Monday 13 October 2008

Clyde Best 1975, 1976; 1976 (id)

Clyde Cyril Best MBE, was born February 24th, 1951 in Bermuda. played as a striker for West Ham United, and was one of the first post-World War II black players in British football. While he initially suffered through some unpleasant fan chanting, Clyde became a true fan favourite at Upton Park. He was a strong, powerful player with the skills of the traditional English centre forward, tough to dispossess when he had the ball and good in the air.
He made his first team debut for West Ham in a 1-1 home draw against Arsenal on 25 August 1969. His first goal for the Hammers being in the League Cup in a 4-2 win against Halifax Town, on 3 September 1969. Best played 218 games and registered 58 goals for West Ham over 7 seasons between August 1969 and January 1976.
In 1975, Clyde joined the new Rowdies team, helping them to their Soccer Bowl Championship. Making 22 appearances and notching up 8 goals and 6 assists.
In 1976, he would carry on in the same vain, with 21 games, 9 goals and 6 assists. In 1977, he made the move with fellow '75 Rowdie Stewart Scullion to the Portland Timbers, where he scored 7 goals in his first season. He then went to the Dutch Eredivisie to play for Feyenoord of Rotterdam. But, returned in time for the 1978 season with the Timbers, making 35 appearances, 14 goals and 9 assists.
In 1981, he moved to the Toronto Blizzard, where he would continue until the 1982 season.
Clyde received his first cap at the age of fifteen playing for the Bermudian National Team.
He was also instrumental in the origins of soccer at Irvine Valley College in Southern California, as a founding member of the coaching staff along with Head Coach Martin McGrogan in 1993.
He also coached the Bermudian National Team from 1997 to 1999.
Clyde Best was inducted into the Bermuda National Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. He was awarded an MBE in the January 2006 New Year's Honours list for services to football and the community in Bermuda.
Today, Clyde is back living in Bermuda.
If Clive should ever come across this, please could you email me.

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