DUNCAN FERGUSON SCORED 100 goals over the course of his 16 seasons in professional football, with over sixty of those coming in an Everton shirt.
Powerful, uncompromising and the possessor of a rare knack for manufacturing crucial goals from the most improbable of circumstances, the Scot became something of a Goodison legend over the course of his two lengthy spells at the Premier League club.
But while his goal-scoring grabbed points, it was his indiscipline that frequently grabbed headlines (Steffen Freund, anyone?). Ferguson joined Everton after serving a three-month jail sentence for the on-field assault of Raith Rovers’ John McStay during the 1994 Scottish League season and went on to receive six red cards over the course of his Everton career.
It comes of something of surprise, then, to learn that the 39-year-old has recently returned to the scene of his former glories in an attempt to complete his training as a coach.
Manager David Moyes, who experienced the striker’s famous volatility first-hand during his early years at the club, explained the situation to the Daily Mail.
“He is showing he really wants to do it. He still has to get his ‘B’ licence and ‘A’ licence but he is out and about helping some of the younger teams here and will take some sessions.“Could it lead to something here? It could. I have to say I didn’t foresee him going into coaching when I had him as a player.”
Maybe not, but if the Scot can communicate something of his goal-scoring prowess to the club’s youth teams, the incongruity of his current situation will soon become a thing of the past.
