FACTS
	Born	Stirling, 27 December 1971
	Height	6' - 4" (193 cm)
	Joined Everton	from Glasgow Rangers in December* 1994 (£4.4M)
	Debut	v Portsmouth (a) (CCC 2nd Rnd), 5 October 1994
	Left Everton	to join Newcastle United, 24 November 1998 (£8M)
	Final Match	v Coventry City (a), 15 November 1998
	Nicknames	Big Dunc, The Big Yin, Lazy-Arse
	Honours	U-21 & Full Scottish International (retired), FA Cup Winner (95)
	PREVIOUS CAREER
	Seasons	Club	Lg Apps (Sub)	Gls
	1992-1994	Glasgow Rangers	8 (6)	2
	1988-1992	Dundee United	75 (2)	28

*On loan to Everton since October 1994

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
Immense aerial power and courage Great footwork for a big man Good passing and vision Can be inspirational when pumped	Does not hold the ball up well Needs the right supply to excel Can get hot-headed and petulant Too often, he's just not up for it Headers and flicks often lack direction

BIOSKETCH

Also, read Guy McEvoy's personal analysis of Duncan Ferguson — The Legend?

Duncan Ferguson began playing at Carse Thistle but moved to Dundee United on a free transfer and started to make his name... and gain a reputation.  After coming through the youth setup at Tannadice, Ferguson appeared in the first-team in 1990, and soon got noticed with a call-up to the Scotland Under-21 squad. His full international debut came against the United States in 1992. Ferguson's reputation as being difficult to handle seemingly didn't count against him as a string of top clubs sought his services.  Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Leeds all had bids of over £3m turned down before Walter Smith broke the then British transfer record to take the 6'-3" striker to Ibrox for £4M. A serious knee injury hampered Ferguson's progress with the Scottish Champions. In just over two seasons at Ibrox the big man made just 14 League appearances, scoring only 2 League goals.  Worse, he was getting himself into trouble with alarming frequency both on and off the field.  A new start in England seemed to be the best option for the talented but troubled icon. 1994: Ferguson came to Everton in a strange manner, and under the cloud of an impending court case.  Although he was the last new player to enter during Mike Walker's ill-fated reign, the word is that Peter Johnson was the force arranging the initial loan from Rangers (which included Ian Durrant).  When Joe Royle arrived in November 1994, he was richly rewarded with a stunning first goal from Ferguson in the home defeat of Liverpool.  Thus Ferguson had become an instant legend at Goodison; the completion of his transfer in December 1994 was a formality, although it meant Durrant returning to Ibrox. 1995: Big Dunc's power in the air had the Goodison faithful in raptures.  Another excellent header against Manchester United was to prove key in Everton's bid to deny them success in both the 1994-95 League and the Cup campaigns.  It was a long time since the famous Number 9 shirt worn by the likes of Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton, Alex Young, and Bob Latchford, had looked so good on one of their successors.  Seven goals in 23 League appearances was in truth only a moderate start to Ferguson's Everton career, which was stopped short by niggling groin trouble before a hernia operation threatened his participation in the 1995 FA Cup Final.  The striker did make it to Wembley but only as a late substitute. 1996: Despite the hope of a fresh start in England, Ferguson was dogged by dark shadows from Scotland.  The court case appeal was squashed, which saw him serving six weeks in Barlinnie prison, putting a serious dent in his efforts to consolidate his role in Joe Royle's revitalised Everton.  Still dogged by a groin problem, and vilified by many Premiership referees, the 1995-96 season was not a great one for Duncan Ferguson.  However, he did manage to score Everton's Goal of the Season, a marvellous swivel and volley at Wimbledon. Ferguson played a greater part in the 1996-97 season, but it was not to be a good one for Everton, with Joe Royle leaving in March 1997.  The ideal partnership of Royle the old Striker and Ferguson the new Striker simply hadn't really worked.  