John Bond, former Norwich & Man City manager, dies at 79

 

Former Norwich and Manchester City manager John Bond has died at the age of 79.

During three years in charge at Maine Road, Bond took City to the 1981 FA Cup final, where they lost to Tottenham.

He also took Norwich to Wembley for the 1975 League Cup final but missed out on the trophy as Aston Villa beat his Canaries 1-0.

John Bond factfile

  • Made 444 appearances as a player for West Ham United between 1950-1966
  • Finished playing career at Torquay United
  • Managed Bournemouth, Norwich City, Manchester City, Burnley, Swansea City, Birmingham City, Shrewsbury Town and Witton Albion
  • As a player, was a member of the West Ham side that won the 1957-58 Second Division title and the 1964 FA Cup
  • Managed Norwich City to the 1975 League Cup final and Manchester City to the 1981 FA Cup final

He spent 16 years as a player at West Ham, making 444 appearances and winning the FA Cup in 1964.

Current Norwich manager Chris Hughton paid tribute to Bond after his side's 1-0 win over Doncaster in the Capital One Cup.

"It was fitting that Norwich won and there was nice respect from the crowd with the minute's silence," Hughton said.

"When I came to this club the first name I thought of as a former manager was John Bond. If I am able to be at this club anywhere near as long as John was, then I will be incredibly lucky. He will be thought of very fondly by a lot of people."

It was during his time at West Ham that Bond formed his management ethos.

He would join future managers Malcolm Allison, Frank O'Farrell and Dave Sexton to discuss ideas about how to win games.

After the right-back finished his career with a two-year stint at Torquay, he took his first steps into management at Bournemouth.

In November 1973 he took charge at Norwich and recovered from relegation during his first season in charge to win promotion back to the top flight a year later.

He resigned in 1980, replacing Malcolm Allison at Manchester City, and took the club to the FA Cup final during his first campaign as manager.

Power saddened by death of Bond

Bond went on to manage Burnley, Swansea, Birmingham and Shrewsbury without repeating his earlier success.

His last post as a manager was a short spell at Northern Premier League side Witton Albion in 1998.

"John was a real character with a great sense of humour and presence. He will be sadly missed," said Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers' Association.

Ken Brown, his assistant at Bournemouth and Norwich, says Bond was passionate about being a manager.

"He used to think it was his fault if the game didn't go right," he told BBC Radio Norfolk . "It wouldn't be the players' fault. I couldn't quite get to grips with that but when I became manager I got the same feelings - you do have to take responsibility."

Paul Power, Manchester City's captain in the 1981 FA Cup final, told BBC North West Tonight: "He had a big personality.

"When he spoke, you listened. He wouldn't suffer fools but he wasn't a bully.

"I've played under managers that have ruled the dressing room in a bullying manner, but he wasn't like that.

"If he felt he needed a firm word with you, he'd do it on a one-to-one basis and wouldn't belittle people in front of each other.

"He'll definitely be a part of Manchester City's history, and he's had a big part in my life as well.

"He supported me when I was captain of Manchester City and supported what we did. He was good for the club at that stage."

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker said on Twitter:  "One of the great characters of football, both as a manager and in the TV studio."