Kamara: Christopher (Chris)

1990-1991 (Player Details)

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Born: Middlesbrough: 25-12-1957

Debut: v Hull City (h): 10-02-1990

6’1” 12st (1989)

#93 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

After initially serving in the Royal Navy, Kamara began as an apprentice at Portsmouth, turning professional in January 1976, which began a long and varied career of over six hundred games, predominantly with clubs in the lower reaches of the Football League. After scoring seven goals in sixty-three games in his first spell at Portsmouth a £20,000 move took him to Swindon Town in August 1977. He scored twenty-one goals in a hundred and forty-seven games in his first spell at Swindon before he returned to Pompey in August 1981 for £50,000. He left Fratton Park again after only three months, after eleven games without scoring, to join Brentford in a player-exchange deal involving striker David Crown. He managed twenty-eight goals in a hundred and fifty-two appearances for the Bees. In August 1985 he joined Swindon Town for a second time, for £14,500 and scored six times in eighty-seven games, then moved to Stoke City in July 1988 for £27,500. Kamara, with a reputation of being a ‘hard man’ joined Leeds in January 1990 for £150,000, after scoring five goals in sixty games for Stoke. The former dockyard apprentice was extremely popular in his short stay at Leeds, as the experienced midfielder proved a useful asset after being signed towards the end of the 1990 Division Two title race. He joined Luton Town in November 1991 for £150,000. He had loan spells at Sheffield United in December 1992, where he played eight games, without scoring, and then at Middlesbrough in February 1993, where he managed five goalless appearances. He had not scored but had played forty-ninegames for the Hatters before securing a permanent move to Sheffield United on a free transfer in June 1993. He only played sixteen times for the Blades without scoring before he returned to West Yorkshire in July 1994 as Assistant Manager with Bradford City, where he was appointed Manager in March 1996, after retiring as a player in 1995. He scored three times in twenty-three games for the Bantams. Within two months he led them out at Wembley in the Division Two play-off Final against Notts County. He he left Valley Parade to become Manager of Stoke City from January to April 1998. He became a well-known and respected TV pundit with Sky Sport. He also writes a column in the Sun newspaper. Kamara currently lives in the semi-rural West Yorkshire village of Kirkhamgate.