King Billy

[violator]

Rumours circulating on FB that he's not too good at the moment and in hospital, not sure how true they are.

[Sydney_Iron]

RIP Billy 

[simons]

Sad day indeed. I’m glad his name lives on with the stand at the LS, and he was genuinely choked that day with the outpouring of love when it was unveiled. I hope the club do more to honour his name.

RIP Billy. 

[Gank]

RIP Billy Bonds. A great honest hard working fella. Dare i suggest out of all your bretherin this man was easily the most respected by us across the water. Almost the 'acceptable' face of your club. Perhaps thats becuase he was a Sarf London lad (Cripps the east end boy)?

From a personal point of view was a little late on the Moore & Husrt thing so i would say Bonds in the early to mid 70's was the first player i always associated with West Ham as a kid - with Clyde Best, Pop Robson, Lampard and Brooking just beneath.

So when i heard of his passing today, there were no thoughts of enemies or contempt, just a very very repectful nod and thank you to a decent working class hero. Another decent one gone, who played a small part in forming my and as i suspect loads of people of a certain vintage on here's childhood memories. 





 

A bit of class there from the other side.

[MAD DOG DIL 2]

RIP Billy Bonds. A great honest hard working fella. Dare i suggest out of all your bretherin this man was easily the most respected by us across the water. Almost the 'acceptable' face of your club. Perhaps thats becuase he was a Sarf London lad (Cripps the east end boy)?

From a personal point of view was a little late on the Moore & Husrt thing so i would say Bonds in the early to mid 70's was the first player i always associated with West Ham as a kid - with Clyde Best, Pop Robson, Lampard and Brooking just beneath.

So when i heard of his passing today, there were no thoughts of enemies or contempt, just a very very repectful nod and thank you to a decent working class hero. Another decent one gone, who played a small part in forming my and as i suspect loads of people of a certain vintage on here's childhood memories. 




 

[chim chim cha boo]

It's almost unbelievable that Bill was capable of dying,  let alone has died.

My first, and greatest ever hero. 

Rest in peace Billy, you provided some of the best, most exciting days of my life. Sad, sad news.

[Come On You Irons]

Rest in Peace to a genuine club legend.

[Mex Martillo]

One of our greatest players.
And was decent as a manager.
RIP

[nychammer]

One of the great players of his era. RIP Billy and sorry the club disgraced your memory today with that showing. 

[Mr Logic]

God bless Billy

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

                         But O heart! heart! heart!

                            O the bleeding drops of red,

                               Where on the deck my Captain lies,

                                  Fallen cold and dead.


O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

                         Here Captain! dear father!

                            This arm beneath your head!

                               It is some dream that on the deck,

                                 You’ve fallen cold and dead.


My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

                         Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

                            But I with mournful tread,

                               Walk the deck my Captain lies,

                                  Fallen cold and dead.

RIP Bonzo. The greatest of us all.

[Up The Iron]

First saw Bill on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday. The crowd took to him straightaway as an attacking full back, overlapping Harry Redknapp with his neck chain and hair flying as he ran. 

[greenie1]

A family man, an icon, a hero, a leader, a legend.

RIP BILLY BONDS.

[The Mercernary]

We’ll never see his like again - marauding right back, midfield enforcer, centre back rock or just captain fantastic.
Rest in peace Bonzo

Penalty king and a scorching left foot volley against Coventry:

[Leatherhead Hammer]

I coildn't believe it when I heard the news.
Billy was a true West Ham legend, a colossus of a player, and great man.

RIP Billy Bonds

[WHU(Exeter)]

Excellent post Coffee.

An absolute legend of a player.

So sad

R.I.P. Billy

[MaryMillingtonsGhost]

Coffee, brilliant post son

[claypole]

Thank you Billy

Rest in peace

[Coffee one sugar]

Genuinely upset by this.
 
He was, and still is, an integral part of my growing up as a West Ham fan. When his name was on the team sheet, you knew, you really knew, that the team would put up a fight, even when it ended up in defeat which was not infrequent. He was usually the first one out of the dressing room afterwards while the others yapped and drank their milk or bottle of light ale or whatever they did knock back at that time. 

He was a captain you could look up to, respect, and know that his first priority was always the interest of the club and its supporters. He was the kind of man you could look up to even from the distance of the terraces. He had a presence on the field and was held in obvious respect by his team mates. He gave you confidence that you wouldn't be overcome by sheer effort or fight, nor by and in the joint effort of team and fan.

I shall miss him, not because I knew the man but for the sense of justified pride that his memory cannot and will not erase.They say you cannot measure a player by trophies and medals alone. If you could, the record books would gleam with the name of Billy Bonds. But his legacy is not carved from silver or gold; it is etched into the very soul of a football club, into the stands of Upton Park, and into the hearts of generations who were privileged to call him their own.

To watch Billy Bonds play was to understand the very essence of West Ham United. He was not merely a player who wore the claret and blue; he was its living, breathing, battling embodiment. For over two decades, he was the constant, the rock, the leader. He was a force of nature, a player whose heart seemed to beat with the collective pulse of the terraces. He didn't just cover every blade of grass; he claimed it, defended it, and poured his being into it. His tackles were not just challenges; they were statements of intent, roars of defiance that echoed around the Boleyn Ground.

And what a captain he was. He didn't need an armband to lead, but he wore it with a king's authority and a soldier's humility. He was the man you would follow into battle, because you knew he would be the first into the breach and the last to leave. He led with a clenched fist, a determined stare, and an action that screamed: Follow Me. But beyond the warrior, there was a craftsman. Beyond the grit, there was grace. He could truly play. He was a fusion of iron and silk, of passion and precision, each taking the fore when circumstance demanded.His legacy is multi-faceted. It lies in the standard he set - that of unwavering commitment, and of putting everything on the line for your cause. He is the benchmark against which every captain, every player, and every heart that beats claret and blue is measured.

[RBshorty]

Set. THE TONE.
Showed. THE WAY.

BILLY BONDS
RIP.

[Tomshardware]

Can't believe it, very sad day for the club.  R.I.P Bonzo

[Hello Mrs. Jones]

I rarely get emotional but I shed some tears today. R.I.P. Bonzo and thanks for all the fantastic memories.

[zico]

Just come on here and seen this, absolutely gutted.  From about 5 years old when I started supporting the club Billy, Trev and John Lyall were my heroes.  Billy was as fit as they come and as tough old boots, thought he would be around forever.  RIP to an absolute legend.

[Percy Dalton]

Can remember when he was out injured with a poisonous toe and Bonzo said amputate it so he could get back playing. 
Can you imagine any of today's pansy players even contemplating doing that.

[ragingbull]

R.I.P Billy,
So reassuring watching you swashbuckling through the  opposition..

[cholo]

I don't often come on here anymore. But to pay tribute to my all time favourite west ham player and captain, it was only fitting to come back to my favourite west ham forum.

RIP Billy 

There will never be another like him in our history.