Quick for a big man, powerful and strong, a more athletic looking player you will never see. Clyde had it all but never became the finished article. That may seem a bit unfair on a player who is somewhat of a legend at Upton Park, but for those who did see him play, I am sure most would agree he never fully realised his true potential. Clyde had all the assets to be a superstar of the game. When he did score it was normally a beauty – a net ripping shot or an unstoppable header. Whilst he did infuriate all too often, he is very warmly remembered.
He played seven seasons at West Ham from 1969 to 1976 and played 221 games, scoring 58 goals. Born in Bermuda, Clyde Best was one of the first pioneers for the modern black footballer in England. There weren’t many black players playing in the old first division back then and Clyde suffered taunts and abuse from away fans on a regular basis. Clyde just had to get on with it as there were no laws or guidelines to protect such things happening forty years ago. Black or foreign players were very few and far between in the early seventies and racism was completely unbridled.
At just 19 he made his first big mistake but at least he did learn from it. Clyde joined Bobby Moore, Brian Dear, Jimmy Greaves and physio Rob Jenkins in a late night, or should I say early morning, drinking session the night before an FA Cup tie at Blackpool. The Hammers were favourites to win the game but were beaten 4-0. The booze party was splattered all over the sports pages just a few days after the game. Ron Greenwood was not happy! He wanted all four sacked but was persuaded that fines would be sufficient. However, Dear left the club within weeks and Greaves retired some months later. Clyde kept low for a while! He was probably lucky that Bobby Moore had been one of the culprits or perhaps Ron would have got his way? In his early seasons Clyde benefited from playing alongside Geoff Hurst and in the 1971/2 season he scored 23 goals. Following Hurst’s move to Stoke though, Clyde scored just 34 more times in a Hammers shirt and in 1976 moved away to play in the United States.
Clyde Best played twice for Bermuda, amazingly his debut was at fifteen. This again illustrates the natural raw talent that Clyde was. He also coached the Bermuda national side from 1997 to 1999. In 2004 Clyde was the first athlete to be inducted into the Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame and in 2006 he was awarded an MBE for services to Bermudian football and to the community.