West Ham legend Billy Bonds will be awarded the club's first ever Lifetime Achievement award at the club's annual dinner and award evening at Grosvenor House on May 8th. Former teammate Sir Trevor Brooking was recently nominated for a Lifetime Achievement award by the Willow Foundation, but the club's first such award will go to Bonds.
Bonds, who made nearly 700 appearances for the club after signing from Charlton Athletic in May 1967, captained the Irons to two FA Cup victories, a League Cup final, a European Cup Winners' Cup final and to the old Second Division title in a playing career which spanned 21 years and which saw Woolwich-born Bonds beat Bobby Moore's appearance record for West Ham, making 663 appearances in the claret and blue in total- a record which still stands, 25 years after his retirement.
"Bonzo" started his career in the back four but gradually developed into a ball-playing central midfielder and was renowned for his tough tackling and his leadership skills. He even managed to finish as the Hammers' top scorer in the 1973/1974 season, rattling in 13 goals from centre midfield- including a hat trick against Chelsea. Bonds finally hung up his playing boots in 1988 and played his last game of professional football against Southampton in May of that year at the grand old age of 41.
He then went on to manage the club and led the club to promotion from the Second Division on two occasions, in 1990-1991 and 1992-1993; and was awarded a second testimonial in the former season- alongside former teammate Alvin Martin, the only West Ham player to have been honoured so. Bonds went on to lead the Irons to a mid-table finish in the new Premier League in 1993-1994, where they stayed until relegation in 2002-2003. He resigned in August 1994 as the club appointed Harry Redknapp in controversial circumstances but there's no question as to which man is held in higher regard by the Boleyn Ground faithful.
Well done Bonzo- I can't think of a living Hammer who deserves the award more.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
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