Billy Bingham, who was the oldest surviving former Everton player and manager, has died at the age of 90. Belfast-born Bingham had been living with dementia for the last 15 years.
A right winger during his playing days, Bingham started his career in his home city with Glentoran before crossing the Irish Sea to play for Sunderland and Luton Town ahead of his £15,000 transfer to Goodison Park in October 1960. He was part of Everton’s League Championship-winning side of 1962/63 and made a total of 98 appearances for the Blues, scoring 26 goals, before finishing at Port Vale in 1965.
Bingham then returned to Merseyside to become a coach with Southport and he soon stepped up to the position of manager, leading the Sandgrounders to runners-up spot in the Fourth Division in 1966/67 – his first full season in charge – achieving their first ever promotion. There were subsequent spells at the helm of Plymouth Argyle and Linfield – which he combined with a post managing the Northern Ireland team – and having got the taste for international football, he then coached Greece between 1971-73.
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Succeeding Harry Catterick as Everton manager, Bingham took charge of the Blues for three-and-a-half years from May 28, 1973-January 8, 1977. His overall record was played 171, won 63, drew 55 and lost 53.
Although he failed to secure more silverware with Everton from the dugout, they challenged for the League Championship in 1974/75 but after leading the table in early April, they won just one of their last four matches and finished fourth. Bingham had subsequent spells in clubs football as manager of Greek club PAOK, Mansfield Town and Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr as well as a long second stint in charge of Northern Ireland between 1980-93, steering them to the World Cup finals in 1982 and 1986.
