Billy Ayre
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Ayre (7 May 1952 – 16 April 2002) was an English
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played for three clubs in a sixteen-year professional career, making over three hundred
League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
appearances in the process. After retiring from the playing side of the game, he became a manager, and took the helm at five clubs between 1984 and 2000. He guided
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
to two successive play-off finals, in
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
and
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
(winning promotion in the second appearance), during his four years in charge of the club.


Playing career

Billy Ayre was born in the
Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...
suburb of
Crookhill Crookhill is an area of Ryton in Tyne and Wear, England. The original terraced housing was built mostly as accommodation for NCB workers, and lies to the east of the centre of Ryton, approx 6 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne. Notable people * ...
. After trying his hand at
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
ing in his teenage years, he played for several years in
non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
football at two amateur clubs in
County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...
: Crook Town and
Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...
.


Scarborough

Ayre began his professional playing career at
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
in 1975 whilst balancing a teaching profession"Ex-Boro boss dies"
– ''Scarborough Evening News''
at St Leonard's Catholic School in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...
, where he taught art and physical education. He won the Scarborough 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 Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...
.


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 Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
in the League Cup.In The Mad Crowd – a Hartlepool United Resource
He made his league debut seven days later in a 2–1 home defeat to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
. 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 FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of English football league system. They replaced Halifax Town, who went i ...
. He played against Hartlepool in Halifax's visit to Victoria Park later in the season.


Halifax Town

At Halifax, Ayre made 63 league appearances and scored five goals in his first spell at
The Shay The Shay is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It is home to the FC Halifax Town association football club and the Halifax Panthers rugby league team. The stadium is owned by the Calderdale Metropolitan Bo ...
.


Mansfield Town

The summer of 1982 saw Ayre move again, this time to
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
, then managed by
Stuart Boam Stuart William Boam (born 28 January 1948) is an English retired footballer and manager who is probably best known for his eight-year spell with Middlesbrough. Boam grew up in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, and began his career at his loc ...
. He spent two seasons with ''the Stags'', making 67 league appearances and scoring seven goals. He scored a headed goal on his first-team debut in a
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
tie at
Field Mill Field Mill, currently known as One Call Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a Football pitch, football ground in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and the home of Mansfield Town F.C., Mansfield Town Football Club. It is the oldest ground in ...
. The following season, 1983–84, Ayre found himself acting as
caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
after the sacking of Boam.
Ian Greaves Ian Denzil Greaves (26 May 1932 – 2 January 2009) was an English football player and manager. He was born in Crompton, Lancashire. He won a League Championship medal and an FA Cup runners-up medal while playing full-back for Manchester Un ...
was eventually appointed as the new manager, and Ayre was released on a free transfer.


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. On 5 August 1987, Halifax played a benefit match for Ayre against
Halifax RLFC The Halifax Panthers are a professional rugby league club in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They play home games at The Shay and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. Halifax Panthers have won the League Ch ...
. At this point, he was the club's manager.


Managerial career


Halifax

In October 1984, Ayre took over as caretaker manager of Halifax for less than a month. Mick Jones, who is the godfather to Ayre's daughter Rachel, was installed on 10 November. In December 1986, Ayre became manager of Halifax again, this time on a full-time basis. (He was also
managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the club.) Three years later, in April of the 1989–90 season, he resigned,"25 years on: "There was never a dull moment with Billy Ayre"
– ''Blackpool Gazette'', 2 December 2015
having failed to get them out of the league's basement division.


