Clyde Best

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Clyde Best
OBE
West Ham United's Boleyn Ground
, in August 2012
Personal information
Full name Clyde Cyril Best MBE
Date of birth (1951-02-24) 24 February 1951 (age 73)
Place of birth Somerset, Bermuda
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Somerset Trojans
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1976
West Ham United
 186 (47)
1975 →
Tampa Bay Rowdies
(loan)		 19 (6)
1976
Tampa Bay Rowdies
(indoor)		 4 (7)
1976
Tampa Bay Rowdies
 19 (9)
1977–1981
Portland Timbers
 118 (38)
1977–1978 Feyenoord 23 (3)
1979–1980 Cleveland Force (indoor) 30 (33)
1980–1981
Portland Timbers
(indoor)		 6 (2)
1981–1982
Toronto Blizzard
 22 (2)
1981–1982
Toronto Blizzard
(indoor)		 18 (3)
1982–1984 Los Angeles Lazers (indoor) 90 (29)
International career
1968 Bermuda 2 (1[1])
Managerial career
1997–1999 Bermuda
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Clyde Cyril Best

OBE (born 24 February 1951) is a Bermudian former football player. He was one of the first black players in First Division football in England, scoring 47 goals as a striker for West Ham United
between 1968 and 1976.

Early and personal life

Best moved from Bermuda to England at the age of 17, to play for West Ham United. Upon his arrival he was looked after by club captain Bobby Moore.[2] He has credited Moore and fellow West Ham players Harry Redknapp and Billy Bonds with helping him deal with racist abuse.[2]

Playing career

As one of England's first black footballers, Best was regularly targeted with

League Cup competition, in a 4–2 win against Halifax Town, on 3 September 1969. In 1973 Best deputised for an injured Bobby Ferguson in goal against Leeds United.[4] Best played 218 games and registered 58 goals for West Ham over 7 seasons between August 1969 and January 1976.[5]

Best also played in the Dutch

North American Soccer League. While playing for Tampa Bay in Soccer Bowl '75, he scored an 88th-minute goal to secure the Rowdies' first NASL championship in a 2–0 victory over Portland Timbers.[7] The following spring he led the Rowdies to the 1976 indoor title and was named tournament MVP.[8] He was the Rowdies leading scorer for the brief 1976 indoor season with 11 goals, 5 assists for 27 points.[9]

Managerial career

Best was an assistant coach for the

San Diego Sockers for a brief period in the early 1990s.[10] Best coached the Bermuda national team
from 1997 to 1999.

Later life

After his coaching career finished he retired back to Bermuda.[2]

Honours

Best was inducted into the Bermuda National Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. He was awarded an MBE in the 2006 New Year Honours list for services to football and the community in Bermuda.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "FIFA.com – FIFA Player Statistics: Clyde BEST". Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "How an FA Cup night out soured Moore's West Ham career" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ISBN 978-1-134-76688-8
    .
  4. ^ "Emergency Measures | Outfield Players Who Went in Goal | Goalkeepers Are Different". www.goalkeepersaredifferent.com.
  5. ^ "The Wonderful World of West Ham United statistics Clyde Best". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Miskopen – De grootste missers uit de Feyenoordgeschiedenis | The worst buys in Feyenoord's history (Dutch)". feyenoordgeschiedenis.net. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Image: 1975-8-24+Soccer+Bowl+Report+2.jpg, (1583 × 908 px)". 3.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Image: 1976-3-27+Rowdies+vs+Lancers+id+Final+Report.jpg, (656 × 920 px)". 2.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. ^ Gurney, Jack (28 March 1976). "Rowdies Win NASL Indoor Crown 6–4". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1D. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Clyde Best Football Bio Bermuda : Bernews.com". bernews.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  11. Sunday Telegraph
    issue no 2,428 dated 23 December 2007)
  12. ^ United Kingdom:"No. 57855". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 2005. p. 24.

External links

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