Sammy Baird
Stuart Samuel Baird was a Scottish football player and manager.
Career
During his playing career he played for Clyde, Preston [North End F.C.|Preston North End], Rangers, Hibernian, Third Lanark and Stirling Albion. He won three Scottish league titles and one Scottish Cup with Rangers.Baird won the Division Two title in 1951–52 with Clyde. Baird scored five times for Rangers as they reached the 1959–60 European Cup semi finals and was influential for Hibernian on their run to the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup semi finals. Preston paid £12,000 for his signature and Rangers paid £10,000 for his services. Hibs then forked out £5,000 for him.
International career
He earned seven international caps for football team|Scotland] from 1956 to 1958. He scored on his debut against Yugoslavia, and also in his last match, a 2–1 defeat by France in the 1958 [FIFA World Cup]. The latter goal was the first time a Rangers player scored in a World Cup Finals match. He remains the only Rangers player to do so for Scotland in open play.Additionally, Baird represented the Scottish [Football League XI|Scottish League XI] on five occasions. He scored in his last appearance against the Football League XI at Ibrox in 1958.
He earned earlier representative honours with Clyde. In 1953 against the British Army, Baird converted a penalty for Scotland [national football team results (unofficial matches)|Scotland XI] in 2–2 draw at Goodison Park. As preparation for the FIFA World Cup, Baird played for a Scotland national [football team results (unofficial matches)|Scotland XI] in a couple of trial matches in 1958.
Manager
As Stirling Albion manager, Baird led the team to promotion to Division One winning the Division Two title in 1964–65.His Albion team became the first British and first professional team to tour Japan in 1966. The results of the two-match tour were 3–1 against a Japanese All Stars XI and 4–2 against the Japan national team.
He was later sacked in 1968 because the club were heading for relegation back to Division Two.
Personal life
Baird died on the morning of 21 April 2010.Honours
Player
Clyde- List of winners of the [Scottish First Division and predecessors|Scottish Division Two]: 1951–52 [Scottish Division Two|1951–52]
- Supplementary Cup: 1951–52
- Glasgow Cup: 1951–52
- * Runner-up: 1949–50
- Glasgow Charity Cup: 1951–52
- Scottish Division One: 1955–56, 1956–57, 1958–59
- Scottish Cup: 1960 [Scottish Cup Final|1959–60]
- Scottish League Cup:
- * Runner-up: 1957 [Scottish League Cup Final|1957–58]
- Glasgow Cup: 1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60
Third Lanark
- Glasgow Cup: 1962–63
Manager