Billy Bonds - Lifetime Achievement Award

Mr Gold




by Hugh Southon 9th May 2013 5:32pm BST
Exclusive
West Ham United have buried nearly 20 years of "resentment" by honouring long serving defender Billy Bonds with the club's first ever Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bonds was given a standing ovation all the way across the Grosvenor House Hotel as he made his way to the stage to receive the award from current captain Kevin Nolan on Wednesday evening.
It launched "Bonzo" back into the Hammers spotlight he has shunned for nearly 20 years since losing his job as manager to Harry Redknapp in 1994.
There have been long-standing allegations that the one time best friends fell out over the manner in which Bonds was removed from his position at Upton Park.
Co-chairman David Gold commented: "It was a hugely emotional moment at the Grosvenor. Even the youngest person present knew about Billy who made 663 appearances for this club.
"I drove this one. I had seen that he has one small room named after him at Upton Park - it's not enough for a man of such huge stature in our history.
"I met with Bill several months ago and we had lunch in a Chislehurst restaurant and there were grave doubts that he would accept the award.
"I understood that he had never been back to the club since he was manager and that there had been some resentment issues but I explained this was a new regime and had nothing to do with us.
"I was delighted when Billy said he would accept the award and he had a wonderful evening with his family and friends.
"The situation Billy has been in with this club is over - he is an honoured man taking his rightful place in our history."


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Restoring pride in our club and its roots. Well done Mr Gold for making sure Bonzo knows how much he means to all of us.

My dad's seen most players in our modern history, having been attending matches since the mid-1960s - he's always maintained Bonzo is his favourite all-time Hammer, even over and above Bobby Moore. High praise indeed.

Well done Gold, Bonzo, hope you will be happy coming back home. He must be honoured in some way at the new stadium.

I gotta say, I had my doubts when the Davids took over. Pretty much all doubts erased now.

Cochese wrote:I gotta say, I had my doubts when the Davids took over. Pretty much all doubts erased now.

So happy for Bonzo. He was a warrior on the pitch and all in all a great servant to our club. How many players get one testimonial, let alone two!

As Manager, Bonzo got us promoted twice. He still keeps a dignified silence over what really happened between him and Redknapp. Allegedly, he was stabbed in the back by Twitch, totally feasible now that we all have the measure of that deceitful piece of poo.

Not to mention his legs.................oooops, I mentioned his legs.

Well done Mr. Chairmen and well done Billy

Would love to see Bonzo back at the club in some capacity.

Jiggs wrote:So happy for Bonzo. He was a warrior on the pitch and all in all a great servant to our club. How many players get one testimonial, let alone two!

As Manager, Bonzo got us promoted twice. He still keeps a dignified silence over what really happened between him and Redknapp. Allegedly, he was stabbed in the back by Twitch, totally feasible now that we all have the measure of that deceitful piece of poo.

Not to mention his legs.................oooops, I mentioned his legs.

Well done Mr. Chairmen and well done Billy

Alvin Martin?

.....and Alvin.......How many players score a hat trick against three different goalkeepers?

Jiggs wrote:.....and Alvin.......How many players score a hat trick against three different goalkeepers?

Only "Stretch" !!

Tony P wrote:

Jiggs wrote:.....and Alvin.......How many players score a hat trick against three different goalkeepers?

Only "Stretch" !!

Correct

The very same man who wouldn't have been turned inside out against Maradona like Terry Fenwick was; if Bobby Robson hadn't have dropped hi from the starting XI.

Went to the second one against Chelsea wasn't it?

true legend of west ham is Bonzo and great to see him back, well done GaS
always remeber Bonzo and peter withe punching Fupp outta one another then grabbing each other and waltzing (literally!) around the centre circle when the ref came over to em
The Cairnes n Brown have a lot to answer for, Bonzo was prepared to have his toe chopped off to play for the club and he got Royally shafted by the cunts