Duncan Ferguson - Everton Legend

Home	Gallery	Videos	Press	Career	Off-the-pitch	Messages

Life Outside football

In 2001, Ferguson was the victim of a burglary attempt by two men at his then home in Rufford , Lancashire . Ferguson confronted the pair and was able to detain one of them who subsequently spent three days in hospital. The second man managed to flee but was eventually caught. Both men were sentenced to fifteen months imprisonment for their actions. Later because of their actions, both men won an "Honorable Mention" from the Darwin Awards .

Two years later, in early 2003, Ferguson again fell victim to a case of burglary. This time there was only one intruder, Carl Bishop of Walton , Liverpool . The crime took place in Ferguson's Formby home and, again, Ferguson elected to confront his intruder. He restrained Bishop until police arrived and Bishop admitted intent to steal but levelled accusations of assault against Ferguson which did not eventuate into a criminal charge.

Jail time

Ferguson has frequently found himself in trouble with the law. This has led to four convictions for assault; two arising from taxi–rank scuffles, one an altercation with a fisherman in an Anstruther pub and the most infamous: his on–field assault of Raith Rovers defender John McStay in 1994 while playing for Rangers.

For head–butting McStay, Ferguson was punished with a three month sentence in Barlinnie Prison of which he served forty–four days in 1995 while contracted as an Everton player. In addition, the Scottish FA imposed a twelve–match playing ban on Ferguson which is widely considered a primary factor in his decision to withdraw from international football. Oddly, Ferguson played a further two matches for Scotland after these events which would suggest that his reasons are more complex than popular opinion is able to account for.

In contrast to the Scottish FA, Everton were highly supportive of the player. Ferguson's manager, Joe Royle, visited him in prison and the club argued successfully that any playing ban imposed in Scotland was not enforceable in England, thus enabling Ferguson to play immediately after his release.

Upon conclusion of his sentence he was feted onto the field of play by both club and supporters. This created some sense of anger as many observers believed that such actions condoned Ferguson's misdemeanours and were thus a poor reflection on the club and game. Ferguson's idols took the opposing view; that the player had endured a highly unpleasant experience and deserved support in his efforts to return to normality.

This episode of Ferguson's life inspired the musical piece Barlinnie Nine , composed by Osmo Tapio Räihälä. The name comes about by way of Barlinnie prison and Ferguson's shirt number; nine. Of his work, Räihälä said: “I got the idea for it when he was facing jail and had just become something of a cult figure for Everton. It takes into account the contradictions in him: he has an aggressive side but there is a lyrical undertone to him, as the fact that he keeps pigeons shows.”

Barlinnie Nine was premiered on April 20 , 2005 by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra , conducted by Sakari Oramo , in the Finlandia Hall , Helsinki . On this same day Ferguson scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United at Goodison Park. It was the first time in ten years that Everton had beaten Manchester United in a league encounter and both matches were decided by a Ferguson goal. The significance of this was not lost on Räihälä who said: “There I was describing Duncan as a failure in Finland, and thousands of miles away at Everton he rises like a phoenix from the ashes to score against Manchester United. If there are gods of football up there, this proves they have got a most twisted sense of humour.

Charity

Outside of football, Ferguson does a lot of charity work. A good deal of his work goes unreported, and Joe Royle once admitted that Ferguson was one of the most generous people he has encountered.

Ferguson would regularly visit sick children at Alder Hay Children's Hospital and was a popular figure on his visits there. He would even go out of his way to visit sick children at their home, presenting them with gifts.

Campaigning

Ferguson has pledged his support to the "Keep Everton in Our City" campaign, making a rare public statement on April 4th 2007:

"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."