Each week Simon Bunn looks back at a Premiership ‘Cult Hero.’ They may not necessarily have been the greatest performer on the pitch, but each and every one of them contained a certain insatiable something that endured them to their clubs fans. This week, Everton’s Duncan Ferguson.
Everton used to have a player that would celebrate goals by punching the corner flag, but more memorably they also used to have a player that punched people. His name was Duncan Ferguson. By definition he was a footballer, he was also a ‘hard man.’ The Collins Dictionary definition of a ‘hard man’ is a ‘tough, ruthless, or violent man.’ There is something about those words that instantly put’s a footballer into the bracket of ‘Cult Hero.’ Duncan Ferguson was certainly that.
He first came to the attention of a wider audience in 1993 when he moved to Rangers for a British record £4m. It proved to be money not well spent. Due to a combination of injury, suspensions and a loss of form he only made 14 appearances for the Ibrox club, scoring 2 goals. But his time in Scotland will always be remembered for a head butt on Raith Rovers John McStay.
After a successful loan period, with a struggling Everton, Joe Royle was appointed manager and immediately made the deal permanent. In Royle’s first game as boss Ferguson endeared himself to the Toffees fan’s by scoring a goal in a 2-0 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool. At an intimidating 6ft 4in he became an integral part of the team that came to be known as the ‘Dog’s of War.’ Royle described his forward man mountain as ‘the biggest thing since Dixie,’ it was a tribute comparing him to Everton legend Dixie Dean. Ferguson also helped take Everton to the 1995 FA Cup final, where he was rushed back from injury to come off the bench in a 1-0 win over Manchester United. It remains the only silverware of his career, having not played enough games to get a winner’s medal with the Rangers side that won the Scottish title.
His second season was less successful. In September 1995 he was jailed for 3 months for the assault on John McStay. It annoyed Royle immensely as he had been told that Ferguson would be unlikely to receive imprisonment. It would be the 4th time that Ferguson was convicted of assault. Two came from scuffles at Taxi ranks and one from a fight in a Scottish pub with a fisherman. He returned for the second half of the season to a heroes welcome and helped Everton to a 6th placed finish. He would never forget his time in prison, citing the Scottish FA’s lack of protection for his decision to make himself unavailable for national selection.
The next three seasons saw the manly Scot score 25 goals, as Howard Kendall replaced Royle and Walter Smith replaced Kendall. In November 1998 Ferguson was controversially sold to Newcastle for £8m. The big man was so upset, at leaving Everton, that he wrote a two page letter to say goodbye to the club. Despite scoring two goals on his debut, in a powerful looking partnership with Shearer, it didn’t work out for Ferguson or Manager Gullit’s dreams of ‘sexy football.’
Fergusonre-joined his beloved Everton in time for the 2000-01 season, but his second spell with the club was largely riddled with injuries. In the next 6 seasons the man known as ‘Big Dunc’ scored 24 goals. His last goal for the club came on May 7th 2006 against WBA, when he missed a last minute penalty before smashing in the rebound. His career total for Everton was 67 goals in 130 games.
Part of the reason that Ferguson is such a cult hero amongst Everton fan’s is his exploits during the many Merseyside derbies. ‘Big Dunc’ had a habit of scoring against Liverpool, and on one occasion angered Liverpool fan’s by revealing an Everton Tattoo, on his upper arm, during a celebration. He also delighted the blue half of Merseyside by throwing Paul Ince to the floor and grabbing Jason McAteer by the throat.
But it wasn’t just Liverpool players that Ferguson fought. He was sent home for two months after a training ground brawl with manger David Moyes. In April 2002 he was dismissed for punching Bolton’s Bo Hansen, and during the 2005-06 season he was sent off for flooring Wigan’s Paul Scharner with a textbook body shot. It was his 8th Premier League red card, equaling Patrick Viera’s record which still stands today.
For all of Ferguson’s violent and sometimes comical misdemeanors he has scored more Premiership goals than any other Scottish player. Ferguson currently assists Alan Irvine with Everton’s youth academy, presumably coaching football as well as handing out home security advice. He is of course infamous for tackling two burglars that had broken into his Rufford home in 2001. He managed to detain one of them until police arrived. The thief subsequently spent three days in hospital. What a man… and a ‘hard’ one at that.
image: © isirya
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