Billy Ayre
Encyclopedia
William "Billy" Ayre was an English footballer
who played for three different clubs in a sixteen-year professional career, making over three hundred League
appearances in the process. After retiring from the playing side of the game, he became a manager, and took the helm at five different clubs between 1984 and 2000. He guided Blackpool
to two successive play-off finals, in 1991
and 1992
, during his four years in charge of the club.
suburb of Crookhill
. After trying his hand at refereeing in his teenage years, he played for several years in non-League football at two amateur clubs in County Durham
: Crook Town and Bishop Auckland
.
in 1975 whilst balancing a teaching profession at St. Leonard's R.C.V.A Comprehensive School in Durham
, where he taught art and physical education. He won the Supporters' Player of the Year award in 1977. It was his uncompromising performances for Boro that earned him a move, also in 1977, to Hartlepool United
.
in the League Cup
. He made his league debut seven days later in a 2–1 home defeat to Torquay United
. He was the club's top scorer in an ever-present season with the club, 1977–78
, with thirteen goals, which assisted in his being named as the Supporters' Player of the Year. In 2008, Ayre was posthumously named United's "Player of the 1970s".
In Ayre's second season at Hartlepool, 1978–79
, he made 42 league appearances and scored five goals. In 1979–80
, he made 43 league appearances and score nine goals. In his final season at the club, 1980–81
, he made ten league appearances and scored one goal before he was sold to Halifax Town
. He played against Hartlepool in Halifax's visit to Victoria Park
later in the season.
.
, where he spent two seasons, making 67 league appearances and scoring seven goals. He scored a headed goal on his first-team debut in a Football League Trophy
tie at Field Mill
.
In December 1986, Ayre became manager
of Halifax again, this time on a full-time basis. Three years later, just before the end of the 1989-90
season, he was sacked, having failed to get them out of the league's basement division
.
He was soon appointed assistant manager to Graham Carr
at Blackpool
, and when Carr was sacked in November 1990, Ayre was promoted in his place. His first game in charge was a draw at Hereford United
on 1 December 1990. As Roy Calley
wrote in his 1992 book, Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992, Ayre, almost unknown outside the lower leagues, was "greeted reservedly by Blackpool supporters, yet in the space of two years [had] become the club's most popular - and certainly most successful - boss since Stan Mortensen
". On matchdays, he wore the number 15 Blackpool shirt, in the days when only three substitutes (numbers 12 to 14) were permitted for league games.
When Carr left, Blackpool were lying in eighteenth position in the Division Four table; six months later, however, the team had qualified for the play-offs after losing only five of their remaining thirty games. Between 10 November 1990 and 19 November 1991 two new (and still existing) club records were set: fifteen consecutive home League wins in what turned out to be a twenty-four-game unbeaten run at Bloomfield Road
. (It should be noted, however, that the match that set the ball rolling, a 4–2 victory over Aldershot
, was under the guidance of Carr.) Their good fortune came undone at the last hurdle, however, when they lost in a penalty shoot-out to Torquay United
in the final at Wembley and remained in the Fourth Division for another season. (In an interview at the final whistle, Ayre said, "I've never had a worse moment in my life, never mind football.")
Ayre was able to keep largely the same team together and guided them back to Wembley the following 1991-92 season in which they finally gained promotion after another, more successful penalties experience. Scunthorpe United
were the unlucky team on this occasion. Blackpool had booked their place in the new Division Two
. Ayre dedicated the victory to his parents, who died the previous year.
The following season
saw the Seasiders finish in a lowly eighteenth position after winning only twelve of their forty-six games.
On the final day of the 1993-94
season, Blackpool avoided relegation by a single point by virtue of beating Leyton Orient
4-1 at Bloomfield Road. Ayre was sacked in June by then-chairman Owen Oyston
after the Seasiders failed to impress at their new level. He was succeeded by Sam Allardyce
. Ayre's league record in his three-and-a-half years at Bloomfield Road: 191 games, 77 wins, 70 draws, 44 losses.
