by Joe Johnson

LEGENDS of the game gathered last Friday to pay tribute to former West Ham and Tottenham player Jimmy Neighbour.

Ex-Hammers manager Billy Bonds was amongst a number of the game’s greats to praise Neighbour, who passed away on April 11 after a heart attack, while recovering in hospital from a hip operation.

Neighbour joined Spurs as an apprentice in 1968 and played 156 times for the Lilywhites, scoring 22 goals and winning a League Cup title in 1971.

He was a traditional right winger and was famed for his ability to take on and beat defenders.

He transferred to Norwich City in 1976, and West Ham paid £150,000 to bring him to Upton Park in 1979.

He went on to make 97 appearances for the Hammers, which included six goals.

Jimmy later returned to the Boleyn Ground as Youth Development Officer, and after a time as manager of St Albans City, went back to White Hart Lane in a coaching capacity.

Bonds hailed Neighbour’s contribution to West Ham. “Jimmy was one of life’s nice guys and he will be missed by so many,” he said.

“Jimmy came back to West Ham as youth development officer when I was manager. I knew Jim would never let me down as he was as honest and straight as the day is long.

“He got the recruitment scheme up and running and was responsible for bringing the likes of Joe Cole to the club.”

Former team-mate at Tottenham Martin Peters insisted Neighbour was always a popular member of the dressing room.

“Jimmy was loved by Norwich City and West Ham fans, adored by Tottenham fans, but most of all coveted by the players he played with,” he said.

Another former team-mate at Spurs, John Pratt, said: “In James Neighbour, the world has lost a lovely man, his family a great husband, dad and grandad.

“As a man everyone who met him would comment on what a nice man he was, his legacy is that no one had a bad word to say about him.”