Tottenham vs Chelsea: The Blues once cancelled a player’s contract so he could join Spurs

Tottenham vs Chelsea: The Blues once cancelled a player’s contract so he could join Spurs
Tottenham and Chelsea’s rivalry is well known – they hate each other – but therewasonce a time when the Premier League sides enjoyed a friendlier relationship.You haveto go back 72 years to find an example, though. It involved Eddie Baily, the brilliant inside forward in Spurs’ first league title triumph.Baily was on Spurs’ books as an amateur in 1939, but his career was put on hold as a result of the Second World War, with theexciting youngster being senttoBelgium, the Netherlands and Germany with the RoyalScots Fusiliers.3

Baily joined Tottenham as schoolboy and rose through the ranks at White Hart Lane to make his first team debut in January 1947

However,rumours he had been killed in action soon made their way back to north London and his registration was allowed to lapse. Unaware, Baily returned to Britain tofindhimself without a club and so decided tosignfor Chelsea.John Fennelly, the Spurs historian, explainedthe error was only spotted when Baily dropped by White Hart Lane to collect hiskit and staff saw he was very much alive. Chelsea, after having the mix-up explained to them, released Baily from his contract and inFebruary 1946 he was a Tottenham player again.“In a team of class performers, Baily was the true star,” Fennelly told tottenhamhotspur.com.He made his Tottenham debut in January 1947 and by1950 he was aDivision Two champion, with the clubwinning their first top flight crown a year later in the swashbuckling ‘push and run’ side under Arthur Rowe.But he was more than just one of Spurs’ best players. His flair and intelligent play saw him stand out and you’ll find almost every mention of his name hailing him as one of the best insideforwardsof his generation.3

Manager Arthur Rowe (middle row, right) used just 19 players when Spurs won the Division One title for the first time in 1951 with Baily among them

The great Bill Nicholson was his team-mate in the 1950/51 side and he later brought Baily in as hisassistant manager in 1963 where it wasn’t uncommon to hear him use wartime metaphors in his pre-match pep talks such as ‘right, bayonets on’ or ‘over the top. Lets have them!’3

Baily with Nicholson and Spurs’ 1971 League Cup winners

He left with Nicholson in 1974, having won two League Cups, the FA Cup and UEFA Cup with the club, on top of his playinghonours.He retired from football in 1992 and died in 2010 at the age of85, but his status as a Tottenham icon had been established long before then.They may not be able to stand the sight of each other now, but the Spurs faithful certainly owe a huge thanks to their bitter London rivals. Tottenham v Chelsea is live on talkSPORT on Saturday, kick-off 17:30

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