Fulham FC — Fulham v Southampton — 6 January 2018

414141

career,” he states. “I was just

delighted to be in the squad, so

then to be named in the team was

overwhelming really.”

After a sustained period of nearly

30 years in the top flight, Saints

dropped into the second tier in

2005. Although it was a devastating

blow for the South-Coast club, it did

allow Baird to establish himself as a

regular fixture in the team.

Two years later, Baird opted to

make the move to SW6, but looks

back on his time at Southampton

with pride and a tinge of regret after

the side fell at the Championship

Play-Off Semi-Final stage to Derby.

“I really wanted to get promoted

with the club,” he reflects. “It wasn’t

to be. I was just grateful for the

opportunity they gave me.”

Lawrie Sanchez brought his fellow

countryman to the Cottage as part

of a Northern Irish influx that

included Aaron Hughes and one of

today’s opponents, Steven Davis,

but it was under Roy Hodgson when

Baird really blossomed.

Many argue the ‘Great Escape’

began with the astonishing second-

half comeback against Manchester

City. Trudging back to the changing

rooms at the interval, Fulham’s

relegation seemed pretty much

certain. For Baird, it underlined the

potential in the squad.

“Anything can happen when you

show a bit of fight about you and

that set us up for the rest of the

games,” he said. “We knew we could

do so much more and it showed.”

The transformation was

remarkable. Having conceded 60

goals in the 2007/08 campaign,

they nearly halved that figure the

following season. Baird was quick to

lavish praise on his former boss.

“Roy made us such a hard team to

play against,” says Chris. “We never

really had any massive players in

the squad. We were just a really

organised, hard working, hard-to-

beat team. That was down to Roy.

“We had a fantastic record at home

[from 2008/09]. Even against the

big teams coming to the Cottage, we

turned them over. You could just sense

they didn’t want to be there.”

The incredible improvement

was topped off by qualification to

the Europa League. Of the many

highlights during an extraordinary

journey, the Juventus home leg

stands out.

“We lost away 3-1 and Dickson

[Etuhu] scored,” remembers Baird.

“It was a big goal for us. Bringing

them back to the Cottage, we knew

we had a good chance.

“In the first minute, David

Trezeguet scores and you’re down

4-1. Looking back, it made the

achievement even more amazing.

To come back against a team like

that was truly unbelievable.

“The fans got behind us right

up until the 94th, 95th minute.

The Cottage only holds 25,000,

compared to Manchester United or

Liverpool, which can take 60,000

or 70,000, but it did sound like that,

because the fans generated so much

atmosphere. It was a big help to us.”

There were so many firsts for

Fulham that season. Was it the most

enjoyable of Baird’s career?

“Oh yeah, definitely,” he agrees.

“Just for what we achieved. We

played 63 games that season and I

played 52 of those. It was non-

stop, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday,

Sunday, but it was really enjoyable.”

That said, Baird is keen to

highlight the brand of football

played during the season under

Mark Hughes, a period often

overlooked. Despite languishing

dangerously close to the bottom

three in December, the team rallied

to finish eighth. The managerial

change also saw a more expansive

style of football compared to the

conservative approach adopted by

Hodgson.

“Players have asked me who the

best manager I played under was

and I keep mentioning Mark,” Chris

reveals. “I wish he’d stayed on for

another year.”

Baird spent much of his time on

the banks of the Thames at right-

back and it comes as little surprise

that one of his favourite players was

Damien Duff.

“I did like playing with Damien

because his work rate was fantastic,”

smiles Chris. “He would always help

me out to double up, but when I had

the ball, he would give me so many

great options. He would go long, he

would come short, he’d be inside, he’d

be outside. It made it easier for me.”

This wasn’t the only position Baird

occupied during his time at the Club

and the reason he’s held in such high

regard by the supporters was his ability

to adapt, with his pinpoint passing and

excellent positional sense proving to be

major assets. He sees this versatility as

both a blessing and a curse.

“Whether it’s right-back, centre-

half, left-back, holding midfielder or

central midfielder as part of a two,

I’m not really fussed,” says Baird,

who returned briefly to Fulham

on loan in the 2015/16 campaign.

“I really enjoy football. Sometimes

being versatile can be a bad thing.

For example, when John Pantsil

was playing well and we had a

fully fit team, then I had to wait

for someone to get suspended or

injured to get my chance.

“Sometimes I wish I had just held

down the right-back position, but

on the other hand, I was happy to

play in midfield. I got to know the

position well.”

“Roy Hodgson

made us such a hard

team to play against.

We were really

organised”

FFC-040-A Bairds Tale.indd 41 04/01/2018 13:43