With last week’s news of Duncan Ferguson returning to the club to help coach the under 16’s, got me thinking of Duncan’s times at the club and what he meant to me. Ferguson is often described by fans as a legend, a title which causes a lot dispute amongst older fans who were lucky enough to see the likes of Alan Ball, Joe Royle, Graeme Sharp etc, but to me and a lot of fans around my age (I was 12 when he signed), Duncan Ferguson is a legend, he was my first Everton love.
He joined us initially on loan and was probably Mike Walker’s only decent act as Everton manager, thankfully he didn’t really stay around long enough to see Duncan in action. I remember listening to a commentary of an away game at Blackburn and them saying the deal to sign Ferguson and Ian Durrant on loan would be complete during the coming week. At this point, Ferguson was hardly known for his footballing ability, but more his anger & temperament issues, he had a court date pending for head-butting another player!! We lost at Ewood Park after another poor display and I remember thinking that the last thing we needed was a player who sounded like they’d be more of a hindrance to us in what was going to be a struggle of a season. But things for Everton and Ferguson changed as soon as Joe Royle took charge and one particular night in November 94 redefined our season, a high flying Liverpool came to Goodison to face us, a team who had won once all season. The Old Lady rocked that night (as it tends to do under the floodlights), we won 2-0 and he scored a classic of a header that made him an instant hero as well as playing a part in the 2nd goal. He reinforced his hero status with yet another classic header against Man Utd. The fact that during his time with us, he scored most of his memorable goals against our two biggest rivals is another reason as to why I loved him.
The reason I loved Duncan wasn’t just the goals that he scored (not a prolific goal scorer by any means, but he got some brilliant goals, the shot on the turn at Old Trafford, the swivel and shot against Liverpool, the hooked volley against Wimbledon and many a towering header amongst them), it was the way he took the club to his heart. He really did love the club and the fans, his celebrations often reflected this. I remember his reaction to Dave Watson’s winning goal in the FA Cup quarter final, he celebrated that goal just as much as any of us who were inside Goodison that day and who can forget the pictures of Duncan the Blue Nose from Wembley?!
Things weren’t always easy at Goodison for Duncan during his first spell at Goodison, once Royle left, we went through one of the worst spells I’ve experienced, a poor team, with very limited players who lacked quality, we came dangerously close to relegation. He was the only hope we had in these dark days, all too often, our style of play during this period was nothing more than hoof ball up to Duncan; in the desperate hope something would come of it. Sometimes it actually did, primarily, in December when the newly appointed captain of Everton Football Club, Duncan Ferguson, single-handedly got us a vital 3 points against our nearest relegation rival Bolton with a stunning and much needed hat-trick.
His departure in November 1998 was controversial to say the least, and upsetting for fans. I am not ashamed to admit that I was devastated and I cried for a good couple of days after he’d gone and the a bit more when he talked about his affection for the club and particularly the fans in an all too rare television interview.
The day he returned to us was the day I got my A Level results, but I was more excited by Duncan coming home than seeing the results in that envelope. His first game back was against Charlton, I spent most of the game watching the bench to see when he would be coming on and when he did, I was so very excited (quite sad for an 18 year old girl, but that is what Duncan could do to me). His brief appearance in that game probably summed up his Everton career, scored vital goals but sustained an injury that would keep him out for weeks.
If it wasn’t injuries limiting his appearances, it was suspensions. Ferguson was not averse to incurring the wrath of many of a referee, sometimes harshly, most of the times not. Who can forget the sending off for literally strangling Steffan Fruend (think Homer wringing his hands around Bart’s neck and you can visualise the scene). At the time, I was fuming with him, but now looking back, it just makes me laugh and the short fuse was part of what made Duncan, Duncan. He probably wasn’t seen as much of a hero/legend during his second spell, mainly because we had a significantly improved squad this time around and Duncan was not as much of a focal point like in his first spell. He also still had his shocking injury and disciplinary record as well as the odd run in with Moyes. But the impact he made in us finishing 4th in 04/05 is in my opinion all too often overlooked, he may have only played a small part, used mainly as a sub, but he became our super-sub, he won us games home and away to Norwich, Fulham as well as a point against Birmingham. But what he will be most remembered for in this season is the Man Utd game at Goodison. Quite simply, the best night I’ve had at the ground, my Bayern Munich equivalent. Duncan was unplayable that night, like he was in his first few seasons with us. No one there on that night will ever forget the atmosphere when Big Dunc scored and ran off to his beloved Gwladys Street, he very nearly re-created the famous tattoo revealing celebration too. That was the night I knew we’d clinch 4th spot and probably the highlight of Dunc’s second spell with us, what a highlight to have?
Not many players could make me cry and laugh in equal measure, but Duncan definitely could. Once again he reduced me to tears in his last game, in typical Ferguson style, he grabbed the headlines by missing a last minute penalty but slotting the rebound (and nearly knocking Osman out of the way in the process to make sure he got the final touch). The lap of appreciation by the players turned into the Duncan Ferguson show. The sight of him and his kids walking around the pitch were so emotional and for once it was a genuine show of emotion not just by the player to the fans, but vice verse. The reaction of the fans to his appearance at the Hall of Fame awards, the Everton awards and on his return to Goodison last season just shows the esteem he is held in and I think the feelings are mutual, just hearing speech at the Everton awards shows this.
Joe Royle one said that “Duncan was a legend before he was a player” and that is probably true, but on his day Duncan was one hell of a player and will always be a legend to me.
