6914Didn't have to be a drunk some of the biggest pissheads were English Adams, Merson, Sampson, Gascoigne. To name a few.

[@michealmackintosh4502]

Watch the old footage of Jim-then nearest I can liken him to is Zinedine zidane.A truly monumental player.You had some magic players at Rangers.Doint laugh.....but yeah I'm a chelsea fan ....I remember the old days when we always had a pre season friendly against Rangers.Happy days!

[@madhatter217]

It seems to be a rerecurring theme in football down the years, George best, Kenny Samsung and Paul Gascoigne among others and when I saw Jack Grealish celebrating Man Citys winners parade last year I couldn't help but see this lads life going that way if he's not careful, maybe someone should show him this video of Jim Baxters life and all the others who liked a drink a bit too much, me included, it's not worth it.

[@pureloyalist9277]

We could be doing with players like him now , what a player in his day sadly alcohol took over and a fantastic career slowly fell apart but a true Rangers Legend, IN OUR HEARTS YOU WILL REMAIN JIM RIP 🔴⚪️🔵🫡👍🏻

[@yesenochwasRIGHT]

Played for World 11 twice,must have had something. Puskas ,Di Stefano rated him.

[@macnlass]

Wrong School , wrong town 👍🇬🇧

[@daviddevenny6005]

Baxter and Crerand,,legendary midfielders

[@kerranderson4757]

His statement about leaving Rangers. "Every one at Rangers gets paid the same. It's like going to see Frank Sanatra and the Alexander Brothers. With them both being paid the same."

[@John-vw3lr]

Alcohol slows you down physically and mentally…

[@englanduk6131]

Wow!.. How high did Jim get to head the ball in that match against England?1:26.....reminds me of Haaland!, 😁

[@sveinsigurdgismarvik4445]

How bad Friend King Alcohol is 😮

[@MDrfc1872]

I used to love being a Scotland fan but ever since this anti Rangers/British stuff came around after the referendum something changed, then when I heard Scotland fans booing a Scottish Rangers player I fell out of love with the National Team. I was once a Scotland fanatic and I have Scottish roots all the way back to Robert the Bruce and the Black Douglas but the country was divided by the SNP and even when they have taken away our freedom of speech recently people still vote for them because they dream of independence (I voted YES but now glad NO won) Our country is divided and will take generations to heal, well done Nationalists 👏🏻 Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first. ...

[@jimmystokoe6917]

That picture at Sunderland is king Charlie hurly at the front len ashurst and Cecil Irwin slim Jim is not on the picture but played in the same team

[@sparkymlarky]

Saw him in 1979 in Stakis casino using £25 chips

[@michaelahern6821]

Adds everywhere here...

[@chloeroberts6652]

I remember my dad telling me that he went into his pub and he acted like an ignorant pig

[@codyjarrett9685]

Forest paid £100.000 for him in 1967 which was a very large amount of money in this era. We thought we had purchased a superstar. What a flop he was , we couldn't understand why he was so rubbish. Then the news came out he was going in town and getting very drunk . He' was one of the worst signings Forest ever made. As a kid I was hugely disappointed

[@19Tharg76]

6:42 sorry, who the fuck is that?!

[@alfredroyal3473]

His right foot was gold but his left one was studded with diamonds. A genius on the pitch, a troubled man off it. I asked him once was he ever nervous before Celtic games. His reply, in his Fife accent was “ye didnae need tae worry aboot the Celtic son”. He only played in a losing side to them twice. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@robtlsay07]

He was very average and so many believed that he was a genius on the ball due to scotland beating England in 67 that's it

[@markwatson9521]

Absolute bollocks your knowledge of fitba must be written on a fag packet. If that's the case why did Pele say he should have been a Brazilian ? And why was he selected for a Rest of The World select twice 🤔 Don't embarras yourself further total 🤡

[@robertandrew5768]

Jim Baxter played for Scotland in 1962, 1963(scoring 2 goals) when Scotland beat England. He also ran rings round the great Italian team in 1965 laying on the winning goal in a world cup qualifying tie at Hampden Park. He was selected for the world eleven along with the great Dennis Law in a match to celebrate the Centenary of English football. He played several times against England losing only once in 1966 . I suggest you look up the meaning of the word 'average' in a dictionary. The guy was world class !

[@robertandrew5768]

You obviously do not have a clue about football.

[@markwatson9521]

@robertandrew5768 I wouldn't waste my time on him I already told him much the same I've seen his profile and previous anti Rangers comments which explains it all.

[@robtlsay07]

@@robertandrew5768 Yes more of a clue than you

[@The_Hoxton_Hipster]

What’s with this repetitive AI narration

[@johnmyers8493]

Don't disregard what Jim Baxter did in his footballing career? Nee we much sad he lived his life in the fast lane ! We had him at safc the fans knew he was a world class footballer! I saw him and kids as we were worshipped him ? Sad no not ever a showman definitely don't ever sacrifice his ability 2 stand out in a tough life !

[@geoffreyking4515]

He did