Indeed, it seemed that Royle's one-dimensional attacking tactic for the team – the long hoof up to the Big Head – put too much pressure on Ferguson and was too limiting. Despite this, he produced two exceptional goals to vie for the best-of-season accolade.  One was a brilliant turn and strike against Manchester United at Old Trafford.  The second, a similar manoeuvre at Goodison Park against Liverpool. Ferguson has demonstrated time and again an exceptional heading ability, provided the ball comes in high from a wide forward position, where he can run in, launch himself way above the defence, and power a bullet header into the back of the net.  Unfortunately, these balls are rarely provided by recent or current Everton teams. 1997: The legacy of the Royle reign remains: the solid skills of Ferguson on the ground or meeting hard crosses in the air are now all too rare as he often plays the ineffective target man to flicked-on or knocked-down long balls slugged out of defence.  It is an ineffective, obvious and boring tactic that simply is not working.  Despite this, Ferguson remains a potentially inspirational icon whose drive and enthusiasm lurks beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to Champion the Royal Blue cause. In September 1997, Ferguson shocked the footballing world by writing to the Scottish FA to inform them that he would no longer play for Scotland.  Although the reasons for his decision have not been publicised, Evertonians cannot help wondering if this is in belated retaliation for the disgusting disciplinary treatment he has been subjected to in the past from the SFA. Duncan Ferguson ended 1997 on a massive personal high.  Made team captain for the day against Bolton as he returned from a 3-match suspension, Big Dunc powered in three massive headers to bring Everton a vital victory and provide him with his first Everton Hat-Trick. 1998: Ferguson went on to have one of his best periods with the club, when Everton were at their worst and needed him the most. He went on to score 9 more goals in just 14 games, most of those scored as captain after the mysterious transfer of Gary Speed.  Despite suspensions and injuries, Ferguson surprisingly topped Everton's appearances list for the 1997-98 season as they marginally avoided relegation under his captaincy.  Enter Walter Smith, and surely a change of fortune for Ferguson, with better supply lines from a more-creative midfield? Nope. Although currently Everton's leading scorer, his accuracy is now woeful, with many, many glaring misses. And his inspirational lapses came to a head against Sunderland, when Everton went out of the Worthington League Cup on penalties. The disinterested Ferguson became a target after his failure to play a true captain's role in the penalty shoot-out. Time to sell him off, and give John Collins the captaincy? Less than two weeks after those prophet words were written, Duncan Ferguson had left Goodison Park. Apprently sold off by Peter Johnson in a shock move to improve the club's bank balance – reportedly much against the wishes of Manger Walter Smith and countless Everton fans who had lost their talismanic cult hero.  May 99: After 2 goals in his Toon debut, Duncan's move is looking a bit tarnished when he was laid low by that old "groin" injury so familiar to Everton fans. He has managed just 4 full matches since leaving, and has not played a full match since December 98. However, he did make a good second-half sub appearance in the showpiece FA Cup Final, Where Newcastle United failed yet again to win any silverware.

Read our Comment article on the controversial departure of Duncan Ferguson
EVERTON CAREER STATISTICS
Season	Squad Number	League Apps(sub)	League Goals	Cup Apps(sub)	Cup Goals	TOTAL Apps(sub)	TOTAL Goals
1994-95	#9	22 (1)	7	4 (1)	1	26 (2)	8
1995-96	#9	16 (2)	5	2 (-)	2	18 (2)	7
1996-97	#9	31 (2)	10	3 (-)	1	34 (2)	11
1997-98	#9	28 (1)	11	3 (-)	-	31 (1)	11
1998-99	#9	13 (-)	4	4 (-)	1	17 (-)	5
	Totals:	110 (6)	37	16 (1)	5	126 (7)	42

Cup Statistics include all other non-league senior matches, as counted by Everton FC in the Matchday Programme

© Marko Poutiainen and Michael Kenrick 1999

Last update:22 May 1999