Ayre achieved not only promotion but subsequently survival with very little financial backing from Oyston. During this period, players such as Alan Wright
, Paul Groves, and, most notably, Trevor Sinclair
all left the club for bigger and better things. Despite this, Ayre's sides battled, grafted, and occasionally shocked sides with far greater resources at their disposal. As demonstrated in the retrospective DVD The Seasiders, a feature of the Geordie's time at Bloomfield Road was his "ticker-tape entrance" in games at Bloomfield Road - fans throwing paper aloft whilst Ayre made his way across to the dugout on the east side of the ground. He would acknowledge the fans, then clench his fists, urging the Seasiders faithful to back his lads, eliciting a raucous cheer from the fans.
Ayre's next stop was Scarborough, where he arrived in August 1994
, some twenty years after playing for the Yorkshiremen. His reign at the McCain Stadium
lasted just four months, after he was sacked for failing to turn around the Division Three
strugglers.
A short-but-successful stint at non-League Southport
followed during the 1994-95 season. Ayre had guided the Sandgrounders to a third-placed finishing position.
In March 1996, Ayre was asked by new Swansea City boss Jan Mølby
to be his assistant, but the duo arrived too late to prevent the Swans from sliding into Division Three. They reached the play-off final a year later, but a last-minute goal saw them lose to Northampton Town
and miss out on promotion. Ayre and Mølby were both sacked soon after the disappointment.
Ayre then assisted Frank Burrows
at Cardiff City
and helped them to promotion to Division Two in 1998-99
.
After a month-long break while having a benign tumor
removed, Ayre was installed to the manager's seat at Cardiff when Burrows resigned in January 2000. "This came as a complete shock," he said at the time. "I was on the motorway driving back to South Wales
when the chairman rang me. I want to keep the job, and I hope I'm given the chance to prove myself."
"There will be changes," he continued. "I will be tweaking a few things, and we will be looking at the playing system. I'm still stunned about what has happened, but we have to revitalise and rejuvenate the team quickly. Frank Burrows brought me to Cardiff and did everything within his power for the club. But we have to look forward, we have to work quickly. That's what Frank would want."
Regarding the tumor, Ayre said: "That wasn't something which bothered me too much. That may sound strange, but it was outside my control, so I got on with things. Now the Cardiff City job has been given to me, albeit temporarily for now, and that is within my control. I haven't spoken to Frank yet, because he has gone away. But I will talk to him soon."
Also regarding his tumor, he stated: "I'm not at all frightened. I know the risks. The odds of people not even surviving the treatment are 20-1, but that doesn't bother me. I've backed a few 20-1 winners in my time. One in four people get cancer, and I'm pleased it's me and not somebody else in my family. I'd rather take it, because I think I can deal with it."
Ayre stayed on beyond the end of the season despite the Bluebirds falling back into Division Three. He was demoted to assistant manager when owner Sam Hammam
installed Bobby Gould
in August 2000. His services were disposed of completely two months later when Alan Cork
was put in charge of first-team affairs and Gould was appointed general manager.
Ayre's final job in football came within weeks of leaving Cardiff. He joined Division Two side Bury
as assistant to Andy Preece
, who played for him at Blackpool
, but in the spring of 2001 it was found that the lymph node
cancer he had initially been diagnosed with in 1995 had returned. Graham Barrow
was given the temporary job of assistant manager while Ayre received treatment for his illness, and he appeared to be recovering; however, he suffered a setback in early 2002.
Source
During a Tranmere Rovers
v. Cardiff City
league encounter four days after Ayre's passing, the away fans rang out an impromptu rendition of "There's Only One Billy Ayre", followed by spontaneous applause, in honour of their former manager. Mark Bonner
, who Ayre nurtured through from the Blackpool youth ranks, was in the Cardiff team that day.
Ayre's funeral took place on 21 April at St. Cuthbert's Church in Halsall
, near Ormskirk, and his final wish was to have the Blackpool team with whom he won promotion in 1992 be present. His wish was granted.
