Bill Dearden

Who is Bill Dearden?

William "Bill" Dearden is an English former footballer and manager who is now chief scout at Sheffield United. As a player he scored 101 goals in 404 league games in a 16-year career in the Football League.

A striker, he began his career with hometown club Oldham Athletic in 1963. Three years later he moved on to Crewe Alexandra, and helped the "Railwaymen" to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1967–68. He then moved on to Chester City for a two season spell. He was sold to Sheffield United for a £10,000 fee in August 1970, and helped the "Blades" to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1970–71. He returned to Chester City in 1976, before switching to Chesterfield the following year.

He coached at Chesterfield, Mansfield Town, and Port Vale, before he was appointed Mansfield manager in 1999. He built a talented young team, but left the club for the management position at Notts County in January 2002, months before promotion would be secured. He took County from relegation certainties to mid-table, despite troubles with administration, before he was sacked after a poor run left the "Magpies" in relegation danger in January 2004. He returned to Mansfield as manager in December 2006, but was sacked in March 2008, soon before the club were relegated out of the Football League.