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Former City boss returns to the hotseat with the Stags

12:34pm Saturday 5th July 2008

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By Dave Flett »

FORMER York City boss Billy McEwan has been revealed as the new manager of Blue Square Premier rivals Mansfield Town.

McEwan has signed a three-year contract with the Stags following the dismissal of Paul Holland and will return to KitKat Crescent with his new team on September 2.

Mansfield have endured a terrible 12 months, suffering relegation from the Football League amid boardroom uncertainty off the pitch.

Controversial former City chairman John Batchelor even made an aborted takeover bid, but new owners Andy Perry, Andy Saunders and Steve Middleton are hoping for more settled times under McEwan. The 57-year-old Scotsman is under no illusions, however, concerning the size of the job he has taken on.

McEwan said: “It’s going to be difficult. We’ve got no team. “We’re starting from scratch.

“There are only five or six players left. We’re actually talking about building a football club right from the bottom. The facilities are awful.”

McEwan was relieved of his duties at KitKat Crescent last November after an indifferent start to the season.

During the previous campaign, he had steered the club into the Conference play-offs only to lose 2-1 on aggregate to Morecambe in the semi-finals.

Your Say YourPress

Imp, York says...
12:39pm Sat 5 Jul 08

Good luck to McEwan.
He had his failings, but ultimately he did a lot to turn the attitude round at the club, making it a more professionally-run place.

In the end, his failings caught up with him, but I don't think that should cloud our memories and I hope he'll get a good reception.

YCFC am byth, Reading says...
2:17pm Sat 5 Jul 08

Goodluck Billy, hope you do well and loose at least 2 matches next season.

fazman, york says...
3:29pm Sat 5 Jul 08

Wish we still had him here,hope he gets Mansfield to 2nd place.
Good luck Billy !!!

Liam of Acomb, Acomb, York says...
8:39pm Sun 6 Jul 08

He did well here with a shoestring budget but lady luck wasnt on his side last season and ultimately got the sack.

I think he will do well at Mansfield and could make them into title challengers with his knowledge of non-league.

Good luck to him, apart from when they play us of course! :)

PDH , York says...
9:46pm Sun 6 Jul 08

Its good to read all the good luck messages to billy. He did a hell of a lot for us while he was here and we would have prob being playing as part timers against scarborough etc by now but for him, he had chances of better jobs offered to him but turned them down to stay with us and we should never forget him for all of that. We will never know the full truth in what went on before he was sacked, but he definately put the club back on the right track. Good luck billy (except against us) lets hope you finish second and join us in league 2 via the play offs.

YCFC am byth, Reading says...
10:54am Mon 7 Jul 08

Greaves is the new captain according to the yorkshire evening post:

NEW signing Mark Greaves will skipper York City next term, with boss Colin Walker insisting the new arrival is the "ideal" captain.
Walker has been busy in the transfer market bringing in six new players – Greaves, Daniel McBreen, Michael Ingham, Ben Wilkinson, Steven Hogg and Niall Henderson.

Manny Panther's departure left the captaincy role vacant and Walker has handed the armband to 33-year-old Greaves, who has over 350 career appearances under his belt having spent six years at Hull City and five at Boston United.

Greaves, 6ft 1ins, can play at centre-half or in midfield and scored five times for Burton last season helping the Staffordshire side to qualify for the Blue Square Premier play-offs.

Vice-skipper David McGurk had gone on record stating he would love the captaincy role, but Walker opted for the experience of Greaves and says the appointment is no "slight" on McGurk.

"Mark has done it before and he's an experienced player who has had 11 seasons in the Football League," he said.

"I just thought he would be ideal. I don't think it's a slight on David at all.

"David was player of the year last year and played really, really well. I talked to him on Tuesday morning, he was fine and I just want him to keep playing like that."

York returned to pre-season training on Wednesday where all of Walker's new signings were present aside from Ingham, who was on his way back from honeymoon.

Walker was delighted with the shape of his players as York's 21-man squad prepare for their first pre-season friendly at Tadcaster Albion on Tuesday night.

"It's good, they all came back, they are all looking sharp and their weights are as they should be," said Walker.

"Nobody was overweight, there were no body fats and we should be looking to go and have a good season.

"Everybody was there apart from Michael Ingham who was on his honeymoon."

Alan Fetish, London says...
11:33am Mon 7 Jul 08

I can see the sense in making Greaves captain, but there is an element of risk in that he is unproven in the York setup. McGurk is already a guaranteed starter for next season, and has won the armband on merit before. The trap Walker must not fall into is that which proved one of McEwan's failings - in appointing Panther captain, he made the player undroppable, even when his performances were below the standards of others around him, he wouldn't be rested, or even subbed. Although this changed towards the end of McEwan's tenure, the damage had already been done. Greaves is captain, fine, but without even playing so much as a friendly game for the club, I hope this doesn't mean he is already an automatic selection.

Imp, York says...
5:57pm Mon 7 Jul 08

I don't think it's a massive problem.
Greaves is experienced and I'd rather let McGurk concentrate on his own form.

If we think of Greaves as "Club Captain" in the same sense other players have been, even when not first-choice, then there's no "automatic choice" implication.

Alan Fetish, London says...
9:47am Tue 8 Jul 08

I think the real issue here is McEwan's fake Gucci belt. Clearly picked it up in the same bit of Benidorm where he was conned into buying those sunglasses.

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