During the service, Revd. Heather Penman related an event that had touched Ayre during the final year of his life. On 26 May 2001, Ayre had attended the Football League Two
play-off final between Blackpool and Leyton Orient at the Millennium Stadium
in his then-home, Cardiff
. As he was walking to the stadium, he was spotted by some Blackpool fans, who proceeded to pick up their former manager and carry him shoulder-high into the stadium. "I expect he did that famous fist sign as they took him in," said Penman. "And Elaine said Billy was absolutely delighted by that gesture."
"He was a fantastic fella, I couldn't speak highly enough about him," said Phil Brown, who played alongside Ayre at Hartlepool United
and Halifax Town
and under him at the latter. "He tried to play the game the way it should be played. He had a funny side to him that not many people saw, and had the ability to turn a serious situation and make light of it. He was the salt of the earth, a man you could trust with your life. There weren't many people like him."
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played for three different clubs in a sixteen-year professional career, making over three hundred League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
appearances in the process. After retiring from the playing side of the game, he became a manager, and took the helm at five different clubs between 1984 and 2000. He guided Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
to two successive play-off finals, in 1991
Blackpool F.C. season 1990-91
The 1990-91 season was Blackpool F.C.s 84th season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Four, then the fourth tier of English football...
and 1992
Blackpool F.C. season 1991-92
The 1991-92 season was Blackpool F.C.s 85th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Four, then the fourth tier of English football...
, during his four years in charge of the club.
Playing career
Billy Ayre was born in the GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
suburb of Crookhill
Crookhill
Crookhill is a village in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a suburb of Gateshead.Crookhill has nearby schools such as Crookhill Primary School Ryton Comprehensive School, Ryton Infant School and Ryton Junior School-Notable people:...
. After trying his hand at refereeing in his teenage years, he played for several years in non-League football at two amateur clubs in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
: Crook Town and Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland F.C.
Bishop Auckland Football Club are an English football team based in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. They are one of the most successful amateur sides, having won the old FA Amateur Cup on 10 occasions , and losing finalists on a further 8. They currently play in the Northern League Division One. ...
.
Scarborough
Ayre began his professional playing career at ScarboroughScarborough F.C.
Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season...
in 1975 whilst balancing a teaching profession at St. Leonard's R.C.V.A Comprehensive School in Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, where he taught art and physical education. He won the Supporters' Player of the Year award in 1977. It was his uncompromising performances for Boro that earned him a move, also in 1977, to Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
.
Hartlepool United
Ayre played in over one hundred league games and score 27 goals for Hartlepool. He made his debut for Pools on 13 August 1977, in a 3–0 defeat at Grimsby TownGrimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
. He made his league debut seven days later in a 2–1 home defeat to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
. He was the club's top scorer in an ever-present season with the club, 1977–78
1977-78 in English football
The 1977–1978 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England, from August 1977 to May 1978:-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
, with thirteen goals, which assisted in his being named as the Supporters' Player of the Year. In 2008, Ayre was posthumously named United's "Player of the 1970s".
In Ayre's second season at Hartlepool, 1978–79
1978-79 in English football
-FA Cup:Manchester United had seemingly pulled off a remarkable comeback against Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final to make the score 2–2 after being two goals down, but a last-minute goal from Alan Sunderland saw Arsenal lift the trophy with a 3–2 scoreline...
, he made 42 league appearances and scored five goals. In 1979–80
1979-80 in English football
The 1979–80 season was the 100th season of competitive football in England.- FA Cup :Second Division West Ham United, managed by John Lyall, won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 1–0 with a Trevor Brooking goal...
, he made 43 league appearances and score nine goals. In his final season at the club, 1980–81
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
, he made ten league appearances and scored one goal before he was sold to Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
. He played against Hartlepool in Halifax's visit to Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hartlepool
Victoria Park is a 7,856 capacity football ground in Hartlepool, County Durham, England and it is the home of Hartlepool United.The four sides of the ground are known as the Town End Terrace , the Niramax Stand , the Cyril Knowles Stand and the Rink End Victoria Park is a 7,856 capacity football...
later in the season.
