The son of former Sheffield Wednesday captain Don Megson, Gary Megson was a £250,000 signing from Plymouth Argyle in February 1980.

High hopes were pinned upon the 20-year-old midfielder, as Gordon Lee sought to revive his flagging Everton side. An abrasive tackler, skilful in flashes, and a competent passer, it was nevertheless a challenge too much for one so young, and, lacking the experience to impact upon a declining team, Megson flagged. Through the 1980/81 season he became no more than a bit part player and after Howard Kendall’s arrival as manager, Megson’s was an early departure, sold to his father’s former club for £130,000.

There followed the career of a top-flight journeyman, as Megson plied his trade for a succession of middling sides. In the mid-1990s he turned to management and he proved his mettle as a sound, authoritarian boss for a succession of teams. In 2002 he was reputedly a boardroom favourite to succeed Walter Smith as Everton manager, but lost out to David Moyes.