7 hours ago
3
Billy Bonds, who has died aged 79, was one of the greatest players ever to represent West Ham United and one of the finest never to win a full England cap.
Bonds was the very embodiment of the West Ham spirit, the bearded and buccaneering captain who later managed the club, a figure of huge significance who fits alongside World Cup-winning trio Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters in the Hammers' Hall Of Fame.
"Rest in peace Billy, our courageous, inspirational, lion-hearted leader" read West Ham United's statement announcing his death – and every one of the club's supporters who watched Bonds play, or heard about his deeds, will echo that message.
Bonds joined West Ham from Charlton Athletic for £47,000 in May 1967, the start of a magnificent 21-year career on the field that saw him become the club's longest-serving player, making 799 appearances.
He was initially signed as a right-back before becoming an outstanding midfielder who later played as an accomplished central defender, proving a worthy successor to Moore as West Ham captain when he departed for Fulham in 1974.
Bonds subsequently led West Ham to two FA Cup wins, against Fulham, who had Moore in their team, in 1975, then a shock win as a Second Division side against Arsenal in 1980, Sir Trevor Brooking's header proving decisive.
Moore had been captain when West Ham won the FA Cup in 1964 then the European Cup Winners' Cup a year later. Bonds almost emulated the achievement when he was captain as West Ham reached the European Cup Winners' Cup Final in 1976, losing 4-2 to Anderlecht.
As well as those FA Cup wins, he led West Ham back into the former First Division at the end of the 1980/81 season, a campaign during which they also lost to Liverpool in the League Cup Final after a replay.
It was not just team honours he collected during that time. Bonds, who won the coveted "Hammer Of The Year" four times, was handed the Professional Footballers' Association Merit award in 1988, and also received the MBE for services to football in the same year.
Bonds was named as the club's greatest-ever player by West Ham fans in 2018.
The fact that Bonds never won a full England cap has been a source of contention for decades, particularly among West Ham supporters, his name also placed alongside the likes of Manchester United's Steve Bruce and Everton midfield man Howard Kendall among those who never gained the accolade.
Bonds was an unused substitute when England, with his former West Ham manager Ron Greenwood in charge, beat Italy 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley in November 1977.
He missed out narrowly again in May 1981 when he was in line for selection for England's friendly against Brazil at Wembley, only to sustain broken ribs in a clash with his own goalkeeper Phil Parkes at the end of the season, ruling him out.
The opportunity never came again.
He was appointed West Ham manager in February 1990, succeeding Lou Macari, subsequently taking the club back into the top-flight.
Bonds was also in charge when West Ham reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1991, but West Ham never recovered from Tony Gale's controversial first-half sending off, losing 4-0 to Nottingham Forest.
West Ham were relegated in 1992, but the club kept faith with Bonds and he brought them back into the new Premier League a year later.
Bonds' 27-year career at West Ham ended in 1994, when he was succeeded at West Ham by Harry Redknapp.
He returned to management with West Ham's fierce rivals Millwall in May 1997, but it was a short-lived, unsuccessful spell and he left the following year.
It will always be West Ham's name that is inexorably attached to Bonds. He was presented with the club's Lifetime Achievement Award, the first time it was presented, in 2013 and was visibly emotional when the club re-named the East Stand at the London Stadium in his honour in February 2019.
In contrast to the combative captain on the field, Bonds was a private family man away from it. They were at his side, along with many former colleagues, as he was moved to tears when he addressed West Ham's fans after the re-naming of the stand.
Bonds was an all-action, versatile player who mixed remarkable fitness, a fiercely competitive nature and skill into a potent combination that was at the heart of everything he and West Ham did.
Football fans of a certain age, especially at West Ham, will conjure up instant images of the bearded Bonds, caked in mud from the 70s and 80s pitches, socks rolled down and his head occasionally bandaged up – but always ready to carry the fight to the opposition.
Billy Bonds was a captain, player and manager who will always be remembered when the history of West Ham is written.