Halifax Town
At Halifax, Ayre made 63 league appearances and scored five goals in his first spell at The ShayThe Shay
The Shay is a multi-use sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England near Shaw Hill. FC Halifax Town and Halifax both play their home games at the Shay....
.
Mansfield Town
The summer of 1982 saw Ayre move again, this time to Mansfield TownMansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, where he spent two seasons, making 67 league appearances and scoring seven goals. He scored a headed goal on his first-team debut in a Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
tie at Field Mill
Field Mill
Field Mill is a multi-use stadium in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.It is currently occupied by its main tenant, Mansfield Town.The stadium has a capacity of around 10,000 when fully open, but due to the Bishop Street Stand being closed and safety restrictions, the ground currently holds less...
.
Halifax Town
Ayre re-joined Halifax for a second spell in 1984. In two years, he made 32 league appearances and scored two goals. He brought his playing career to a close with the club in 1986.Managerial career
In October 1984, Ayre took over as caretaker-manager of Halifax for less than a month. Mick Jones was installed on 10 November.In December 1986, Ayre became manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
of Halifax again, this time on a full-time basis. Three years later, just before the end of the 1989-90
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
season, he was sacked, having failed to get them out of the league's basement division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
.
Graham Carr
William Graham Carr is an English former professional footballer and football club manager. He is currently Head Scout at Newcastle United.-Club career:...
at Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, and when Carr was sacked in November 1990, Ayre was promoted in his place. His first game in charge was a draw at Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
on 1 December 1990. As Roy Calley
Roy Calley
Roy Calley is an English journalist. He works for the BBC in London, but was brought up in Blackpool, Lancashire.He joined the BBC in 1990 at Radio Lancashire, working as a sports journalist...
wrote in his 1992 book, Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992, Ayre, almost unknown outside the lower leagues, was "greeted reservedly by Blackpool supporters, yet in the space of two years [had] become the club's most popular - and certainly most successful - boss since Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
". On matchdays, he wore the number 15 Blackpool shirt, in the days when only three substitutes (numbers 12 to 14) were permitted for league games.
When Carr left, Blackpool were lying in eighteenth position in the Division Four table; six months later, however, the team had qualified for the play-offs after losing only five of their remaining thirty games. Between 10 November 1990 and 19 November 1991 two new (and still existing) club records were set: fifteen consecutive home League wins in what turned out to be a twenty-four-game unbeaten run at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
. (It should be noted, however, that the match that set the ball rolling, a 4–2 victory over Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
, was under the guidance of Carr.) Their good fortune came undone at the last hurdle, however, when they lost in a penalty shoot-out to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
in the final at Wembley and remained in the Fourth Division for another season. (In an interview at the final whistle, Ayre said, "I've never had a worse moment in my life, never mind football.")
Ayre was able to keep largely the same team together and guided them back to Wembley the following 1991-92 season in which they finally gained promotion after another, more successful penalties experience. Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
were the unlucky team on this occasion. Blackpool had booked their place in the new Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. Ayre dedicated the victory to his parents, who died the previous year.
The following season
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
saw the Seasiders finish in a lowly eighteenth position after winning only twelve of their forty-six games.
On the final day of the 1993-94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
season, Blackpool avoided relegation by a single point by virtue of beating Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
4-1 at Bloomfield Road. Ayre was sacked in June by then-chairman Owen Oyston
Owen Oyston
Owen John Oyston is a controversial self-made multimillionaire English businessman who is the majority owner of Blackpool F.C.. He was convicted of rape in 1996 and served three years of a six-year sentence in prison....
after the Seasiders failed to impress at their new level. He was succeeded by Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
. Ayre's league record in his three-and-a-half years at Bloomfield Road: 191 games, 77 wins, 70 draws, 44 losses.
Ayre achieved not only promotion but subsequently survival with very little financial backing from Oyston. During this period, players such as Alan Wright
Alan Wright
Alan Geoffrey Wright is an English professional footballer. He is a coach in the Centre of Excellence at his first club, Blackpool, a role he assumed in June 2011....
