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William 'Billy' Ayre (7 May 1952 - 16 April 2002) was an English footballer and later a manager. His career never progressed beyond the third tier of the English league. May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... The term footballer is ambiguous, as there are several games known as football. ... This article is about a computer game. ... The English football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in England (though for historical reasons — namely that the league system was originally intended to be United Kingdom-wide — a small number of Welsh clubs also compete). ...

In December 1986, Ayre moved into management with Halifax Town in the Fourth Division. But he was sacked just before the end of 1989-90 season after just over three years in the job, having failed to get them out of the league's basement division. Halifax Town A.F.C. are an English football team currently playing in the Nationwide Conference. ... The Football League Fourth Division or Division Four 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 FA Premier League prior to the 1992-93 season. ...

Ayre was not out of work for long. He was appointed assistant manager to Graham Carr at Blackpool and when Carr was sacked in November 1990, Ayre was promoted in his place. Blackpool qualified for the Fourth Division playoffs in Ayre's first season as manager (1990-91), but they lost to Torquay at Wembley and remained in the Fourth Division for another season. They finally gained promotion in 1992 thanks to a 5-4 penalty shoot-out victory over Scunthorpe United at Wembley. This guaranteed Blackpool's place in the new Division Two. He was sacked two years later 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. Blackpool Football Club is an English football club. ... Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football team based in Torquay. ... Old Wembley Stadium (1923-2000) Wembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley, London, England, which is currently being rebuilt. ... Kicks from the penalty mark (commonly referred to as a penalty shootout) are sometimes used to decide the winner of a tied match of association football (soccer). ... Scunthorpe United F.C. are an English football team based in the city of Scunthorpe, England and currently playing in Football League Two. ... A self made millionaire, Owen Oyston started his career as an actor but had considerable success in the 1970s and 80s in the estate agency business, which he sold for more than £30 million in 1987 just weeks before the UK economic crash. ... Sam Allardyce, sometimes affectionately known as Big Sam, was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, England on October 19, 1954 and is a former professional footballer and the current manager of Bolton Wanderers F.C. of the English Premier League. ... Bloomfield Road, Blackpool, is the football (soccer) stadium of the English club Blackpool F.C.. The venue was used during the 2005 UEFA Womens Championship. ...

Ayre will be fondly remembered by all true Blackpool fans for achieving not only promotion but subsequently surviving 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. A feature of the popular and affable Geordie's time at Bloomfield Road was the 'ticker tape entrance' - fans throwing paper aloft whilst Ayre ran to all sides of the ground, fists clenched urging them to back his lads. Trevor Sinclair (born March 2, 1973 in Dulwich) is an English footballer, who currently plays midfield for Manchester City of the English Premiership. ...

Ayre remains the most popular Blackpool manager of the last twenty years.

Billy Ayre's next stop was at 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 which he was sacked for failing to turn around the Division Three strugglers. Scarborough Football Club are an English football team currently playing in the Nationwide Conference. ...

Billy Ayre was named as Jan Mølby's assistant at Swansea City in March 1996, but the duo arrived too late to prevent them from sliding into Division Two. They reached the Division Three playoff final a year later but a last minute goal saw them lost to Northampton and miss out on promotion. Ayre and Mølby were both sacked soon after the playoff disappointment. Jan Mølby (born July 4, 1963 in Kolding) is a former Danish football player who spent much of his career at Liverpool, even acquiring something of a Scouse accent in the process. ... Swansea City F.C. are a Welsh football team currently playing in Football League Two. ... Northampton Town Football Club is a football team in Northampton, England. ...

Ayre then assisted Frank Burrows at Cardiff City and got them promoted to Division Two in 1999. He was installed to the manager's seat when Burrows resigned in January 2000. He stayed on beyond the end of the season despite Cardiff falling back into Division Three, but was demoted to assistant manager when the club installed Bobby Gould in September 2000 and his services were disposed of completely two months later when Alan Cork was put in charge of first-team affairs and Bobby Gould was appointed general manager. Frank Burrows (born ) is an association football (soccer) manager, and former player. ... Cardiff City Association Football Club is a football team based in Cardiff. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Ayre's final job in football came within weeks of leaving Cardiff. He joined Division Two side Bury as assistant to Andy Preece, but was diagnosed with lymph node cancer in the spring of 2001. Graham Barrow was given the temporary job of assistant manager while Ayre received treatment for his illness, and he appeared to be recovering. But Ayre suffered a setback in early 2002 and died on April 16, just under a month shy of his 50th birthday. Bury Football Club are an English association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. ... Structure of the lymph node. ...

During a Tranmere Rovers v. Cardiff City league encounter four days after his 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. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English football club, based in Birkenhead, Merseyside. ... Cardiff City Football Club is a football team based in Cardiff. ...

He is sadly missed.