John Bond (footballer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
John Bond

Bond with West Ham United
Personal information
Full name	John Frederick Bond
Date of birth	(1932-12-17)17 December 1932
Place of birth	Dedham, Essex, England
Date of death	25 September 2012(2012-09-25) (aged 79)
Place of death	Manchester, England
Playing position	Right back
Youth career
0000–1950	Colchester Casuals
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1950–1966	West Ham United	381	(32)
1966–1969	Torquay United	130	(12)
Total		511	(44)
Teams managed
1970–1973	AFC Bournemouth
1973–1980	Norwich City
1980–1983	Manchester City
1983–1984	Burnley
1984–1985	Swansea City
1986–1987	Birmingham City
1991–1993	Shrewsbury Town
1997–1999	Witton Albion
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

John Frederick Bond (born 17 December 1932, died 25 September 2012) was an English professional football player and manager. He played for West Ham United from 1950 to 1966. During his time there, he played 444 games and scored 37 goals. He helped West Ham win the Second Division title in 1958 and the FA Cup in 1964.

After West Ham, he played for Torquay United until 1969. Later, he became a manager for seven different Football League clubs. He led Norwich City to the League Cup Final in 1975. He also managed Manchester City to the FA Cup Final in 1981. John Bond was also the father of Kevin Bond, who was also a footballer and coach.

Playing Career

John Bond was born in Dedham, Essex. He played for local school and cadet teams. In March 1950, he joined West Ham United from Colchester Casuals. His first league game was two seasons later, a 2–1 win against Coventry City.

West Ham's assistant manager, Ted Fenton, first saw Bond playing. He convinced manager Charlie Paynter to sign Bond. Bond became a professional player in March 1950. He was a right-back who could also score goals. He quickly became a regular player for West Ham.

In the 1957–58 season, West Ham won the Second Division title. Bond played in almost every game and scored eight goals. He was also chosen to play for the England 'A' team. Fans at Upton Park liked him a lot. They often called him 'Muffin' because he could kick the ball very hard.

In 1959, he even played as a centre forward. He scored two goals in a game against Bolton Wanderers. In February 1960, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Chelsea.

By 1963, another player, Joe Kirkup, was also playing right-back. But Bond was chosen to play in the 1964 FA Cup Final at Wembley. West Ham won that match. He played 381 league games for West Ham, scoring 32 goals.

In January 1966, Bond moved to Torquay United. His old West Ham teammate, Frank O'Farrell, was the manager there. Bond played 130 league games for Torquay, scoring 12 goals. He helped Torquay get promoted at the end of his first season. He stopped playing football in 1969.

Coaching and Managerial Career

John Bond started his coaching career at Gillingham. In May 1970, he became the manager of Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. He is known for changing the club's name to AFC Bournemouth. In his first season, Bond led Bournemouth to promotion from the Fourth Division. The next season, they almost got promoted again, finishing third in the Third Division. His son, Kevin, also managed Bournemouth later on.

Norwich City

Because of his success at Bournemouth, Norwich City hired him as manager in November 1973. Norwich paid £10,000 to get Bond and his coach, Ken Brown. Bond continued to be successful at Norwich. He signed important players like Martin Peters, Ted MacDougall, and Phil Boyer.

Norwich was relegated in 1974, but Bond quickly guided them back to the top league the next season. They also reached the League Cup Final in 1975. They lost 1–0 to Aston Villa at Wembley. Bond kept Norwich in the top league even with money problems. He left Norwich in October 1980 to manage Manchester City.

Manchester City

When Bond took over Manchester City in November 1980, the team was not doing well. Bond brought in experienced players and combined them with young talents. The team's results quickly improved. They finished in a good mid-table position that season. The next season, they finished 10th and had a great 3–1 win over Liverpool.

In his first season, Bond led Manchester City to the FA Cup Final at Wembley. They played against Tottenham Hotspur. City lost the replay game 3–2. This game is famous for a goal scored by Ricky Villa.

During their FA Cup journey, Manchester City beat Bond's old club, Norwich City, 6–0. After this exciting game, Bond jumped from the stands into the players' tunnel. He wanted to comfort his son Kevin, who was playing for Norwich. Bond left Manchester City in February 1983.

Burnley and Beyond

In June 1983, Bond became manager of Burnley. Burnley had just been relegated. Bond brought in some players from Manchester City. He left Burnley in August 1984 after the team finished 12th.

In December 1984, he became manager of Swansea City. The team was struggling. Bond left Swansea on 20 December 1985.

On 22 January 1986, Bond was appointed manager of Birmingham City. He could not stop them from being relegated. The next season, Birmingham struggled again. Bond was sacked on 27 May 1987.

He became assistant manager at Shrewsbury Town in January 1990. A year later, in January 1991, he became manager. Shrewsbury avoided relegation that season. But the next season, they were relegated to the bottom league. Bond resigned in July 1993.

Managerial Statistics

After Management

After managing, John Bond helped his son Kevin, who was manager at Stafford Rangers. He mainly worked as a scout. In August 1998, Bond became manager at Witton Albion. He stayed there until November 1998, and the team finished eighth.

In September 1999, Bond, almost 67 years old, came out of retirement. He helped Wigan Athletic manager John Benson with coaching and scouting. He left Wigan after less than a year.

In November 2009, he appeared on a Sky Sports TV show called "Time of Our Lives." He talked about his time at West Ham with Ken Brown, Ronnie Boyce, and presenter Jeff Stelling. This show was replayed after he passed away.

John Bond died on 25 September 2012, at the age of 79.

Honours

West Ham United

• FA Cup: 1963–64
• FA Charity Shield: 1964