John Bond (footballer)
Encyclopedia
John Frederick Bond is an English
former professional football player and manager. His son Kevin Bond
is also a former footballer.
. He joined West Ham United
in March 1950 from Colchester Casuals, his league debut coming two seasons later. His ability as a goal-scoring right back soon resulted in him gaining a regular place in the Hammers side, his partnership with Noel Cantwell
proving particularly useful. As West Ham won the Second Division title in 1957–58, Bond missed only one game, and scored eight goals. He also played in the 1964 FA Cup Final
win at Wembley towards the end of his Upton Park
career, but missed out on the European Cup Winners' Cup Final victory the following season, despite playing four times in the earlier rounds of the competition. In January 1966, after 381 league games for the Hammers, in which he scored 32 times, Bond left to join Torquay United
, then managed by his former West Ham team-mate Frank O'Farrell
. He played 130 league games for the Gulls, scoring 12 goals, and helped Torquay to promotion at the end of his first season. He retired in 1969, having already opened a sweet shop (Bondy's Tuck Shop) in the Torre area of Torquay
.
(having been turned down on applying for the manager's job at Torquay), and in May 1970 he was appointed manager at Bournemouth
. He led Bournemouth to promotion, as runners-up in Division Four at the end of his first season, and almost to promotion again the following season, as Bournemouth finished third in Division Three. His son Kevin
has also managed Bournemouth.
manager in November 1973, replacing Ron Saunders
. This followed a period of negotiations between the two clubs, Norwich eventually paying £10,000 in compensation for the acquisition of Bond and his chief coach Ken Brown. Bond continued his successes at Norwich, signing great players such as Martin Peters
.
The end of the 1973–74 season saw Norwich relegated in last place, but the following season he guided them back to the top flight at the first attempt, and also to the League Cup
Final, which they lost 1–0 to Aston Villa
at Wembley. He then managed to keep Norwich in the top flight, despite the financial constraints he was under, until resigning to manage Manchester City
in October 1980, taking his assistants John Benson
and John Sainty
with him.
his job. Bond galvanised the side by signing experienced reinforcements to complement promising youngsters at the club, oversaw an upturn in results which saw City finish in a more respectable mid-table position, whilst the following season saw a 10th-place finish and was highlighted by a 3–1 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
The end of his first season in charge at Maine Road saw him lead City out at Wembley for the FA Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur, a game they lost 3–2, made famous by Ricky Villa's goal (the game also featured a spectacular volley by City's Steve MacKenzie
). He resigned by City in February 1983 with the side in ninth in the table. Thereafter under John Benson they plummeted towards the relegation zone and were relegated on the final day.
During their FA Cup run, Bond guided Manchester City to a 6-0 win over former club Norwich City at Maine Road
in the fourth round. At the end of this thrilling game, Bond jumped from an upper tier of the stand into the player's tunnel, in order that he could offer his commiserations to son Kevin, who was playing for Norwich. An act which Danny Baker
describes as "attempting a bit of James Bond" in the Match of the 80s nostalgia TV show 16 years later. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp4SpKcaUuA&feature=related
, newly relegated to Division Three and with high expectations of going straight back up. He brought in some of his previous players from Manchester City, selling players such as Trevor Steven
, Lee Dixon
and Brian Laws
, the previous season's player of the year, who were all destined for greater things. He was not well liked amongst the fans and left in August 1984 after Burnley had finished 12th.
In December 1984 he was appointed manager of Swansea City
who were struggling to avoid being relegated from the First to Fourth Divisions in successive seasons. He immediately released some of the younger players (most notably Dean Saunders
) to bring in some older heads. They ended the season just one place clear of relegation, but the following season started badly and with the Swans on the brink of bankruptcy, Bond left on 20 December 1985 and Swansea were relegated at the end of the season to complete their demise since the John Toshack
era.
On 22 January 1986, Bond was appointed manager of Birmingham City
and failed to prevent their relegation from Division One, seven consecutive defeats at the end of the season sealing their fate. The following season, Birmingham struggled again, eventually finishing just one place away from relegation to Division Three. This was not good enough for the Birmingham board and Bond was sacked on 27 May 1987.
He was appointed assistant manager to Asa Hartford
at Shrewsbury Town
in January 1990, and a year later, in January 1991, was appointed manager after Hartford's dismissal. At the end of the 1990–91 season, Shrewsbury narrowly avoided relegation from the Third Division, but the following season, Bond failed to keep them up, and Shrewsbury were relegated back to the bottom flight (by now renamed Division Three by the Premier League shake-up). When Shrewsbury went to Burnley Bond was advised by the police not to attend.The following season saw Shrewsbury finish ninth, and at the end of July 1993, Bond resigned, along with the Shrewsbury chairman.