, Paul Groves, and, most notably, Trevor Sinclair
Trevor Sinclair
Trevor Lloyd Sinclair is an English former professional footballer. Sinclair was a versatile winger, able to play on both the left and right flanks who played in the Premier League and made twelve appearances for the England national team.He retired in 2008, after a nineteen-year professional...
all left the club for bigger and better things. Despite this, Ayre's sides battled, grafted, and occasionally shocked sides with far greater resources at their disposal. As demonstrated in the retrospective DVD The Seasiders, a feature of the Geordie's time at Bloomfield Road was his "ticker-tape entrance" in games at Bloomfield Road - fans throwing paper aloft whilst Ayre made his way across to the dugout on the east side of the ground. He would acknowledge the fans, then clench his fists, urging the Seasiders faithful to back his lads, eliciting a raucous cheer from the fans.
Ayre's next stop was Scarborough, where he arrived in August 1994
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
, some twenty years after playing for the Yorkshiremen. His reign at the McCain Stadium
McCain Stadium
The McCain Stadium was a football stadium located on Seamer Road in Scarborough, England. It was the home of Scarborough FC, a defunct football club who last played in the English Conference North before they were dissolved on 20 June 2007 with debts of £2.5 million.The ground was first opened...
lasted just four months, after he was sacked for failing to turn around the Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
strugglers.
A short-but-successful stint at non-League Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
followed during the 1994-95 season. Ayre had guided the Sandgrounders to a third-placed finishing position.
In March 1996, Ayre was asked by new Swansea City boss Jan Mølby
Jan Mølby
Jan Mølby is a Danish former international footballer who spent much of his professional football career at English club Liverpool.- Club career :...
to be his assistant, but the duo arrived too late to prevent the Swans from sliding into Division Three. They reached the play-off final a year later, but a last-minute goal saw them lose to Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
and miss out on promotion. Ayre and Mølby were both sacked soon after the disappointment.
Ayre then assisted Frank Burrows
Frank Burrows
Frank Burrows is a Scottish soccer manager, and former player.-Biography:Frank Burrows began his football career at Scottish club Raith Rovers. In 1965 he moved south to England and joined Scunthorpe United. Impressive performances as a defender for Scunthorpe led to him being signed by Swindon...
at Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
and helped them to promotion to Division Two in 1998-99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
.
After a month-long break while having a benign tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
removed, Ayre was installed to the manager's seat at Cardiff when Burrows resigned in January 2000. "This came as a complete shock," he said at the time. "I was on the motorway driving back to South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
when the chairman rang me. I want to keep the job, and I hope I'm given the chance to prove myself."
"There will be changes," he continued. "I will be tweaking a few things, and we will be looking at the playing system. I'm still stunned about what has happened, but we have to revitalise and rejuvenate the team quickly. Frank Burrows brought me to Cardiff and did everything within his power for the club. But we have to look forward, we have to work quickly. That's what Frank would want."
Regarding the tumor, Ayre said: "That wasn't something which bothered me too much. That may sound strange, but it was outside my control, so I got on with things. Now the Cardiff City job has been given to me, albeit temporarily for now, and that is within my control. I haven't spoken to Frank yet, because he has gone away. But I will talk to him soon."
Also regarding his tumor, he stated: "I'm not at all frightened. I know the risks. The odds of people not even surviving the treatment are 20-1, but that doesn't bother me. I've backed a few 20-1 winners in my time. One in four people get cancer, and I'm pleased it's me and not somebody else in my family. I'd rather take it, because I think I can deal with it."
Ayre stayed on beyond the end of the season despite the Bluebirds falling back into Division Three. He was demoted to assistant manager when owner Sam Hammam
Sam Hammam
Samir "Sam" Hammam is a Lebanese business man, most notable for his high profile involvement in British football clubs.-Career:...
installed Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
in August 2000. His services were disposed of completely two months later when Alan Cork
Alan Cork
Alan Cork is an English former professional football player. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and has held a number of managerial and coaching posts since his retirement from playing. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association...
was put in charge of first-team affairs and Gould was appointed general manager.