Blackpool

A few days after departing Halifax, Ayre joined
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
as assistant to manager Jimmy Mullen. After Mullen's departure at the end of the month, Ayre worked alongside caretaker manager Tom White.
Graham Carr William Graham Carr (born 25 October 1944) is an English former professional footballer, manager and scout. He is currently an associate director for Northampton Town. Club career Carr, a half-back, joined his first professional club, North ...
was installed during the close season, and he kept Ayre on as assistant. When Carr himself was sacked in November 1990, Ayre was promoted in his place. His first game in charge was a draw at
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
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 adbecome the club's most popular – and certainly most successful – boss since
Stan Mortensen Stanley Harding Mortensen (26 May 1921 – 22 May 1991) was an English professional footballer, notable for his part in the 1953 FA Cup final (subsequently known as the " Matthews Final"), in which he became the only player ever to score a hat- ...
". 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 is a association football, football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool Football Club since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two be ...
. (The match that set the ball rolling, a 4–2 victory over
Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
, was under the guidance of Carr.) Their good fortune came undone at the last hurdle, however, when they lost in a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
in the final at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
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 Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was formed in ...
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. Ayre's son, David, was Blackpool's mascot, and accompanied his father in the pre-match walk out to the centre circle. 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 Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
4–1 at Bloomfield Road. Ayre was sacked in June by then-chairman
Owen Oyston Owen John Oyston (born 3 January 1934) is an English businessman best known as the former majority owner of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool Football Club. Oyston was convicted of rape and indecent assault of a 16-year-old girl in 1996. He served three ...
after ''the Seasiders'' failed to impress at their new level. He was succeeded by
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (born 19 October 1954) is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football League, as well as brief spells in the North ...
. Ayre's league record in his three and a half years at Bloomfield Road: 191 games, 77 wins, 70 draws, 44 losses. At the time of his departure, Ayre was the sixth-longest-serving Blackpool manager in terms of Football League games in charge. Ayre achieved not only promotion but subsequently survival with very little financial backing from Oyston. After a defeat at his former club, Hartlepool United, on 2 October 1992, Ayre confronted the travelling support, who had been shouting to Ayre to spend some money. He explained how his access to finances were tied by his chairman. During this period, players such as
Alan Wright Alan Geoffrey Wright (born 28 September 1971) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. He was a left back who has played over 750 league and cup games for eight clubs, including an eight-year spell in the Premier Lea ...
, Paul Groves, and, most notably,
Trevor Sinclair Trevor Lloyd Sinclair (born 2 March 1973) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and pundit. As a player, he was a winger who notably played in the Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United and Manchester C ...
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 team.


Scarborough

Ayre's next stop was Scarborough, where he arrived in August
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, some twenty years after playing for the Yorkshiremen. His reign at the
McCain Stadium The Athletic Ground, latterly known as the McCain Stadium, was a Association football, football stadium located on Seamer Road in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Scarborough F.C., a defunct football club who last playe ...
lasted just four months, after he was sacked for failing to turn around the
Division Three The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the Third Division become the fourth tier of English football. In 2 ...
strugglers.


Southport

A short-but-successful stint at
non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
followed during the 1994–95 season. Ayre had guided ''the Sandgrounders'' to a third-placed finishing position. He continued to manage the club in the 1995–96 season, in which they finished in 6th position.


Swansea City

In March 1996, Ayre was asked by new
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
boss
Jan Mølby Jan Mølby (; born 4 July 1963) is a Danish former professional footballer and manager. As a player, he was a midfielder from 1982 to 1998. After starting his career with Kolding, he moved on to Ajax before spending twelve years playing in Engl ...
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 Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
and miss out on promotion. Ayre and Mølby were both sacked soon after the disappointment.


Cardiff City

Ayre then assisted
Frank Burrows Frank Burrows (30 January 1944 – 24 November 2021) was a Scottish football player and manager who played as a central defender. Life and career Frank Burrows began his football career at Scottish club Raith Rovers. In 1965, he moved south t ...
at
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
and helped them to promotion to Division Two in 1998–99. After a month-long break while having a benign
tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
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 ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
when the chairman rang me. I want to keep the job, and I hope I'm given the chance to prove myself.""Billy Ayre takes control"
– CardiffCity.com
"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 Samir Georges Nassib Hammam (; born 17 July 1947) is a Lebanese businessman, well known for his high-profile involvement in British football clubs, and who most recently relinquished the life presidency of Cardiff City in March 2022 following a ...
installed
Bobby Gould Robert Alfred Gould (born 12 June 1946) is an English former footballer and manager. Early life Robert Alfred Gould was born in Wyken, Coventry, Warwickshire on Wednesday, 12 June 1946. He is the son of Henry Gould and Helen McKellar Gould ...
in August 2000. His services were disposed of completely two months later when
Alan Cork Alan Graham Cork (born 4 March 1959) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon (where he spent 14 years, played in all four divisions of the Football League and gained an FA Cu ...
was put in charge of first-team affairs and Gould was appointed general manager.


