Talk:Billy Ayre
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[edit] A memory
On my walk to the post office yesterday, an aroma of what seemed like meat and potato pies wafted past my nose (either that, or the man who just walked by me had excessive body odour - the two smells are seemingly interchangeable). I was immediately transported back to being at Bloomfield Road on a Saturday afternoon.
I then remembered that, just before the second half began, whether his team were ahead, behind, or on level terms, Billy Ayre would run in front of the South Stand on his way over to the dugout and pump his fist to the Blackpool faithful, who would elicit a raucous cheer in response. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.
I still miss the man, and find it hard to understand why another Good Guy has been taken from us.
I remember he came to play in a teachers v. pupils match at my high school's summer fair not long before Owen Oyston gave him the chop in favour of Sam Allardyce in July 1994. Not many people would do that.
This morning I wrote a brief timeline of the Geordie's playing and management career, but deleted it by mistake when I trashed a group of files from my desktop. My Undelete program hasn't been able to help, alas.
Probably the most heartfelt tribute to Ayre after his death from cancer of the lymph node on April 16, 2002, at the age of 49, came from Andy Preece, who appointed Ayre as his number two at Bury. "I spoke to him for the last time about a week ago. I am absolutely gutted. He was my mentor, and it looked like we were going to be together for years to come, we hit it off that well. Although he has not been in for a while, I just cannot describe how I feel. He was one of my best friends in football, and I loved and respected him. It is going to be a massive blow for the players because they were totally full of respect and admiration for him. He was just such an easy fellow to get on with, and he could always make you laugh at any time.
"His knowledge for the game was second to none. He was a loyal person and I know he turned down a couple of jobs when he was working with me. The last time I spoke to him he said he thought he had let me down this season because he had been ill. That was the kind of guy he was."
[Taken from Dudesleeper's livejournal.]
- Dudesleeper 17:16, 20 January 2007 (UTC)
