Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Cowan Ferguson (born 27 December 1971) is a Scottish football coach and former player who is the manager of Scottish Championship club Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

He began his career at Dundee United in 1990, and moved to Rangers in 1993 for what was then a British transfer record fee.

Dundee United signed him as a schoolboy and he went on to win the BP Youth Cup in 1990.

Later that year Ferguson made his professional debut for them against Rangers at Ibrox Stadium on 10 November 1990.

His first goal was an extra time winner against East Fife in the Scottish Cup on 29 January 1991.

The following season saw him become a first team regular, with 41 appearances and 16 goals he became the club's top scorer.

He was capped for Scotland seven times, playing at UEFA Euro 1992, but made himself unavailable for selection for the national team from 1997 due to a dispute with the Scottish Football Association.

He has scored more goals than any other Scottish player in England's Premier League since its creation in 1992.

His good form continued in 1992–93 with 33 appearances and 15 goals.

The form he displayed at Dundee United also saw him win a call up to the Scotland national team.

Ferguson moved to Rangers in 1993 for a transfer fee of £4 million, which set a new British record.

He spent the remainder of his career in England, moving to Everton in 1994 before a stint with Newcastle United between 1998 and 2000, after which he returned to Everton where he retired in 2006.

Ferguson's aggressive style of play resulted in a career total of nine red cards, as well as a three-month prison sentence following an on-field assault of Raith Rovers' John McStay in 1994.

Eight of those red cards were in the English Premier League, where he holds the joint record for dismissals alongside Patrick Vieira and Richard Dunne.

He is known by the nicknames "Big Dunc" and "Duncan Disorderly".

During a match with Raith Rovers in April 1994, Ferguson headbutted the visitors' John McStay in the south-west corner of the Ibrox pitch.

Referee Kenny Clark did not see the incident, but Ferguson was subsequently charged and found guilty of assault.

In October 1994, Everton were struggling under the management of Mike Walker and looking for options to reinvigorate their faltering season.

The solution enacted was to take two Rangers players on a loan deal, Ian Durrant for one month and Ferguson for three.

Ferguson's move to Everton was later made permanent by Walker's successor Joe Royle, and Ferguson played a key role in saving Everton from relegation, and also helping them win the 1994–95 FA Cup.

During his career, Ferguson won the FA Cup with Everton in 1995.

As it was his third conviction for assault, in addition to two other convictions, he received a three-month prison sentence in October 1995.

The SFA banned Ferguson for 12 matches before the court case was heard.

Ferguson scored a last-minute winner against Motherwell, from a Brian Laudrup pass, in the first game of the season.

Four days later, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over Arbroath.

Of Ferguson's time at Rangers, one of his strike partners Mark Hateley said: "Duncan was a really good player, but I think he came to Rangers a couple of years too early. Walter Smith wanted me to take him under my wing. He was a boisterous young lad who wanted to play all the time. It was a period in his career where he'd gone from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in the big pond at Rangers. He probably found that a bit difficult."

The subsequent 1995–96 season was less successful for Ferguson.

A persistent hernia problem caused him to be unavailable for large amounts of time, as did his prison sentence during the first half of the season.

On 28 December 1997, Ferguson scored a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers in a 3–2 victory, the first time that a trio of headers had been scored in the Premier League.

Everton finished the season surviving relegation only on goal difference.

Ferguson was sold to Newcastle United for a fee of £8 million in November 1998.

The deal was done to sell Ferguson by the Everton chairman, Peter Johnson, without the knowledge of Walter Smith.

Ferguson wrote a two-page goodbye letter in the club magazine to fans, stating his sadness at leaving and that he would never forget them.

After bringing Ferguson to Newcastle, manager Ruud Gullit was rewarded when Ferguson scored twice on his debut against Wimbledon in the Premier League.

The final result was a 3–1 victory to Newcastle.

Ferguson was promoted to the first team coaching staff at Everton in 2014.

Following the dismissal of Everton manager Marco Silva in December 2019, he was named as the team's caretaker manager until Silva's replacement Carlo Ancelotti was appointed manager a few weeks later, at which point Ferguson was made assistant manager.

Ferguson left Everton after a second stint as caretaker manager in 2022.

After a brief spell as Forest Green Rovers manager, Ferguson was appointed manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle in September 2023.

Born in Stirling, Ferguson played for the juvenile side Carse Thistle.