Clyde Best
SPORT COLUMNIST
Clyde Best etched his name into West Ham folklore as powerful striker, scoring 58 goals in 213 appearances for the East London club between 1968 and 1976. A former Bermuda international and coach, Best became a true fans' favourite at Upton Park and was a trailblazer for black players, helping smash the glass ceiling which for so long had hindered athletes from minority backgrounds. After leaving the Hammers, Best ventured to Holland where he played for Feyenoord before heading to the United States, turning out for Tampa Bay Rowdies, Toronto Blizzard and Portland Timbers of the North American Soccer League. He was also an assistant coach for the San Diego Sockers for a brief period in the early 1990s. Best was the first athlete to be inducted into the Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. He was awarded an MBE two years later for services to football and the community.
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May 18, 2013 8:00 am
Retiring Beckham has been a good servant to football
It has been a big week for news in the football world with David Beckham announcing his retirement from playing, Rio Ferdinand from representing England, Frank Lampard becoming Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer and Roberto Mancini being fired at Manchester City after losing to Wigan in the FA Cup final.
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May 11, 2013 8:00 am
Moyes is a good choice to replace Ferguson
The announcement by Sir Alex Ferguson that he will be stepping down as Manchester United manager after 26 outstanding years dominated the headlines this week and understandably so.
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May 4, 2013 8:00 am
Clyde Best Centre of Excellence a great honour
It is an honour to have the Bermuda Football Association’s Centre of Excellence named after me, but all of this would not be possible without the help of many, many people along the way.
The first would be the Father above, without him none of it would have been possible, as well as my mom and dad for giving me the opportunity. My dad always knew that I was going to play sports and he paved the way for me in that area. -
Apr 29, 2013 9:00 amSuarez has been punished and rightly so
Just a couple of days after I praised Luis Suarez for the outstanding season he has had with Liverpool — and that he would be my choice for Player of the Year — came a shocking incident involving the Uruguayan striker that is still the talk in football circles.
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Apr 19, 2013 6:37 pm
Suarez my choice for Player of the Year
As we come down to the end of the season, the nominations for Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year have been named with Gareth Bale of Tottenham, Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez the three main contenders for the senior award while Bale is also among the favourites for the Young Player of the Year.
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Apr 13, 2013 8:00 am
Too many foreign players in the Premier League
I must admit I do tend to agree with Bobby Charlton’s comments this week that having so many foreign players in the English Premier League is hampering the progress of English born talent and affecting the quality of the England national team.
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Apr 6, 2013 8:00 am
Blogs can negatively impact professional players
I see that another professional footballer has landed himself in some trouble over comments made on social media.
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Mar 30, 2013 8:00 am
All to play for as survival race hots up
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has conceded the Premier League title to bitter rivals Manchester United who hold a 15-point gap with nine matches remaining.
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Mar 23, 2013 8:00 am
Moving to the Olympic Stadium is good for West Ham
It’s official, my former club West Ham United will be the new tenants of the Olympic Stadium from 2016.
It was the big story in Britain yesterday as the London Legacy Development Corporation confirmed that a deal had been reached with West Ham that will see the club become tenants under a 99-year lease with the stadium to be transformed into a 54,000-seater stadium in time for the 2016-17 season when West Ham move in. -
Mar 16, 2013 8:00 am
Defensive frailties cost Arsenal in Champions League
I was sorry to see the last of the English team’s, Arsenal, exit from the Champions League this week which means there will be no English clubs at the quarter-final stages of the competition for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
However, I am happy for Tottenham that they are still in the Europa League despite their 4-1 loss to Inter Milan, thanks to an important away goal by Emmanuel Adebayor. -
Mar 9, 2013 8:00 am
The red card on Nani was quite harsh
It was a hard week for Manchester United fans as they were knocked out of the Champions League in controversial fashion on Wednesday.
Playing at home at Old Trafford and having Real Madrid subdued for the match until the sending off of Nani would surely be a bitter pill for their fans to come to grips with. -
Feb 23, 2013 8:00 am
A special Sunday for ‘Moore’ reasons than one
This is a special weekend for me in English football as my fellow Bermudian Nahki Wells steps out onto the Wembley pitch tomorrow on the 20th anniversary of the death of my former West Ham captain Bobby Moore.
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Feb 16, 2013 8:00 am
Time for football to quash racism for good
A special report by Sky Sports this week on racism in English football got my attention, but I am somewhat amazed that more than 40 years after I first began experiencing racist chants at English grounds as one of only a handful of black players, the problem still exists in football.
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Feb 9, 2013 8:00 am
Carragher is a Liverpool man through and through
Hearing this week that Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher will be retiring at the end of the season after more than 700 appearances for his only club got me thinking about the loyalty — or lack of it — in English football these days.
