Death of the man who brought a country together
AT TIME OF GREAT UNREST IN NORTHERN IRELAND, BINGHAM MASTERMINDED FAMOUS WORLD CUP WIN IN SPAIN
BILLY BINGHAM, the mastermind behind Northern Ireland’s greatest World Cup victory, has died at the age of 90. The former Everton and Sunderland winger, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2006, died peacefully in a nursing home in Southport on Thursday.
He twice guided Northern Ireland to the World Cup finals as manager, first in 1982 when they famously beat hosts Spain, and again in 1986.
Gerry Armstrong, who scored the winning goal on the night in Valencia when they stunned Spain, described Bingham as ‘Northern Ireland’s greatest manager’, saying: ‘Billy was brilliant in terms of knowing your strengths and your weaknesses and he always tried to play to your strengths.
‘When you consider that side he created in the Eighties, we had good players but only a small squad and we won the British Home Championship twice, qualified for two World Cups and beat West Germany home and away in the Euros.
‘We had a population of under two million people, it was a time of great unrest in the country yet through football, Billy brought the country together.’
It was Bingham who made Martin O’Neill captain, the first Catholic to have the honour bestowed on him during the Troubles, and as the country followed their heroes in Spain, violence on the streets dropped dramatically.
‘When we beat Spain, Billy let us have a few beers into the night and in the morning called us down in the hotel and said look at these,’ said Armstrong.
‘There were hundreds of telegrams and faxes from Irish of all denominations, all around the world, saying how we had made them proud.
‘They had street parties on the Falls Road and Shankill Road. My mother invited Norman Whiteside’s mother over to a house party and vice versa, that was a big thing then because of religion. It was amazing.’
Bingham’s attention to detail went to extremes at times.
‘We were playing Israel away and got to the hotel where they had laid on flowers, drinks and this fantastic chocolate cake for our rooms,’ laughed Armstrong.
‘Within seconds Billy and the coaches came running round knocking on doors saying, “Don’t eat the cake, don’t eat the cake, there might be something in it”!
‘He got to Sammy McIlroy’s room and as he opened the door, Jimmy Nicholl popped out from behind Sammy wiping crumbs of chocolate cake off his mouth saying, “What was that boss?”. Billy just burst out laughing.’
As a player, Bingham was a tricky outside right who had spells with Sunderland, Luton Town and Everton, where he won the First Division title in 1963.
Alongside greats such as Danny Blanchflower, he was also part of Northern Ireland’s 1958 World Cup side, who got to the quarter-finals only to be beaten by Just Fontaine’s France.
Bingham’s son David said the family were ‘very proud of all our dad achieved’.
‘He gave us all belief,’ said Armstrong. ‘He created special memories for the country and for all of us that will live for ever.’