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Duncan Ferguson

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For the American political activist, see Duncan Ferguson (political activist).

Duncan Ferguson
Ferguson in 2013
Personal information
Full name Duncan Cowan Ferguson[1]
Date of birth (1971-12-27) 27 December 1971 (age 52)
Place of birth Stirling, Scotland
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1989–1990 Carse Thistle
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1993 Dundee United 77 (28)
1993–1994 Rangers 14 (2)
1994 → Everton (loan) 9 (2)
1994–1998 Everton 107 (42)
1999–2000 Newcastle United 30 (8)
2000–2006 Everton 123 (25)
Total 360 (100)
International career‡
1992–1997 Scotland 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:40, 20 February 2010 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:40, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

Duncan Cowan Ferguson (born 27 December 1971) is a Scottish former footballer. He was notorious for his "hardman" image[2] and nicknamed "Big Dunc"[3] and "Duncan Disorderly".[4]

Ferguson began his football career at Carse Thistle before being signed by Dundee United in 1990 on his first professional contract. He moved to Rangers in 1993 for a then British transfer record of £4 million. He spent the remainder of his career in England with two spells at Everton (1994 to 1998 and 2000 to 2006) and Newcastle United between 1998 and 2000. Ferguson retired from football in 2006.

During his career, Ferguson won the FA Cup with Everton in 1995, competed in the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League in 2005, also with Everton, and participated in the UEFA Cup in 1999 with Newcastle and 2005 with Everton. He was capped for Scotland seven times but made himself unavailable for selection in his national team due to a dispute with the Scottish Football Association.[5] He has scored more goals than any other Scottish player in the FA Premier League.[6] Ferguson was noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play which resulted in nine red cards and a three-month prison sentence following an on-field assault of Raith Rovers' John McStay in 1994.

Club career

Rangers

In the 1993–94 season, Ferguson played 16 games but only scored once, in a 4–0 defeat of Raith Rovers. It was in this game that Ferguson headbutted the visitors' John McStay in the south-west corner of the Ibrox pitch. Referee Kenny Clark spotted the incident and booked Ferguson but he was then subsequently charged with assault and, as it was his fourth such conviction, he received a three-month prison sentence in 1995, by which time he had left the club.[7]

This was followed by a last–minute winner against Motherwell, from a Brian Laudrup assist on the first game of the season.[8] Four days later, Ferguson scored a hat–trick in a 6–1 win over Arbroath.[9]

A Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens left Rangers 2–0 down after the first leg.[10] Smith elected to play a partnership of Ferguson and Mark Hateley up front, in an effort to overcome the deficit. The two players were poorly suited to playing alongside each other; they often ended up competing for the same ball. Despite Ferguson having outscored Hateley in the first five games of the season, Smith decided to drop Ferguson in favour of Gordon Durie.

Everton

Everton signed two Rangers players on loan–deal, Ian Durrant for one month and Ferguson for three.[11]

He was jailed in September 1995, for an incident in Scotland where he headbutted an opposition player. Manager Joe Royle was less than happy, stating that the club were strongly advised there was little chance of Ferguson being imprisoned upon signing him. Ferguson was released in November 1995, and played an important role in the second half of the season with important goals and performances as the Toffees climbed to 6th position in the league.[12]

Ferguson was controversially sold to Newcastle United for a fee of £8 million in November 1998.[13] The deal was done to sell Ferguson by the Everton chairman, Peter Johnson, without the knowledge of Walter Smith. Ferguson wrote a 2 page goodbye letter in the club magazine to fans, stating his sadness at leaving and that he would never forget them.[14]

Return to Everton

Ferguson's low point of the 2005–06 season was his sending off against Wigan Athletic for violent conduct. His confrontation with Paul Scharner and subsequent fracas with Pascal Chimbonda resulted in a 7 match ban and saw his Premier League red–card count reach eight, equalling Patrick Vieira's record. Scharner later claimed that he had sworn at Ferguson in his native language and that the Everton man's punch "was a nice punch".[15]

Ferguson was not given a new Everton deal and retired, moving his family to Mallorca and spurning advances from a number of clubs.[16]

Coaching career

Having spent five years in exile in Majorca following his retirement from playing, Ferguson contacted his former manager at Everton David Moyes. Ferguson apologised to Moyes for not shaking his hand when he exited the club in 2005.[17] The pair resolved their differences and Ferguson asked if he could work with the Everton academy students at Finch Farm.

Initially Ferguson was a voluntary worker at the academy, working for fellow Glaswegian Alan Irvine, a former mentor of his from his playing career.[18] Although Ferguson remains disappointed with the Scottish FA for what he sees as a lack of support following his sentencing in 1995,[19] he enrolled on a nine day Scottish FA organised coaching course in Largs, Scotland to earn a UEFA B-License.[20] In May 2012, he returned to Largs to achieve a UEFA A license and in January 2013 he enrolled on a further course and is working towards a UEFA Pro-License.[21]

In May 2013, former Everton manager Howard Kendall stated that Duncan Ferguson should be considered for the Everton managerial position following David Moyes' imminent exit.[22]

Personal

Burglary attempt

In 2001, Ferguson was the victim of a burglary attempt by two men at his then home in Rufford, between Liverpool and Preston. Ferguson confronted the pair and was able to detain one of them who subsequently spent three days in hospital.[23] The second man managed to flee but was eventually caught. Both men were sentenced to fifteen months imprisonment for their actions.

