FORMER West Ham chief scout Eddie Baily died in Welwyn Garden City after a short illness last Tuesday (Oct 12) aged 85.

Clapton-born Baily was brought in by manager John Lyall to succeed Wally St Pier in 1975 after having spent the previous 22 years as No.2 to Tottenham Hotspur boss Bill Nicholson.

His greatest legacy during his time at Upton Park was the signing of Alan Devonshire, who cost a paltry £5,000 from non-league Southall in 1976. Baily watched ‘Dev’ play several times before recommending him to Lyall.

Before that, the no-nonsense East Londoner had coached successfully at Leyton Orient, where he helped guide the O’s gain promotion to the top flight for the only time in their history in 1961-62.

An accomplished attacking inside-forward, Baily was part of the ‘push-and-run’ Spurs team that won the Second Division and League championship in successive years, from 1950 to 1951, and won nine England caps during more than 300 appearance for Tottenham. He also had spells with Port Vale and Nottingham Forest before ending his playing career with Leyton Orient in 1960.