, before returning to coaching, assisting his son Kevin
who was manager at Stafford Rangers
, mainly in a scout
ing capacity. In November 1998, Bond was appointed manager at Witton Albion
, who were struggling in the Northern Premier League
First Division, but eventually finished in a healthy eighth place. In September 1999, Bond, by now nearing his 67th birthday, was brought out of retirement by Wigan Athletic
manager John Benson to assist with coaching and scouting in a consultancy position. He left Wigan after less than 12 months following Benson's move to the role of director of football.
In November 2009, he appeared on the Sky Sports programme "Time Of Our Lives", where he, along with Ken Brown, Ronnie Boyce
and presenter Jeff Stelling
looked back on their era at West Ham.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former professional football player and manager. His son Kevin Bond
Kevin Bond (footballer)
Kevin John Bond is an English football manager and former player. He is the son of John Bond, also a former footballer. He is currently employed as assistant manager at Tottenham Hotspur.-Playing career:...
is also a former footballer.
Playing career
John Bond was born in Dedham, EssexDedham, Essex
Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk...
. He joined West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in March 1950 from Colchester Casuals, his league debut coming two seasons later. His ability as a goal-scoring right back soon resulted in him gaining a regular place in the Hammers side, his partnership with Noel Cantwell
Noel Cantwell
Noel Euchuria Cornelius Cantwell was an Irish cricketer and football player born in County Cork, Irish Free State...
proving particularly useful. As West Ham won the Second Division title in 1957–58, Bond missed only one game, and scored eight goals. He also played in the 1964 FA Cup Final
1964 FA Cup Final
The 1964 FA Cup Final was contested by West Ham United and Preston North End at Wembley. West Ham won 3–2, with goals from John Sissons, Geoff Hurst and Ron Boyce...
win at Wembley towards the end of his Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
career, but missed out on the European Cup Winners' Cup Final victory the following season, despite playing four times in the earlier rounds of the competition. In January 1966, after 381 league games for the Hammers, in which he scored 32 times, Bond left to join Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, then managed by his former West Ham team-mate Frank O'Farrell
Frank O'Farrell
Francis 'Frank' O'Farrell is an Irish former football player and manager.-Early:Frank O'Farrell started his playing career with Cork United, but followed his former Cork teammate, Tommy Moroney to West Ham United in January 1948. A quietly spoken, but nonetheless determined and talented wing-half,...
. He played 130 league games for the Gulls, scoring 12 goals, and helped Torquay to promotion at the end of his first season. He retired in 1969, having already opened a sweet shop (Bondy's Tuck Shop) in the Torre area of Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
.
Coaching and managerial career
Bond's coaching career began when he joined the staff at GillinghamGillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
(having been turned down on applying for the manager's job at Torquay), and in May 1970 he was appointed manager at Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
. He led Bournemouth to promotion, as runners-up in Division Four at the end of his first season, and almost to promotion again the following season, as Bournemouth finished third in Division Three. His son Kevin
Kevin Bond (footballer)
Kevin John Bond is an English football manager and former player. He is the son of John Bond, also a former footballer. He is currently employed as assistant manager at Tottenham Hotspur.-Playing career:...
has also managed Bournemouth.
Norwich City
His successes at Bournemouth led to him being appointed Norwich CityNorwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
manager in November 1973, replacing Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders is a retired English football player and former successful manager. He remains the only manager to have taken charge of Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, normally bitter rivals....
. This followed a period of negotiations between the two clubs, Norwich eventually paying £10,000 in compensation for the acquisition of Bond and his chief coach Ken Brown. Bond continued his successes at Norwich, signing great players such as Martin Peters
Martin Peters
Martin Stanford Peters, MBE is a former football player and member of the victorious England team which won the 1966 World Cup as well as playing in the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
.
The end of the 1973–74 season saw Norwich relegated in last place, but the following season he guided them back to the top flight at the first attempt, and also to the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
Final, which they lost 1–0 to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
at Wembley. He then managed to keep Norwich in the top flight, despite the financial constraints he was under, until resigning to manage Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in October 1980, taking his assistants John Benson
John Benson (footballer)
John Harvey Benson was a Scottish football player and manager. Born in Arbroath, Benson started his career as an apprentice at Manchester City. He turned professional in 1961, and made 44 league appearances over the next three seasons before being sold to Fourth Division side Torquay United in 1964...
and John Sainty
John Sainty (footballer)
John Albert Sainty was a professional footballer in the 1960s and 1970s who went on to manage Chester City.-Playing career:...
with him.
Manchester City
City had made a very poor start to the 1980–81 season when he took over, costing Malcolm AllisonMalcolm Allison
Malcolm Alexander Allison was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora and cigar, controversies off the pitch and outspoken nature.Allison's managerial potential become...
his job. Bond galvanised the side by signing experienced reinforcements to complement promising youngsters at the club, oversaw an upturn in results which saw City finish in a more respectable mid-table position, whilst the following season saw a 10th-place finish and was highlighted by a 3–1 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
The end of his first season in charge at Maine Road saw him lead City out at Wembley for the FA Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur, a game they lost 3–2, made famous by Ricky Villa's goal (the game also featured a spectacular volley by City's Steve MacKenzie
Steve MacKenzie
Steve MacKenzie was an English footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder.-Playing career:...