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Jan 26, 2013 8:00 am
There’s no rush for Nahki to leave Bradford
A lot has been said this week about whether Nahki Wells should or could go straight into the Premier League now that clubs in higher divisions are taking notice of him after Bradford’s successful run to the Capital One Cup final.
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Jan 19, 2013 8:00 amFootball’s tough tacklers now an extinct species
I see that the FA in England have upheld Manchester City’s appeal against Vincent Kompany’s red card for a tackle on Arsenal’s Jack Wilshire last weekend at the Emirates.
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Jan 12, 2013 7:55 am
Suarez and Van Persie sure to provide fireworks
Manchester United against Liverpool is always one of the biggest games of the season and tomorrow’s clash between the two bitter rivals will be no different.
Always an intense and emotional occasion, it should be an intriguing encounter with Messrs Van Persie and Suarez more than likely to have a say in the outcome.
Van Persie has been an inspired signing for United and has quickly become their talisman this season. -
Jan 5, 2013 10:20 am
It may be time for Balotelli to pack his bags
Clyde Best
Manchester City are in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons again. And it is the same two Italians involved, manager Roberto Mancini and striker Mario Balotelli.
They have a long-standing feud, starting from their time in Italy, and it really will be difficult to resolve because as a coach you can’t have your player physically fighting with you and getting away with it. -
Dec 29, 2012 8:00 am
High flying United enjoy a Happy Christmas
Clyde Best
In the final weeks of 2012, it seems as though Manchester United have been enjoying the Christmas cheer, watching their title rivals fall offf the pace.
Although Chelsea have bounced back with successive victories, they lost valuable ground after axing their coach Roberto Di Matteo and replacing him with Rafa Benitez in an effort to shuffle the pack. -
Dec 22, 2012 8:53 am
Get set for some exciting matches in the Champions League
The Champions League draw on Thursday threw up a few interesting clashes in the round of 16, none more intriguing than Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.
This will be the marquee matchup of the round and it will come down to United’s ability to not leak goals, something they aren’t known for but are doing at the present moment. -
Dec 15, 2012 8:00 am
Coin throwing could have caused Rio to lose an eye
The coin throwing incident in the game last weekend between Manchester City and Manchester United spoiled what was a very good derby match between England’s top two teams.
Fortunately United defender Rio Ferdinand, who was hit just above the eye by the coin thrown by a City fan, did not lose that eye it could have been that bad. -
Dec 8, 2012 8:00 am
Mancini and Ferguson in battle of the mind games
Somewhat unsurprisingly, given their track records, both Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini have played some mind games ahead of tomorrow’s Manchester derby.
Mancini has labelled arch-rivals United as title favourites ahead of the top-of-the-table clash no doubt a tactic to motivate his players. -
Dec 1, 2012 8:00 am
Harry’s the right man to lead QPR revival
It’s nice to see my old friend Harry Redknapp back in football management following his appointment last week at struggling Queens Park Rangers. Good old Harry brings something special to management and there is never a dull moment when he’s around, particularly during his interviews. He added a bit of humour in yesterday’s press conference when quizzed about the possibility of taking Liverpool’s Joe Cole,...
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Nov 23, 2012 8:00 am
Di Matteo success still not good enough for Abramovich
What a strange week it has been at Chelsea Football Club.
Roberto Di Matteo, who did superbly well last season, winning the European Champions League and the FA Cup, has been axed and replaced by former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez until the end of the campaign.
I believe Benitez is Chelsea’s ninth manager since the ruthless Roman Abramovich became owner in 2003 which I find quite staggering. -
Nov 10, 2012 8:00 am
Carroll under pressure to justify transfer fee
News that Newcastle manager Alan Pardew wants to take Andy Carroll back to St James Park certainly got my attention, not least because his loan period at my former club, West Ham, might be cut short in order to facilitate the move during the transfer window.
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Nov 3, 2012 8:00 am
Chance for Nahki to shine on the big stage
Playing against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the League Cup is a fantastic opportunity for our Nahki Wells who is enjoying a good season with Bradford City in League Two.
I’m sure with the goals he’s scoring right now that people are taking notice of him. I first saw Nahki in the gym playing in a six-a-side game when he was at Bermuda College and I knew then that he had something special by his movement. -
Oct 27, 2012 8:00 am
Bad week for Britain in Champions League
It wasn’t a good week for British clubs in the Champions League, with only Manchester United picking up a victory, but there is plenty of time for the other sides to get things right in the group phase.
United had a scare, too, as they were two goals down inside the first 20 minutes at Old Trafford against Brago of Portugal before two Javier Hernandes headers led United’s fightback to win 3-2. -
Oct 20, 2012 8:00 am
Racism - UEFA have to take firm action
So Chelsea have refused to confirm whether John Terry will remain captain after receiving a four-game ban for racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.
