Clive Baker thread.....

For me. Muller stood out among the rest I can't think of any weakness.
Agree Re Watson as 2nd choice.
I'd put Baker alongside Steele and dare I say
Peter Springett who was a good all round keeper.

 

Young Ian Wardle had the potential to become a top keeper until Robbie Earle mangled his left leg in a clean(!?!) challenge after 9 games. I'd imagine that he was lined up as the long-term replacement for Baker before the career ending injury.

 

Excellent keeper and my favourite.
As I remember he wanted to leave so mad Mel gave him a free.

 

Alan Hill and Alan Ogley most will not remember them but very good keepers.

 

I remember that game. 2-1 defeat at Burslem during Mel's great escape in 1990.
Cooper replaced him and was quite decent too.
Now that's brought back memories of Glyn Riley now lol

 

Intelligent guy too. Got an Open University degree in mathematics while he was with us.

 

Helped with his angles ;-)

 

He commanded the goal line

 

Not sure how true this is... but i was once told by a Norwich supporter that John Bond once replaced Baker with a forward in the first half of a game.
I reckon it's plausible as Bond was quite a character.

 

Well he's 65 now but appears he's still working

https://harbourunderwriting.com/team/clive-baker/

 

It’s difficult to argue against Heinz Muller, when choosing our best keeper of the past 50 years. Watson was almost as good too. But Baker will always be my favourite, and probably my 3rd favourite Reds player, after Redders and Paul Futcher. I got to the Stoke away FA Cup game in 1989 (the 3-3) really early, and was stood just inside the turnstile waiting for my mate. I got chatting to a steward and the first thing he said to me was “have you lot still got that brilliant short keeper?”

I remember once being in Whispers when the Reds team were having their Christmas party. Every player was on the dance floor, apart from Clive and Futch, who were stood, pint in hand, watching them and clearly looking like they wanted to be anywhere else apart from there!

Years later, when I was working for an insurance intermediary in the City, I was with another London based Reds fan and a rep from one of the insurance companies in the pub after work. We had a couple of pints and then the rep had to leave, as he was off to meet Clive, who worked for a different insurance broker. We pleaded to him to let us tag along, but he said they had discuss some client business. So we said to give him a message that if he ever wanted a night out the London Reds will happily buys his drinks all night, but Mark (the rep) said he won’t want to, because he’s quite reserved and doesn’t like the attention being on his footy career. So near yet so far!

 

I’ve returned the world to its axis.

 

Great 'keeper, one the best we've had in my time, his only weakness was down to his being a bit of a shortarse (for a goalkeeper that is, 5' 10" is a perfectly respectable height in most other walks of life).

 

I went to that game. Agreed, Wardle was very good.

 

Once tried talking to Clive Baker when the team came in our club in the mid 80s. Some of the other lads were great, especially Eric Winstanley and Gordy Owen, who liked to call everyone ‘Jack’

Not Clive though, or Clarkey, they both had a face like a slapped arse, bless ‘em.

 

I was there that day - Cooper looked like he was going to flatten, I think it was Beckford, when he went in on him.

 

Just thought on,it was Ian Baird who went in 2 footed on Clive and knocked 4 or 5 teeth out.

 

Wasn’t Andy Rhodes, (Jordan’s dad) at the club around the same time as Clive Baker?

 

Loved Clive Baker a gentleman goalkeeper, he used to drive past my dad’s farm for training in his C reg Orion 1.6 ghia.

Even his car was class.