Bury

Ayre's final job in football came within weeks of leaving Cardiff. He joined Division Two side Bury as assistant to
Andy Preece Andrew Preece (born 27 March 1967) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is the manager of Chorley.lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that includ ...
cancer he had initially been diagnosed with in 1995 had returned.
Graham Barrow Graham Barrow (born 13 June 1954) is an English former footballer who has since become a professional manager in the English game. He is currently working for Wigan Athletic as an assistant manager to Shaun Maloney. Playing career Having previo ...
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 and was admitted to Clatterbridge Hospital in
Bebington Bebington () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Cheshire, it is south of Liverpool, close to the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula ...
, Merseyside.


Death

Ayre died from cancer on 16 April 2002, aged 49."Popular Billy laid to rest"
– ''
Blackpool Gazette The ''Blackpool Gazette'' (locally marketed as simply ''The Gazette'') is an English daily newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast. It was founded as '' ...
'', 22 April 2002
During a
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
v.
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
league encounter four days after Ayre's death, 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 Halsall is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, located close to Ormskirk on the A5147 and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Description Historically known as Heleshala, Herleshala, (Domesday Book); Haleshal, 1224; Haleshale, 12 ...
, 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 The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...
play-off final between Blackpool and Leyton Orient at the
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
in his then-home,
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. 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 Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...
and
Halifax Town FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of English football league system. They replaced Halifax Town, who went i ...
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." On 17 April 2012, ten minutes into Blackpool's Championship fixture with
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
at Bloomfield Road, the home support sang "Billy Ayre's tangerine army", for ten minutes, while a photograph of their former manager appeared on the television screen, along with the words "Billy Ayre, gone but never forgotten". It marked ten years and one day since the death of Ayre. His daughter, Rachel, was in attendance. On 5 October 2012, a special tribute evening was held at Bloomfield Road in his honour. A specially-commissioned painting of Ayre was unveiled by his widow, his daughter and his son. To mark two decades since Ayre's death, a minute's applause was held in the 15th minute of Blackpool's match against
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
at Bloomfield Road on 18 April 2022. Ayre was also featured on the front cover of the matchday programme. His wife and children were in attendance at the match, after which Blackpool manager
Neil Critchley Neil Critchley (born 18 October 1978) is an English football coach who was most recently the head coach of Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian F.C., Heart of Midlothian. A former association football, footballer, he previously played ...
said he remembered Ayre when he used to bring his teams to
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
in the 1990s. "I remember him as a young boy myself, growing up when I was at Crewe. I remember Blackpool coming and seeing Billy, and he was different because he wore the kit. But you could see the passion he had, and you could see the connection he had with the Blackpool supporters.""Birmingham City Reaction , Neil Critchley"] – TangerineTV, Blackpool F.C., 18 April 2022


Honours


As a player

Hartlepool United * Voted Player of the 1970s


As a manager

Blackpool * Football League Fourth Division, Division Four play-off winner: 1991–92 *
Lancashire Senior Cup The Lancashire County Football Association Cup (commonly known as the Lancashire Senior Cup) is an association football knockout tournament involving teams from Lancashire, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Lancashire County Footbal ...
: 1993–94


Managerial stats

:''League games only. Only statistics that are available are listed.'' Source
/small>


References

;Specific ;General * *
In The Mad Crowd – a Hartlepool United Resource
*


External links


"Billy Ayre: Blackpool to honour promotion-winning boss"
– BBC Sport, 2 October 2012 *




Obituaries



(includes two action photographs)
Clarets MAD

''Scarborough Evening News''

"Pool hero Ayre dies at 49"
– ''
Blackpool Gazette The ''Blackpool Gazette'' (locally marketed as simply ''The Gazette'') is an English daily newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast. It was founded as '' ...
''
Article on Ayre from the ''Halifax Courier''


– ''
Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...
'', 20 April 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayre, Billy English men's footballers English football managers Crook Town A.F.C. players Bishop Auckland F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players Halifax Town A.F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Halifax Town A.F.C. managers Mansfield Town F.C. managers Blackpool F.C. managers Scarborough F.C. managers Cardiff City F.C. managers Southport F.C. managers Swansea City A.F.C. non-playing staff Cardiff City F.C. non-playing staff Bury F.C. non-playing staff 1952 births 2002 deaths Footballers from Gateshead English Football League players Men's association football defenders Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century English sportsmen