Terry will miss the Blues’ next four domestic games but he will be eligible to play in Tuesday’s Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk. -
Oct 13, 2012 8:00 am
Racism yet to be kicked out of football
There seems to be no end to the John Terry-Anton Ferdinand racism saga, which is starting to to take on the appearance of an television mini-series.
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Oct 6, 2012 8:00 am
Hodgson was right to leave out Ferdinand
So it seems Rio Ferdinand’s England career is pretty much over.
Following the recent retirement of John Terry, Roy Hodgson’s latest England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland showed he is looking to the future. -
Sep 22, 2012 6:00 am
Hopefully fan warning will stop the nonsense
The news that Liverpool have been longing for has been delivered in the case of the Hillsborough tragedy. It was a good thing for both the club and the community . . . it was a devastating loss of life.
It’s now been revealed that fans weren’t to blame for this tragedy and it was pleasing to see teams from across the country giving their support to Liverpool. -
Sep 10, 2012 6:00 am
Reggae Boyz follow lead of nation's sprinters
Some people seem surprised by Jamaica's 2-1 home win over USA but I, for one, saw it coming.
Anyone who knows anything about Jamaican football will have not been overly shocked by the result, either.
Jamaica have some very good players and in football, on any given day, if you come prepared any team can beat any other. -
Sep 1, 2012 7:00 am
Upton Park can be happy hunting ground for Carroll
Andy Carroll has had a difficult time of things at Liverpool but hopefully West Ham will be a happy hunting ground for the big striker who has joined the Hammers on loan.
He actually finished the season strongly at Anfield last season but I believe he can rediscover the goal scoring form he showed at Newcastle United. -
Aug 25, 2012 7:00 am
Hammers can bring Swansea back down to earth
I was certainly a happy man after watching my West Ham win their opening game of the season against Aston Villa at home last weekend.
Most encouraging was the way we played and it’s always important to make a good start to the Premier League season, especially as one of the newly promoted teams. -
Aug 18, 2012 7:00 am
My money’s on City to win another title
The wait is finally over and a new season is upon us as we anxiously await the twists and turns of a new campaign with many teams harbouring dreams of both winning the title and avoiding relegation.
I’m currently in England to see my beloved West Ham United welcome Aston Villa on opening day. There is a real buzz around the whole country in regards to what is about to take place. -
Jul 7, 2012 7:00 am
Spain still the very best in world football
What a performance by Spain in the Euro 2012 final. Their 4-0 thrashing of Italy showed the world that they are still the team to beat.
The Spanish came good at the right time and it was unfortunate for the Italians that they ran into such a well-oiled machine. -
Jun 30, 2012 7:41 am
Ronaldo pays the penalty in shootout fiasco
@$:What a final tomorrow’s match between Spain and Italy should be to decide the winners of the 2012 European Championships.
Both teams have different styles and have gone about their business in different fashions but, in my opinion, both deserve to have reached the final. -
Jun 23, 2012 7:00 am
Inspirational Ronaldo key to Portugal’s success
What an entertaining European Championships it has been so far.
Great games, great goals and some great games still to come.
I have to say I have been very impressed with Portugal and their inspirational leader Cristiano Ronaldo.
When Ronaldo plays well, Portugal play well and his form will be pivotal to whether Portugal are able to go all the way in this tournament. -
Jun 16, 2012 7:41 am
The Dutch have been the biggest disappointment
Well, the 20102 European Championships are little more than a week old and already there’s been quite a few upsets.
Holland, one of the pre-tournament favourites, have got themselves into a real mess after losing to Denmark and Germany and are going to have to conjure up something special against Portugal. -
Jun 9, 2012 6:00 am
Special players will decide Euro title
The European Championships have officially started and this will be one of the most interesting tournaments in many years with clear favourites as well as dark horses hoping to be crowned ‘Kings of Europe’.
While all of the groups are relatively close in terms of ability, it will take special players to do special things that will ultimately decide which teams continue on the road to glory and who falls by the wayside. -
Jun 2, 2012 7:00 am
Lampard injury a big blow for England
With just one week before the start of the Euro Championships, Frank Lampard’s injury is a significant one for England and their ambitions to win the tournament.
When you look at his ability to get into the box and score goals, you realise how valuable he is to the team. -
May 26, 2012 8:00 am
Hammers back where they belong: in top flight
I am ecstatic that my former team West Ham are returning to the English Premier League next season after beating Blackpool 2-1 in the Championship League play-off final last weekend.
I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning, even before the match, and it was great to see the West Ham fans out in force. The atmosphere inside Wembley was electric. -
May 19, 2012 7:00 am
‘Noisy neighbours’ City deserving of title
What an epic finish it was to the English Premier League. It couldn’t have been scripted any better, could it?
Cross-city rivals Manchester United and Manchester City tied at the top of the table on the last day of the season.
In the end it was ‘noisy neighbours’ City who prevailed in a thrilling finish against relegation threatened QPR.
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