Tom Cooper (footballer)

Thomas "Tom" Cooper (9 April 1904 – 25 June 1940) was an England international footballer who played for Derby and Liverpool.

Playing career

Born in Stoke-on-Trent, 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...
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