Bryan Hamilton

Hamilton became player/manager of Tranmere Rovers in 1980. The club remained in the Fourth Division throughout this period, with three top half finishes during his five-year period in charge, culminating in a finish of 6th in 1984–85. He was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in March 1985. Shortly after joining he led them to victory in the 1985 Associate Members' Cup Final. The 1985–86 season saw Wigan emerge as contenders for promotion to the Second Division, a feat which looked likely for virtually the entire campaign. However, when Wigan had completed their fixtures Derby County had three games in hand, two of which would be won to pip the Latics by a single point. His achievements with Wigan did not go unnoticed, and he moved to Leicester City soon afterwards. However, he was unable to keep Leicester in the First Division and soon left the club, and returned to Wigan as manager from 1989 to 1993. Hamilton was appointed manager of Northern Ireland in 1994, succeeding Billy Bingham. In the Euro 96 qualifiers, Northern Ireland were in contention for qualification and were only narrowly pipped to second place by the Republic of Ireland. The 1998 World Cup qualifiers provided a far worse return despite a promising early draw with Germany – who would later beat Northern Ireland for the first time in two decades – and Hamilton left the job at the end of the qualifiers. In April 2000 he was appointed manager of Norwich City, but resigned on 4 December. He returned to Ipswich…

As a player

Everton

Football League Cup runner-up: 1976–77 Individual

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

As a manager

Wigan Athletic

Associate Members' Cup: 1984–85