William Johnston McGowan McEwan (20 June 1951 – 17 February 2022) was a Scottish professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. He had a 14-year playing career in the Scottish and English professional leagues, playing for seven different clubs. McEwan then undertook a coaching career; he managed six different English league clubs, plus one club on a caretaker basis twice. McEwan was most recently the manager of Antigua Barracuda but left the post in 2011.

Early life

William Johnston McGowan McEwan was born on 20 June 1951 in Cleland, Lanarkshire.

Playing career

McEwan started his playing career as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

with Scottish non-League side Pumpherston Juniors before joining Hibernian in 1969, making 60 appearances and scoring two goals for the

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

club. McEwan left Hibernian in May 1973 to join

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

, and went on to play for Brighton & Hove Albion, Chesterfield,

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...

, Peterborough United and Rotherham United whom he left in the 1982–83 season.

Managerial career

McEwan's first coaching appointment was at Sheffield United after he replaced Ian Porterfield as manager on 27 March 1986. The following season Sheffield United finished ninth in Second Division after an unspectacular season. More disappointing performances in the 1987–88 season followed, and McEwan was forced to resign before taking over as manager of Rotherham United and guided them to the Fourth Division championship in the 1988–89 season. McEwan later had a spell as manager at

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

, but he was replaced by Alan Murray midway through his second season. Mac Awa

McEwan then spent nine years on the coaching team at Derby County. He was caretaker manager there twice in April to June 1995 and in January 2002, after the sackings of Roy McFarland and

Colin Todd Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing as a defender for Sunderland, ...

respectively. In 2003, he was sacked by the then manager John Gregory, but was restored into the post when he was found to have been unfairly dismissed. Altogether he was on the coaching staff under five managers at Derby. He left Derby on 19 October 2004, saying "I am looking for a new challenge. The time was right for me to move on". McEwan was appointed manager of York City on 10 February 2005, where in his first full season he achieved a position of eighth in the

Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...

. McEwan said that he rejected an offer from an unnamed

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

club to take over as their manager in October 2005. During October 2006, he threatened to walk out on the club if the fans were not satisfied with his efforts. McEwan issued a public apology to York's supporters and on loan

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

striker Rob Elvins after the team's home defeat to Conference bottom club Tamworth on 3 February 2007. McEwan was named Conference National Manager of the Month for April 2007, but was then sacked by York on 19 November 2007. McEwan was linked with the managerial vacancy at

in March 2008, and he was appointed as manager on a three-year contract on 4 July 2008. He was sacked by the club on 10 December 2008. McEwan was appointed technical director of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association in March 2010, and in April was made manager of Antigua Barracuda. He left this position in March 2011.

Personal life and death

McEwan was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

in 2014. He died on 17 February 2022, at the age of 70. McEwan's family donated his brain to research after his death, and he was found to have severe

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets wor ...

(CTE) on post mortem examination as a result of repetitive head injuries sustained throughout his career. This was the cause of his Parkinson's Disease and Dementia

Managerial statistics

Honours

As a player

Hibernian *

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...

: 1972–73 * Drybrough Cup: 1971–72, 1972–73 Mansfield Town *

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...

: 1976–77

As a manager

Rotherham United *

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Following the creation of the Premier ...

: 1988–89

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McEwan, Billy 1951 births 2022 deaths People from Cleland, North Lanarkshire Footballers from North Lanarkshire Scottish men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Hibernian F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Scottish Football League players English Football League players Scottish football managers Sheffield United F.C. managers Rotherham United F.C. managers Darlington F.C. managers Derby County F.C. managers York City F.C. managers Mansfield Town F.C. managers English Football League managers Premier League managers National League (English football) managers Scottish expatriate football managers Derby County F.C. non-playing staff People with Parkinson's disease Pumpherston F.C. players Scottish Junior Football Association players