Kamara: Blues chairman sold me while manager was at a funeral
CHRIS KAMARA has revealed how he was sold against his wishes 65 days into his dream Pompey return.
And then chairman
John Deacon initiated the midfielder’s exit while manager Frank Burrows was attending a funeral.
Kamara began his football career at Fratton Park after being recruited from the Royal Navy as a 16-year-old in November 1974.
He would go on to total 84 games and 10 goals during two Fratton Park spells, both of which ended with the Blues forcing his departure.
However, according to an interview in Played Up Pompey Three, it was Kamara’s second exit in October 1981 which caught him most by surprise.
And it was driven by Deacon – in the absence of Pompey’s manager.
‘Jimmy Dickinson sold me to Swindon in August 1977, days before the start of the 1977-78 season, but I didn’t want to leave, I was very happy at Fratton Park,’ Kamara told Played Up Pompey Three.
‘It was my first club, I loved it, but he felt it was the right thing to do, and I departed for £20,000.
‘Ironically, my final competitive appearance of that first spell was against the Robins, when I scored twice from the penalty spot and also struck the post in a 4-3 defeat at the County Ground in May 1977.
‘Swindon tur ned into a good move – I became one of their youngest ever captains and played in a good side which reached the semifinals of the 1980 League Cup.
‘I made 184 appearances and scored 26 goals for the Robins but, in the summer of 1981, was out of contract and, at the age of 23, I was interested in a retur n to Fratton Park.
‘Swindon manager John Trollope was keen for me to remain, but I turned down offers of a new deal, instead signing weekly ter ms.
‘Back then, despite freedom of contract, clubs had to be compensated in such situations, so my return to Pompey dragged on while they thrashed out a valuation.
‘Frank Burrows, who had been assistant to Danny Williams during my time at Swindon, was now boss at Fratton Park, in his first managerial job, and that really appealed as I loved working with him. ‘A £50,000 fee was agreed and, in August 1981, I was a Pompey player for a second time. ‘Back at Fratton Park, I established myself as an ever-present in all competitions at the start of that 1981-82 campaign, before being moved on to Brentford after just 65 days.
‘Once again I didn’t want to leave but, in October 1981, my second Pompey spell was over, spanning 14 games and one goal.
‘It unfolded while Frank was attending the funeral of his former Swindon boss Fred Ford, in Bristol.
‘With him off the scene, I received a phone call from Blues chairman John Deacon informing me Frank had been trying to sign a striker and a swap deal had been agreed with Brentford for David Crown, with me going the other way.
‘My reaction was: “Well, why hasn’t Frank phoned me?”.
‘I was told he was out of action for a day or two and had given per mission for the chairman to contact me, who then advised I met up with their manager, Fred Callaghan.
‘To be honest, I didn’t want to go.
‘Me and my girlfriend Anne, who would later become my wife, had just moved into a rented house in Waterlooville – now we were expected to up sticks once more.
‘I spoke to Anne about what I should do, but surely if they want to get rid of you, what can you actually do?
‘Besides, Frank was away and, in such days of mobile phones not existing, I couldn’t just ring him up.
‘It was decided to meet up with the Bees’ manager and, once I did, I was impressed by his ambitions for the club.
‘They were going to sign Stan Bowles from Leyton Orient, a player I loved, while I’d become their highest paid player. Fred Callaghan was true to his word, too.
‘The following mor ning, Frank rang: “I can’t believe the chairman has gone and done this”.
‘So I asked him what the score was? He replied: “You know I love you, but I need a striker and have an abundance of central midfield players.
‘The chair man is also telling me we need a striker and, while I can’t let him interfere in football, in this particular instance if you are happy, then we’ ll do it.
‘I told him I’d spoken to Fred and loved Brentford’s ambition – so would be giving it a go.
‘Burrows didn’t want me to leave, but it was taken out of his hands by Deacon.
‘It was the right thing to do and I ended up having four good years at Griffin Park, including playing at Wembley against Wigan Athletic in the 1985 Freight Rover Trophy final, when we lost 3-1.
‘My playing career lasted until the end of the 1994-95 season, when, at the age of 37, I hung up my boots, before managing Bradford and Stoke City.
‘When I was dismissed by Stoke, I decided to go into television for a year or two, hatching the plan of retur ning to football management.
‘I never thought 21 years later I would still be working in television.’
Played Up Pompey Three is priced £18.99 and available from Amazon, Waterstones, the Pompey Shop and The Petersfield Bookshop.
For player-autographed copies, with the signatures of Richard Hughes, Sammy Igoe, Martin Kuhl, Lee Bradbury or Dave Munks, email neil.allen@thenews. co.uk
Meanwhile, Played Up Pompey Too remains on sale from Amazon.