The problem with any discussion about Bond's time at City is that we tend to forget the 81-82 season and how it finished so badly with only 5 wins from the last 22 games, falling attendances, and a sense that some of the short term heroes from the previous season were now slow and ageing.
Instead it's easier to blame the excesses and stupidity of the Malcolm Allison regime and celebrate the memories of the 81 Cup run (undoubtedly exaggerated because we didn't have another decent cup run for 30 years)
Bond didn't trust young players and quickly replaced Roger Palmer with Phil Boyer
He then sold Tony Henry, Steve Mackenzie, and Dave Bennett, whilst publicly lambasting Nicky Reid and Clive Wilson in the match programme.
None of these players were necessarily world beaters, but equally Palmer, Henry, and Mackenzie had all scored in Manchester derbies and were a damm sight better than most of the dross that followed for literally the rest of the decade.
None of this mitigates the self inflicted damage of the late 70s, but the squad that Bond inherited was considerably more talented than the one that capitulated at Brighton in the FA Cup
I look back fondly at my first season 80-81 and first half of the next season as Bond did a good job in the short term with older players and some of the younger ones. Those Cup runs and the surge up the table were magical and I don't recall quite so much negativity at the time towards Bond other than the Nicky Reid/Kevin Bond issue.
I don't view him negatively overall but he only halted the decline brought by Swales and Allison temporarily, papering over the cracks, so to speak.
He didn't need to sign Kevin or a just past it Martin O'Neill or Phil Boyer, who was decent until his injury. Bond should have trusted youth.
I've read some of those programme notes years back and even though it was a different age, when player power wasn't what it is now, some of the things Bond came out with about some of the lads was bang out of order. Don't ask me to quote them as my programmes are buried deep somewhere in a box.
Instead of wasting money on has-beens or his son, he could have been keeping at least one of Steve Mackenzie and Dave Bennett, especially the latter. Very good Division One players.
I would rather have seen Stevie Mack long term rather than us signing Graham Baker who was OK but not as good.
Nicky Reid should have been brought on further.
Clive Wilson was criminally under used even as a youngster. With more encouragement from Bond he'd have progressed and we would have had a player who actually wanted the ball alongside, in front or behind Power. Too many older players hid or were fighting each other when we'd have been better with the balance tipping slightly more towards younger players.
If Swales had held his bloody nerve and him and his board been stronger in insisting on balance rather than past it signings in the summers of 81 and 82, and keeping hold of Francis in the latter, cup runs would have boosted gates and revenue.
A team of Corrigan/Williams; Ranson, Reid, Caton, MacDonald; Bennett, Mackenzie, Hartford, Power; Reeves, Francis
With Clive Wilson or Roger Palmer on the bench would have been a decent squad at a time when less players were used.
Keeping Bennett would have taken the pressure of Tueart whose achilles sadly snapped in that 2-3 collapse at home to Sunderland in Dec 81. Denis was never the same when he eventually came back.
It's not hindsight by the way. Selling Bennett and Mackenzie was disappointing at the time. Much as I liked Martin O'Neill, we didn't need him nor did we use him properly plus he was past it.
Whenever I saw Wilson (rare under Bondy), he looked very promising. Palmer was worth keeping as an impact sub at least.
After the folly of Mal and Swales and their overreliance on youth, Bond tipped the scales too far the other way.
If bloody If...