). He resigned by City in February 1983 with the side in ninth in the table. Thereafter under John Benson they plummeted towards the relegation zone and were relegated on the final day.
During their FA Cup run, Bond guided Manchester City to a 6-0 win over former club Norwich City at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
in the fourth round. At the end of this thrilling game, Bond jumped from an upper tier of the stand into the player's tunnel, in order that he could offer his commiserations to son Kevin, who was playing for Norwich. An act which Danny Baker
Danny Baker
Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
describes as "attempting a bit of James Bond" in the Match of the 80s nostalgia TV show 16 years later. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp4SpKcaUuA&feature=related
Burnley and beyond
In June 1983, Bond took over at BurnleyBurnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, newly relegated to Division Three and with high expectations of going straight back up. He brought in some of his previous players from Manchester City, selling players such as Trevor Steven
Trevor Steven
Trevor McGregor Steven is a football talent scout. He was formerly an England footballer who shot to fame with the successful Everton side of the 1980s....
, Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
and Brian Laws
Brian Laws
Brian Laws is an English former footballer and manager, most recently of Burnley.Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of Grimsby Town before taking a similar position with Scunthorpe...
, the previous season's player of the year, who were all destined for greater things. He was not well liked amongst the fans and left in August 1984 after Burnley had finished 12th.
In December 1984 he was appointed manager of Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
who were struggling to avoid being relegated from the First to Fourth Divisions in successive seasons. He immediately released some of the younger players (most notably Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
) to bring in some older heads. They ended the season just one place clear of relegation, but the following season started badly and with the Swans on the brink of bankruptcy, Bond left on 20 December 1985 and Swansea were relegated at the end of the season to complete their demise since the John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
era.
On 22 January 1986, Bond was appointed manager of Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and failed to prevent their relegation from Division One, seven consecutive defeats at the end of the season sealing their fate. The following season, Birmingham struggled again, eventually finishing just one place away from relegation to Division Three. This was not good enough for the Birmingham board and Bond was sacked on 27 May 1987.
He was appointed assistant manager to Asa Hartford
Asa Hartford
Richard 'Asa' Hartford is a retired Scottish international midfielder and footballer who became famous for failing a medical examination due to the discovery of a heart condition which put paid to a high profile transfer to Leeds United in November 1971.-Early career:He first played for Drumchapel...
at Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
in January 1990, and a year later, in January 1991, was appointed manager after Hartford's dismissal. At the end of the 1990–91 season, Shrewsbury narrowly avoided relegation from the Third Division, but the following season, Bond failed to keep them up, and Shrewsbury were relegated back to the bottom flight (by now renamed Division Three by the Premier League shake-up). When Shrewsbury went to Burnley Bond was advised by the police not to attend.The following season saw Shrewsbury finish ninth, and at the end of July 1993, Bond resigned, along with the Shrewsbury chairman.
After management
He then worked as a football commentator for BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, before returning to coaching, assisting his son Kevin
Kevin Bond (footballer)
Kevin John Bond is an English football manager and former player. He is the son of John Bond, also a former footballer. He is currently employed as assistant manager at Tottenham Hotspur.-Playing career:...
who was manager at Stafford Rangers
Stafford Rangers F.C.
Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts...
, mainly in a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
ing capacity. In November 1998, Bond was appointed manager at Witton Albion
Witton Albion F.C.
Witton Albion F.C. are a football club based in Northwich, England. They were founded in 1887. They have won the Cheshire Senior Cup 11 times since 1902. Their most recent success in this competition was in 2006, when they defeated Stalybridge Celtic in the final. They have also reached the FA Cup...
, who were struggling in the Northern Premier League
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...
First Division, but eventually finished in a healthy eighth place. In September 1999, Bond, by now nearing his 67th birthday, was brought out of retirement by Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
manager John Benson to assist with coaching and scouting in a consultancy position. He left Wigan after less than 12 months following Benson's move to the role of director of football.
In November 2009, he appeared on the Sky Sports programme "Time Of Our Lives", where he, along with Ken Brown, Ronnie Boyce
Ronnie Boyce
Ronnie Boyce is a former footballer who played his entire footballing career for West Ham United, going on to make 282 Football League appearances for them.-Career:...
and presenter Jeff Stelling
Jeff Stelling
Robert Jeffrey "Jeff" Stelling is an English sports journalist and sport television presenter, of Gillette Soccer Saturday for Sky Sports and other programming for the satellite broadcaster. In January 2009 he took over as host of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown...
looked back on their era at West Ham.