Ayre's final job in football came within weeks of leaving Cardiff. He joined Division Two side Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
as assistant to Andy Preece
Andy Preece
Andrew Preece is a part-time English footballer and manager. He is currently the player-manager at Northwich Victoria.-Career:...
, who played for him at Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, but in the spring of 2001 it was found that the lymph node
Lymph node
A lymph node is a small ball or an oval-shaped organ of the immune system, distributed widely throughout the body including the armpit and stomach/gut and linked by lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes are garrisons of B, T, and other immune cells. Lymph nodes are found all through the body, and act as...
cancer he had initially been diagnosed with in 1995 had returned. Graham Barrow
Graham Barrow
Graham Barrow is an English former footballer who has since become a lower division manager. He is currently part of the coaching staff at Premier League side Wigan Athletic, where he has previously been both a player and manager.-Barrow the Player:Barrow first entered the Football League at the...
was given the temporary job of assistant manager while Ayre received treatment for his illness, and he appeared to be recovering; however, he suffered a setback in early 2002.
As a manager
Blackpool- Division FourFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
play-off winner: 1991-92 - Lancashire Senior CupLancashire Senior CupThe Lancashire County Football Association Cup , is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Lancashire, England and surrounding areas. It is a County Cup competition of the Lancashire County Football Association and involves Premier League clubs and Football League clubs...
: 1993-94
Managerial stats
- League games only. Only statistics that are available are listed.
| Team | Nation | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
 |
30 November 1990 | 10 June 1994 | 191 | 77 | 70 | 44 | 40.31 |
| Scarborough Scarborough F.C. Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season... |
|
1 August 1994 | 12 December 1994 | 25 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 24.00 |
| Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
 |
2 February 2000 | 14 August 2000 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 26.31 |
Source
Death
Ayre died on 16 April 2002, just under a month shy of his fiftieth birthday. His wife, Elaine, and children, David and Rachel, were at his bedside at the family's home in Ormskirk, Lancashire. David was Blackpool's mascot in the Division Four play-off final at Wembley ten years earlier and accompanied his father in the pre-match walk out to the centre circle.During a Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
v. Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
league encounter four days after Ayre's passing, the away fans rang out an impromptu rendition of "There's Only One Billy Ayre", followed by spontaneous applause, in honour of their former manager. Mark Bonner
Mark Bonner
Mark Bonner is an English former professional footballer.-Career:Bonner began his career in 1991 at Blackpool, where he progressed through the youth ranks under Jimmy Mullen and Graham Carr, and became a regular in the first team under Billy Ayre during the latter's final two years with the...
, who Ayre nurtured through from the Blackpool youth ranks, was in the Cardiff team that day.
Ayre's funeral took place on 21 April at St. Cuthbert's Church in Halsall
Halsall
Halsall is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, located close to Ormskirk on the A5147 and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The parish has a population of 1,921 and covers an area of 28.31 square kilometres...
, near Ormskirk, and his final wish was to have the Blackpool team with whom he won promotion in 1992 be present. His wish was granted.
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-off final between Blackpool and Leyton Orient at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in his then-home, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. As he was walking to the stadium, he was spotted by some Blackpool fans, who proceeded to pick up their former manager and carry him shoulder-high into the stadium. "I expect he did that famous fist sign as they took him in," said Penman. "And Elaine said Billy was absolutely delighted by that gesture."
"He was a fantastic fella, I couldn't speak highly enough about him," said Phil Brown, who played alongside Ayre at Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
and Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
and under him at the latter. "He tried to play the game the way it should be played. He had a funny side to him that not many people saw, and had the ability to turn a serious situation and make light of it. He was the salt of the earth, a man you could trust with your life. There weren't many people like him."
External links
Obituaries
- StagsNet.net (includes two action photographs)
- Clarets MAD
- Scarborough Evening News
- "Pool hero Ayre dies at 49" - Blackpool GazetteBlackpool GazetteThe Blackpool Gazette is an English evening newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast...
- The Professional Footballers' Association's mention of Ayre's passing
- Article on Ayre from the Halifax Courier
- "Preece tribute to Billy" - Manchester Evening NewsManchester Evening NewsThe Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
, 20 April 2002