The Star: September 12, 2019

The Star Thursday September 12 2019
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Almond fuels life after the All Whites
The Star looks back
each week at
Canterbury’s sporting
icons from yesteryear.
This week Gordon
Findlater talks to former
All Whites defender
Bobby Almond about
playing in a World Cup
and pumping fuel on
Blenheim Rd
THE MAN at the heart of the
famous 1982 All Whites defence
has gone from loud mouth centre
half to friendly-faced fuel boy.
Bobby Almond ran onto the
pitch 49 times for the All Whites
between 1978 and 1982. He
played in all 15 qualifying games
for the side en route to their 1982
FIFA World Cup debut in Spain
and played in their pool matches
against Brazil and Scotland.
Almond has lived in
Christchurch since moving
from England in 1973. He has
worked in the fuel industry for
more than 30 years, mostly as
a business manager for Caltex.
These days he can still be found
pumping fuel part-time at Caltex
on Blenheim Rd.
Almond, 67, grew up in South
London and played much of
his early football there before
being picked up on an amateur
contract with North London
giants Tottenham Hotspurs’
youth side.
“I had a chance to go to
Millwall being a South London
boy, but the thoughts of playing
for Spurs was a good draw,” said
Almond.
“I didn’t drive a car by then, so
it was about two underground
trains, four buses and a cycle just
to get to training.”
Almond’s youth team at Spurs
in 1969/70 had no shortage of
success. In his one year with
the side, they won the national
youth league and three different
cups, including the FA Youth
Cup. The team featured future
legends Steve Perryman and
Graham Souness. Perryman
played a club record 655 games
for Spurs, while Souness went on
to win multiple league titles and
European Cups with Liverpool.
“He [Souness] was something
special. He wasn’t the quickest of
players, but just really intelligent
and had great skills,” said
Almond.
Following the 1969/70 season,
Almond was let go by Spurs.
He then had a trial with Leyton
Orient – which had just been
promoted to the second division.
His one opportunity to push his
case for a professional contract
with the club came in an ill-fated
match against Queens Park
Rangers.
“I was playing right-back at
the time and they had a left
winger there called Martyn
Busby and he just roasted me,
roasted me and roasted me again
. . . effectively I never saw the
manager after, so my endeavours
into the professional world sort
of stopped from there,” he said.
Almond played for his local
non-league side Walthamstow
Avenue before making a bold
move to the other side of the
globe to play football. The
decision to come to Christchurch
was made after Almond received
a phone call from his old team
mate Bruce MacDonald, who
was managing New Brighton at
the time.
“He rung me up during a game
and said ‘do you want to come
over’ and I said ‘yes, I think I’ll
have some of that’ because I
was really at a loose end and it’s
probably turned out to be the
best thing I’ve ever done,” he
said.
It didn’t take long for Almond
to make an impact at New
Brighton.
“It was a different lifestyle for
me, but I really enjoyed it. Being
a young man I obviously enjoyed
PUMPED:
Former
All Whites
defender
Bobby
Almond
can still
be found
pumping
fuel
part-time
at Caltex on
Blenheim
Rd.
PHOTO:
GEOFF
SLOAN
the social life quite a lot and used
to get into trouble a wee bit. I
think I can recall when I was
playing for Brighton I got sent
off in my second ever game up
in Auckland because I told the
ref to F off or something to that
extend. That was the rebellious
side coming out in me.”
Following one season with
Brighton, Almond was recruited
by high-flying Christchurch
United. He went on to play about
200 games for United between
1975 and 1988, winning four
national league titles and two
Chatham Cups. He also played
one season with Invercargill
Thistle in 1982 and played a
handful of seasons for Woolston
Technical following his time at
United, until he broke his leg in
1994.
However, Almond is best
known for his time with the
national team and helping them
reach their first ever World Cup.
In 1976, the defender became
eligible to play for New Zealand
and soon after made his All
Whites debut in 1978 against a
touring England B side at the
Basin reserve in Wellington. The
England B side featured the likes
of Glenn Hoddle, Paul Mariner,
Brian Talbot, Joe Corrigan and
Alan Kennedy.
Almond says Mariner was
one of the toughest strikers
he ever had to mark. The two
had a run in during the match
in Wellington, which flowed
through to the second match in
Auckland.
“I rushed into a tackle with
him and caught him on the nose.
He had quite a large nose, but
it was bigger after that . . . he
got his own back in the game in
Auckland when he did me in a
tackle,” he said.
While Almond says the All
Whites run to the World Cup
and playing against Brazil and
Scotland at the tournament are
his career highlights, another
special time came as a coach
years later. In 2002 he guided
Ferrymead Bays – which had
been promoted to the Mainland
Premier League for the first time
– to a league title in their first
attempt.
“It was a really brilliant time.
I got a lot of pleasure out of
coaching that club. I still hold
that title win in a very special
place,” said Almond.
These days he enjoys walking
his dog and the odd round
of golf. He’s looking forward
to teeing off at The Centre
Circle fundraising event at
the Harewood golf course on
November 29.
The Centre Circle was
originally set up by Almond’s
1982 World Cup teammate Steve
Sumner who passed away after
a battle with prostate cancer in
2017. Before his passing Sumner
asked Almond to kick start The
Centre Circle, which aims to
raise funds for football in the
Canterbury region.
Open letter to Adams: Where were you?
DEAR STEVE
I hope this finds you well. I
trust you’ve enjoyed your time at
home over the past few months
making many kids’ days during
the basketball roadshows you’ve
been doing around the country.
Steve, I have to report that
times as a New Zealand basketball
fan have been frustrating
of late . . . I’m sure you’re aware
our beloved Tall Blacks came
agonisingly close to once again
punching above their weight and
qualifying for the top-16 of the
World Cup.
Did you see old mate Corey
Webster absolutely shooting
the lights out in the opening
pool play stage? He was on fire,
arguably the hottest guard at
the competition and with some
support could have shot us to
victory over the likes of Brazil
and Greece. The guy was the top
scorer through the opening pool
play stage. He wasn’t throwing
up shots galore like James
Harden either, the guy also had
the best efficiency rating.
Unfortunately though it was
the same old story as years gone
by. We’ve really lacked size and
class on the inside. You see
One-eyed Cantab
Gordon Findlater
gordon.findlater@starmedia.kiwi
Steve, we’ve got some genuinely
good guards and wing men, but
we just don’t have a big guy that
can compete with what the other
top international sides have at
their disposal.
I hope you didn’t see too much
of Rob Loe’s performances, they
would have been punishing for
you to witness. I lost count of
how many times he turned the
ball over and got out-muscled for
rebounds. Unfortunately, Alex
Pledger doesn’t seem to be the
answer either. The guy has size,
but just looks out of his league at
World Cup level.
What’s the answer Steve? I
know what you’d say: ‘Wouldn’t
it be great if we had a true 7ft
athletic big man who could control
the paint and stop us from
leaking offensive rebounds?’
How good would it be to have
an NBA star like our opening
pool play opponents Brazil,
Montenegro and Greece.
One day Steve, one day, New
Zealand will produce a world
class centre and finally we will
be able to genuinely compete for
a medal and eclipse the amazing
efforts of our 2002 side. I hope
you’re there to see it Steve.