THE man who ended Brian Laws’ playing career at Turf Moor knows he will never be popular in Burnley.

A quarter of a century on, John Bond admits his time in charge of the Clarets remains one of the biggest regrets of his life.

Mention Bond’s name in the town, and most Burnley fans who remember the era will not speak fondly of him.

The first man without a Clarets connection to manage the club in 31 years, he was sacked after a solitary season in charge in 1983/84 – a campaign that saw the Clarets finish 12th in Division Three, having been relegated the year before.

Bond has forever been blamed for wasting precious money on unsuccessful signings, something some supporters feel played a part in their ultimate slide to the depths of Division Four.

When his Shrewsbury side were drawn away to Burnley in the FA Cup in 1992 he was advised to stay away from the game.

But Bond still feels upset about some aspects of his reign but, now 77 and retired from the game, his memories of his Clarets reign are largely stained by sadness rather than anger.

“It is one of my biggest regrets,” said Bond, who hailed from Essex and spent most of his playing career with today’s opponents West Ham.

“I did do some ridiculous things with some of the signings I made.

“In my playing days Burnley played great football like West Ham did, so I had a lot of time for them and was proud when I became their manager.

“The chairman John Jackson asked me to take the job after I had walked out on Manchester City. But in the end Burnley just wasn’t for me.

“The people weren’t really my type of people and I could never have imagined living there.

"A lot of former players had a lot to say for themselves, too.

“But I did go storming in and tried to change things too quickly.

"I signed people like Kevin Reeves and Tommy Hutchison, who did well, but there were others like Joe Gallagher, who was crocked.

“And I brought Willie Donachie in from Man City, who I had always rated as a player but it didn’t work out and that was a shame.

“I was the first person without a Burnley connection to take charge for a long time and when I walked to the dug-out for my first home game I was booed (Burnley had lost 4-1 at Hull on the opening day a week earlier).

"I pretty much knew then they were never really going to take to me.

“I was doing my damnedest but I got a lot of criticism during my time there.

“I’m pleased they are doing well now, though, and I hope they do stay up.

"It will be difficult for them but I think they will just do it.”

Laws had started his career with Burnley after being scouted in his native north east, making 125 appearances in three years and gaining popularity with many fans.

But, just two months after Bond had taken charge and with the season not yet underway, the full back was sold to Huddersfield.

Deemed not good enough for a Third Division team, Laws would later go on to represent Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest in the top flight. The pair have never spoken since.

“Sometimes these things happen in football,” said Bond.

“At Tottenham, Bill Nicholson let Graeme Souness go and he went on to be a great player.

“I thought the team wasn't good enough and I had to get my own players in.

“At the time I didn't think he was good enough, but he went on to be in football for a long time.

“I'm pleased he is doing well in management now. I have no qualms about that at all.”

Bond’s main gripe remains the way he left Burnley, sacked by Jackson five days before the start of the 1984/85 campaign as a boardroom power struggle led to a decline in relations between chairman and manager.

“I had got on famously with the chairman for a long time, but he got another director to come into my office and talk to me and find out things,” said Bond.

“They had a mole. I said some things to him that were critical of the chairman because there were things I weren’t happy about.

“We hadn’t got relegated the season before, but the chairman decided he wanted me to go.”

Bond had happier times elsewhere, though. He played almost 400 games at right back for West Ham and managed Bournemouth and Norwich before his time in charge of City and Burnley.

Further spells in the Football League with Swansea, Birmingham and Shrewsbury followed.

“My time at West Ham was fantastic,” he recalled of his playing days.

“I couldn’t even get into my village team and had never thought about being a professional, but West Ham came in to sign me and within a year I was playing for the first team.

“To be honest, I'd rather talk about the other clubs I was at than the iffy time I had at Burnley.”