Prison

Ferguson has had four convictions for assault - two arising from taxi–rank scuffles,[24] one an altercation with a fisherman in an Anstruther pub[24] and the most infamous: his on–field headbutt on Raith Rovers defender John McStay in 1994 while playing for Rangers, which resulted in a three-month prison sentence. The first incident led to a £100 fine for butting a policeman (was fined a further £25 for a Breach of the Peace),[25] while the second resulted in a £200 fine for punching and kicking a supporter on crutches. He had been put on a year's probation for the third offence.[26] His imprisonment inspired the Finnish composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä to write a symphonic poem Barlinnie Nine as a "musical portrait" of Ferguson.[27]

Campaigning

Ferguson has pledged his support to the "Keep Everton in Our City" campaign, making a rare public statement:

During my time at Everton, Goodison Park came to feel like a second home, with the supporters of the club, and the people of the city becoming a second family to me. If you were to take Everton out of the City, I firmly believe the club could no longer call itself the 'People's Club' and I give my whole-hearted support to the campaign to keep Everton in the City.

— Duncan Ferguson, 4 April 2007[28]

Statistics

All figures correct as of 07:47, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Club performance

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Scotland League Scottish Cup League Cup Europe Total
1990-91 Dundee United Premier Division 9 1 5 3 0 0 - 14 4
1991-92 38 15 2 2 1 0 - 41 17
1992-93 30 12 1 1 2 2 - 33 15
1993-94 Rangers Premier Division 10 1 3 0 2 0 - 15 1
1994-95 4 1 0 0 2 3 - 6 4
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
1994-95 Everton Premier League 23 7 4 1 1 0 - 28 8
1995-96 18 5 2 2 - - 20 7
1996-97 33 10 2 1 1 0 - 36 11
1997-98 29 11 1 0 2 0 - 32 11
1998-99 13 4 - 4 1 - 17 5
1998-99 Newcastle United Premier League 7 2 2 0 - - 9 2
1999-00 23 6 6 3 - 3 1 32 10
2000-01 Everton Premier League 12 6 1 0 - - 13 6
2001-02 22 6 2 1 1 1 - 25 8
2002-03 7 0 - 1 0 - 8 0
2003-04 20 5 2 2 2 2 - 24 9
2004-05 35 6 0 0 2 1 - 37 7
2005-06 27 1 2 0 - 4 0 33 1
Total Scotland 91 30 11 6 7 5 - 109 41
England 269 69 24 10 14 5 7 1 314 85
Career total 360 99 35 16 21 10 7 1 423 126

International appearances

Cap Date Opponent Score Result
1 17 May 1992 USA 0–1 Win
2 20 May 1992 Canada 1–3 Win
3 12 June 1992 Netherlands 0–1 Loss
4 24 March 1993 Germany 0–1 Loss
5 18 December 1994 Greece 1–0 Loss
6 31 August 1996 Austria 0–0 Draw
7 11 February 1997 Estonia 0–0 Draw

Ferguson refused international selection after 1997, in part in protest against his treatment by the SFA after his conviction for assault on John McStay, particularly the imposition of a 12-game ban on top of his 3-month prison sentence.[29]

Honours

Everton

1994-95

Rangers

1993–94

References

  1. ^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006. Queen Anne Press. p. 138. ISBN 1-85291-662-1.
  2. ^ "THE LIST: 20-11 of football's greatest hard men". Daily Mail. London. 15 January 2009.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Fearon, Matthew (3 March 2010). "The ten best self-destructive sports stars". The Independent. London.
  5. ^ Duncan Ferguson Article
  6. ^ "See all time scorers in the league - Ferguson higher than any other Scot at 32 as of 2 May 2008".
  7. ^ ScottishLeague.net SFAQs
  8. ^ McKinney, David (15 August 1994). "Scottish Football: Rangers count cost of McCoist injury". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  9. ^ "Duncan Ferguson factfile". The Herald. 25 November 1998. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  10. ^ McKinney, David (13 August 1994). "Football: Local heroics are not enough: David McKinney on a season of challenges and changes for Scotland". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  11. ^ Potter, Derek (4 October 1994). "Football: Everton loan for Ferguson and Durrant". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  12. ^ Riley, Catherine (1 September 1995). "Ferguson has second operation". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  13. ^ "Ferguson completes Newcastle move". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 November 1998. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  14. ^ "Smith knew nothing about Ferguson move". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 30 November 1998. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  15. ^ Edwards, John (5 October 2007). "Making space on planet Scharner". Article in Daily Mail online. London. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
  16. ^ "Review of the Year 2006". Article on Evertonfc.com. Retrieved 11 January 2007.
  17. ^ Kent, David. "New United boss Moyes in his own words". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  18. ^ Hunter, Andy (18 October 2011). "Duncan Ferguson makes unlikely return to Everton as youth coach". Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  19. ^ "Duncan Ferguson ends feud by joining SFA coaching course". Scotsman. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  20. ^ Swan, Craig (6 June 2011). "Paul Hartley: Joining SFA coaching course felt like I was just starting out in the game". Daily Record. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  21. ^ "Latapy goes for UEFA coaching license". Guardian.co.tt. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  22. ^ Cryer, Andy (14 May 2013). "Duncan Ferguson 'perfect' for Everton job, says Howard Kendall". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  23. ^ "Ferguson in burglar assault probe". BBC News. 15 January 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  24. ^ a b Sunday Times article via NUFC.com
  25. ^ Duncan Cowan Ferguson v Andrew Christie Normand (Procurator Fiscal, Glasgow) 1995 S.C.C.R. 770
  26. ^ Football: Trials of the pounds 4m man: James Traynor looks at the troubled life and career of Rangers' record signing, The Independent, 24 October 1993
  27. ^ http://www.classicfm.com/pictures/more-pictures/football-mad-musicians-musics-obsession-beautiful/duncan-ferguson/
  28. ^ "Ex-Everton icon backs battle to keep club in city". Liverpool Daily Post. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  29. ^ http://www.toffeeweb.com/players/past/Ferguson.asp

References for statistics

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