Bryan Hamilton facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 December 1946 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1964–1966 | Distillery | ||
| 1966–1971 | Linfield | ||
| 1971–1976 | Ipswich Town | 153 | (43) |
| 1976–1977 | Everton | 41 | (5) |
| 1977–1978 | Millwall | 49 | (6) |
| 1978–1980 | Swindon Town | 24 | (1) |
| 1980–1985 | Tranmere Rovers | 109 | (6) |
| Total | 376 | (61) | |
| National team | |||
| 1968–1980 | Northern Ireland | 50 | (4) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1980–1985 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| 1985–1986 | Wigan Athletic | ||
| 1986–1987 | Leicester City | ||
| 1989–1993 | Wigan Athletic | ||
| 1994–1998 | Northern Ireland | ||
| 2000 | Norwich City | ||
|
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Bryan Hamilton (born 31 December 1946) is a former professional football player and manager from Northern Ireland. He played 50 games for the Northern Ireland team between 1969 and 1980. Later, he became the manager of the national team for four years. He also worked as a Technical Director for a football club called Antigua Barracuda F.C.
Contents
Bryan Hamilton's Football Journey
Playing for Clubs
Bryan Hamilton was born in Belfast. He started his football career at Distillery. After that, he moved to Linfield. In the 1970-71 season, he was named the best player in Ulster. He also won the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Player of the Year award. He was the top goalscorer in the Irish League that season.
In 1971, Hamilton joined Ipswich Town. He played there for five years and appeared in over 150 matches. In 1976, he signed with Everton. After Everton, he had shorter periods playing for Millwall and Swindon Town.
The Disallowed Goal Controversy
One of the most talked-about moments in Bryan Hamilton's career happened in the FA Cup semi-final in 1977. His team, Everton, was playing against their local rivals, Liverpool. The score was 2-2 as the game was ending. Hamilton scored a goal that looked like it would win the match for Everton.
However, the referee, Clive Thomas, disallowed the goal. This decision was very controversial and many people felt it was wrong. Because the goal was disallowed, the game ended in a draw. Everton then lost the replay match 3-0. This was not the first time this referee had disallowed a goal by Hamilton in an FA Cup semi-final. It also happened in 1975.
Many Everton fans were very upset about the decision. The referee was even asked to explain his choice on TV, but he did not give a clear reason. This moment is still remembered as a big part of Hamilton's time at Everton.
Goals for Northern Ireland
Bryan Hamilton scored four goals for the Northern Ireland national team. Here are the details:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 May 1971 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Wales |
1–0 | 1–0 | 1971 British Home Championship |
| 2 | 19 May 1973 | Liverpool, England | Wales |
1–0 | 1–0 | 1973 British Home Championship |
| 3 | 16 March 1975 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Yugoslavia |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying |
| 4 | 29 October 1975 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Norway |
3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying |
Bryan Hamilton's Managerial Career
In 1980, Bryan Hamilton became a player-manager for Tranmere Rovers. He managed the team for five years. During his time, the club stayed in the Fourth Division. They finished in the top half of the league three times. Their best finish was 6th place in the 1984-85 season.
In March 1985, he became the manager of Wigan Athletic. Soon after joining, he led them to win the 1985 Associate Members' Cup Final. In the 1985-86 season, Wigan almost got promoted to the Second Division. They were very close, but Derby County just beat them by one point at the end of the season.
Hamilton's success at Wigan led him to manage Leicester City. However, he could not keep Leicester in the First Division. He soon left the club. He returned to manage Wigan again from 1989 to 1993.
In 1994, Hamilton was chosen to manage the Northern Ireland team. He took over from Billy Bingham. In the qualifiers for Euro 96, Northern Ireland had a good chance to qualify. They just missed out on second place to the Republic of Ireland.
The qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup were tougher. Even though they had a promising draw against Germany early on, results were not as good. Hamilton left his role as manager after these qualifiers.
In April 2000, he became the manager of Norwich City. He resigned from this role in December of the same year. He went back to Ipswich as a coach in 2001 but left in 2002. In November 2006, he was appointed Technical Director for the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association.
Today, Bryan Hamilton often works as a sports expert. He shares his opinions and analysis on various sports channels. These include Eurosport, BBC Radio 5 Live, Setanta Sports, Today FM, Sky Sports, and Anglia Television.
Achievements and Awards
As a Player
- Texaco Cup: 1973
As a Manager
- Football League Trophy: 1985
Individual Awards
- Ulster Footballer of the Year: 1970–71
- Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Player of the Year: 1970–71
- Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2014
