| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Cooper | ||
| Date of birth | 9 April 1904 | ||
| Place of birth | Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 June 1940 (aged 36) | ||
| Place of death | Aldeburgh, England | ||
| Playing position | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Longton | |||
| Trentham | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1924–1926 | Port Vale | 32 | (0) |
| 1926–1934 | Derby County | 248 | (1) |
| 1934–1940 | Liverpool | 150 | (0) |
| Total | 430 | (1) | |
| National team | |||
| 1927–1934 | England | 15 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Thomas "Tom" Cooper (9 April 1904 – 25 June 1940) was an England international footballer who played for Derby and Liverpool.
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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.[1]
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.[2]
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)[2] 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.[3]
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.[2]
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 Championship match at Windsor Park Belfast, Northern Ireland were the hosts and won the game 2–0.[3]
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 cartilages removed.[3]
Like so many of his peers Cooper enlisted in the armed forces joining the Royal Military Police.[2] In June 1940, Cooper was out on his despatch motorcycle when he collided with a lorry; he died in the accident.[3] An enquiry took place into his death with the outcome being an order that stated despatch riders were no longer allowed to ride their motorcycles without wearing a crash helmet.[2]