Peter Anderson ⚽ I was very sad to hear that ex-Northern Ireland manager, Billy Bingham, died at the weekend after suffering with dementia for more than a decade.
  
To Northern Ireland fans he will always be the best and will be remembered very fondly. His 13 years in charge started in 1980 and for the first 10 years he achieved much, much more than was to be expected. Under Bingham Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cups in 1984 and 1986, won the British Championships in 1980 and 1984 and was unbeaten at Windsor Park for nearly 6 years .

I have so many great memories from that period but beating Spain, in Spain, during their World Cup in '82 has to be the best. It was an awful game, as many N.I. matches are! But Big Gerry Armstrong will live long in history for scoring the only goal of that match in the searing Valencian summer heat. 

That great memory is closely followed by beating West Germany in '84 (on my birthday) at Windsor. I was in a packed Kop end and it erupted when Ian Stewart scored the only goal of the game. That was in a Euro qualifier, and at the end of those fixtures we had to beat West Germany again in Germany and hope that they didn't beat Albania 4 days later to qualify for the finals. Against all the odds we beat West Germany away, but the Germans beat Albania with an 80th minute goal to deny us. 10 minutes from glory, despite beating the Germans home and away, we didn't ultimately qualify. 

Another great memory from that period was when I went to Wembley in '85. Needing just a draw to qualify for the World Cup in Mexico, Pat Jennings came out of retirement to play and miraculously kept the English out with a multitude of unbelievable saves, sending us to Mexico. It was a joy to be with the 15,000 GAWA and to out sing the 65,000 Englishmen in the old Wembley stadium.

There is no doubt that Bingham had us punching well above our weight. We played to our strengths, namely our defence, controlled by Jennings, our only world class player. We would try to keep games tight and hope that Whiteside, Sammy McIlroy or Big Gerry could nick one at the other end. It wasn't great footy but who cares when you are winning? There were lots of one-nils and nil-nils but the team had spirit and provided much joy in the dark days of the 1980s. 

He had a distinguished career as a player too, Starting at Glentoran, he went on to play more than 200 times for Sunderland and represented his country at the 1958 World Cup finals.

Thanks for the memories, Billy!

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

Billy Bingham

Peter Anderson ⚽ I was very sad to hear that ex-Northern Ireland manager, Billy Bingham, died at the weekend after suffering with dementia for more than a decade.
  
To Northern Ireland fans he will always be the best and will be remembered very fondly. His 13 years in charge started in 1980 and for the first 10 years he achieved much, much more than was to be expected. Under Bingham Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cups in 1984 and 1986, won the British Championships in 1980 and 1984 and was unbeaten at Windsor Park for nearly 6 years .

I have so many great memories from that period but beating Spain, in Spain, during their World Cup in '82 has to be the best. It was an awful game, as many N.I. matches are! But Big Gerry Armstrong will live long in history for scoring the only goal of that match in the searing Valencian summer heat. 

That great memory is closely followed by beating West Germany in '84 (on my birthday) at Windsor. I was in a packed Kop end and it erupted when Ian Stewart scored the only goal of the game. That was in a Euro qualifier, and at the end of those fixtures we had to beat West Germany again in Germany and hope that they didn't beat Albania 4 days later to qualify for the finals. Against all the odds we beat West Germany away, but the Germans beat Albania with an 80th minute goal to deny us. 10 minutes from glory, despite beating the Germans home and away, we didn't ultimately qualify. 

Another great memory from that period was when I went to Wembley in '85. Needing just a draw to qualify for the World Cup in Mexico, Pat Jennings came out of retirement to play and miraculously kept the English out with a multitude of unbelievable saves, sending us to Mexico. It was a joy to be with the 15,000 GAWA and to out sing the 65,000 Englishmen in the old Wembley stadium.

There is no doubt that Bingham had us punching well above our weight. We played to our strengths, namely our defence, controlled by Jennings, our only world class player. We would try to keep games tight and hope that Whiteside, Sammy McIlroy or Big Gerry could nick one at the other end. It wasn't great footy but who cares when you are winning? There were lots of one-nils and nil-nils but the team had spirit and provided much joy in the dark days of the 1980s. 

He had a distinguished career as a player too, Starting at Glentoran, he went on to play more than 200 times for Sunderland and represented his country at the 1958 World Cup finals.

Thanks for the memories, Billy!

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

9 comments:

  1. I have different memories of Billy BIngham. It's an age thing. The author traces his international management back to 1980. I remember following the Green Nordies under his management in the 1960s. My first soccer match was the October 62 international between the North and England which we lost 1-3. My father took me. That was before Bingham's reign but I followed them throughout the time he managed the NI team. He also managed Linfield and took the quadruple, pipping Glentoran at the post in 71.
    His best win for me was in a game I attended five years after my first one - October 67. We beat Scotland 1-0 and Best played a blinder. I remember getting "lifted over" the turnstiles by a Scots man in a kilt to get into that one.
    While it is popular amongst some northern nationalists today to sneer at the Northern Ireland team and favour the Republic of Ireland side, in my day we followed them. In the H Blocks during the World Cup the place erupted when they beat Spain - we heard that on the radio. The screws let the wing stay out to watch the earlier kick off game against Austria - we jumped around the canteen when Billy Hamilton banged in the equaliser to make it 2-2. One of my friends later denied cheering them but I used to remind him at every opportunity, telling him, "sure it was me you were dancing with"!!

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    1. Yet another example of how things were far from clear cut!

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  2. I was so fortunate to have followed Northern Ireland during that second Bingham era in the 19870sincluding going to the World Cup in Spain. A once in a generation moment as it turned out.

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  3. Sorry to hear of his death, but is that the same bigot who encouraged the loyalists to sing sectarian songs against the RoI at Windsor Park? Jack Charlton was disgusted, not at elements within the fans, expect nothing better, but for the six county team manager to act as a conducter, waving his hands as the Sash rang out, was pretty sickening.
    Sorry folks but my memories of Billy Bingham are not so fond, to me he encouraged sectarianism much to the disgust of many, including Jack Charlton. Even elements of the media commented on the "insensitveness" of the would be choir conductor.

    Capimhin O'Muraile

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    1. don't be going all woke on us now Caoimhin!!

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  4. His performance at Windsor Park that night shocked me as, hitherto, I had respected Billy Bingham. How can we condem the racist shits on the terraces but say nothing about the sectarian actions of a team manager? Double standards? I think Jack Charlron was as surprised as anybody before surprise was overtaken by anger.
    All the same I would not gloat over his death.

    Caoimhin OMuraile

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    1. In a sense it was of its time. I doubt he saw himself as encouraging sectarianism, more raising the noise level. It is sometimes said that the Soldiers Song is viewed as sectarian by a section of supporters. I don't buy it. I'd be more tolerant of what is roared at football matches than I would be if vented in a different setting.
      I would rather have the fans singing the Sash than waving the Swastikas while Israel were playing. Do you remember that?
      In the Dutch league Feyenoord fans would hiss when their team was playing Ajax - it was meant to convey the sound of gas in the gas chambers. Horrible. The Sash is mild by comparison.

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    2. Jackie Charlton made it up with Bingham 24 hours later according to the latter's obituaries.

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  5. Caoimhin O'Muraile
    Conducting the Kop in singing The Sash is hardly a "sectarian" crime. Have you gone soft?

    AM
    Good memories! I suppose we all have things from our pasts that we'd rather not be reminded off. Like my old colleagues campaigning for Soldier F don't like being reminded of how much we hated the Paras and how much they hated us!

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