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Tom Cooper (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" Cooper was an England international
footballer who played for Derby
and Liverpool
.
, Cooper played for Longton and then Trentham before being bought by Port Vale
for £20 in August 1924. A regular in the side until September 1925, he regained his first team spot in December 1925, but was sold to George Jobey
's Derby County
for a £2,500 fee in March 1926 after impressing in an FA Cup
tie between the two clubs.
He settled straight into The Rams line-up and became an integral member of the team, so-much-so he was eventually made skipper in 1931. After 267 appearances for Derby, Liverpool
manager George Patterson
paid £7,500 in December 1934 for the 30 year old's services.
He immediately made his debut on 8 December in an away fixture at Stamford Bridge
; Chelsea spoilt the day for Cooper by humbling the Reds 4–1. Cooper failed to hit the target for his new club (after only scoring once for Derby) although he was an excellent defender who was one of the toughest tacklers in the game. He wasn't just a stopper, his passing was of the highest order.
His Anfield
career was pretty much the same as his Derby days, as he became a regular starter from day one, he missed just two of the remaining fixtures of the 1934–35 season and featured in 127 of the 168 games over the following four campaigns.
Cooper had amassed 160 appearances up to the end of the 1939–40 before World War II
interrupted his career. His last competitive game was a league game at Anfield, Chelsea were the visitors and the Reds won 1–0 with a goal from débutante Cyril Done
. The league was then called to a halt because of the war, with regional leagues being set up around the country. Cooper's last match in a red shirt was at Gresty Road on 22 March 1940 in a 6–3 victory over Crewe
in the Western Division. Cooper also played for Wrexham as a wartime guest.
match at Windsor Park
Belfast
, Northern Ireland
were the hosts and won the game 2–0.
Cooper was given the ultimate honour of captaining his country twice in his last two appearances for England; the first time was against Czechoslovakia
on 16 May 1934, the Czechs won the game 2–1. He would surely have been selected to play even more representative matches if it hadn't been for injuries, including having both knee cartilage
s removed.
. In June 1940, Cooper was out on his despatch motorcycle when he collided with a lorry; he died in the accident. An enquiry took place into his death with the outcome being an order that stated despatch rider
s were no longer allowed to ride their motorcycles without wearing a crash helmet
.
England national football team
The 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...
footballer who played for Derby
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
.
Playing career
Born in Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, Cooper played for Longton and then Trentham before being bought by Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
for £20 in August 1924. A regular in the side until September 1925, he regained his first team spot in December 1925, but was sold to George Jobey
George Jobey
George Jobey was an English football player and manager. He won the league championship as a player with his hometown club Newcastle United.-Career:...
's Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
for a £2,500 fee in March 1926 after impressing in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
tie between the two clubs.
He settled straight into The Rams line-up and became an integral member of the team, so-much-so he was eventually made skipper in 1931. After 267 appearances for Derby, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
manager George Patterson
George Patterson (football)
George Patterson was a football manager and secretary who was involved with Liverpool F.C. for much of the first half of the 20th century. After a playing career spent mostly with Marine F.C., Patterson joined Liverpool in 1908, as assistant to Tom Watson. After a spell as club secretary, he was...
paid £7,500 in December 1934 for the 30 year old's services.
He immediately made his debut on 8 December in an away fixture at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
; Chelsea spoilt the day for Cooper by humbling the Reds 4–1. Cooper failed to hit the target for his new club (after only scoring once for Derby) although he was an excellent defender who was one of the toughest tacklers in the game. He wasn't just a stopper, his passing was of the highest order.
His Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
career was pretty much the same as his Derby days, as he became a regular starter from day one, he missed just two of the remaining fixtures of the 1934–35 season and featured in 127 of the 168 games over the following four campaigns.
Cooper had amassed 160 appearances up to the end of the 1939–40 before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interrupted his career. His last competitive game was a league game at Anfield, Chelsea were the visitors and the Reds won 1–0 with a goal from débutante Cyril Done
Cyril Done
Cyril Charles Done was an English former footballer, most notable for his 14 years with Liverpool.-Playing career:...
. The league was then called to a halt because of the war, with regional leagues being set up around the country. Cooper's last match in a red shirt was at Gresty Road on 22 March 1940 in a 6–3 victory over Crewe
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
in the Western Division. Cooper also played for Wrexham as a wartime guest.
International career
The Football Association saw his quality at Derby and selected him to represent England 15 times, his first cap came on 22 October 1927 in a British Home ChampionshipBritish Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
match at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The 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...
were the hosts and won the game 2–0.
Cooper was given the ultimate honour of captaining his country twice in his last two appearances for England; the first time was against Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
on 16 May 1934, the Czechs won the game 2–1. He would surely have been selected to play even more representative matches if it hadn't been for injuries, including having both knee cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
s removed.
Death
Like so many of his peers Cooper enlisted in the armed forces joining the Royal Military PoliceRoyal Military Police
The Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
. In June 1940, Cooper was out on his despatch motorcycle when he collided with a lorry; he died in the accident. An enquiry took place into his death with the outcome being an order that stated despatch rider
Despatch rider
A despatch rider is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle.Despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units...
s were no longer allowed to ride their motorcycles without wearing a crash helmet
Motorcycle helmet
A motorcycle helmet is a type of protective headgear used by motorcycle riders. The primary goal of a motorcycle helmet is motorcycle safety - to protect the rider's head during impact, thus preventing or reducing head injury or saving the rider's life...
.