BIG DUNC
Ferguson was then involved in the
second as Paul Rideout put the seal
on a famous win, but it was all
about Ferguson after the game. A
new cult hero had arrived and the
connection between the fans and
player was born.
Everton and number 9’s are a long
standing tradition from Dixie Dean
to Graeme Sharp the club has had
a long line of famous players wear
the shirt. Despite that, it had been
a barren few years of a number
9 in the Everton tradition; big,
strong, and good in the air was the
requisite passed on from Dixie to
Tommy Lawton to Dave Hickson
to Joe Royle, and so on. Duncan
was ours though. Our generation’s
very own number nine. Under
Royle, Everton quickly improved
and built on the derby win with a
win at Chelsea and a demolishing
of Leeds. Ferguson was again on
target with a towering header
from a Hinchcliffe partnership and
the wins changed the mood at the
club with all optimism hanging
on the shoulders of Ferguson.
His all action displays had won
over the fans and Ferguson was
won over by the crowd too; a
player who was at one point lost
had found his spiritual home and
was channelling this admiration
into
marauding
performances
which terrified defences. Everton
continued to improve and move
away from relegation danger
and as 1994 moved into 1995
Evertonian’s
began
to
feel
something was building at the
club.
“from Dixie Dean to
Graeme Sharp the club
has had a long line of
famous players wear
the shirt.”
With
Everton’s
league
form
improving all the time talk of a cup
run, as always, got fans dreaming
of a Wembley appearance. Even
the most optimistic of fans would
not have realistically thought a
side who’d gone without a league
win until November could scale
such heights, but with Ferguson in
the team it felt like, on our day,
we could beat anyone. Sometimes
hope is all you need to achieve
greatness and many of us saw
Ferguson as that hope. The Scot’s
popularity grew as the younger
generation worshipped what was
for many (myself included) their
first hero. His song was sung
with more gusto than any other,
which, in turn, always seemed to
spur the big man on. In the new
Sky era players were becoming
more famous so having a player
like Ferguson to hang your hopes
on, and to pretend to be in the
playground, was amazing for
a young lad who had no real
affinity with any of the players.
Brett Angell didn’t really excite
the imagination like Ferguson
did. Cool and good looking with a
hardman reputation in a time of
lad culture and Britpop, Ferguson
stood out; his persona elevating
him in status around the premier
league.
17
GWLADYS
After beating Bristol City in the cup
Everton we were drawn at home to
Norwich which also coincided with
my 13th birthday. The day before
I’d finally got to meet my hero for
the first time, and the meeting
only escalated Ferguson higher in
my estimation.
“hard man culture in a
time of lad culture and
britpop”
As a new teenager, I couldn’t
believe my luck when I was told
I’d be spending the afternoon in
the company of the entire Everton
squad. First you’d have a meal
then you’d be able to chat, get
autographs, and have your photo
taken with the players. Once
the meal was over it was time to
meet the players and you only had
to look at the queue for Duncan
Ferguson to see just how popular
he was compared to the other
players. Rather than joining
the queue I went around all the
other players knowing my chance
with Ferguson would come and
it did. With my 2 cousins we
approached him and he couldn’t
have been any nicer with a huge
friendly smile. He had the same
warm hello for each and every
person, clearly revelling in the
admiration shown to him. After
a quick chat, quick as in couldn’t
hardly understand the thick
Scottish accent, and pictures taken
(pictures I still have) the time had
come in to say farewell, but not
before wishing him luck for the
game the following day.
18th Feb 1995, my 13th birthday
and Everton won 5-0 with
Ferguson getting on the scoresheet
in one of my all-time favourite
games attended. We were on
fire that day and the image of
Ferguson racing clean through
before smashing it home off the
crossbar will be a memory that
stays with me for life, suddenly
Wembley was getting closer.
Now I write this through rose
tinted glasses driven by the
memory of a younger me; the
same kid who did an essay and
oral presentation on Ferguson for
GCSE English and who’d claim
Ferguson as the best striker in
the league. I know at the time a
lot of questions were asked about
his goal return and at times his
temperament, but I loved how he
played the game on the edge and
with passion. The embodiment of
how us fans would play given the
chance, laying it all on the line for
shirt. In those early years this was
Ferguson charging about winning
headers and roughing up
defenders, no better illustrated
than when he rose head and
shoulders above everyone to head
the winner against Manchester
United. His top off shirt twirling
celebration is the stuff of legend,
so much so it was repeated ten
years later (a goal which cemented
his legend status) but more of
that later.For me, at this point
Ferguson could do no wrong even
as rumours of his off field antics
started coming to light. It just
made him seem more mysterious
as he didn’t do interviews and
all we knew was he was a pigeon
fancier, a past time that added to
the mystique of this unpredictable
man. Ferguson did get on late into the
game as Everton surprised United,
thanks to a Paul Rideout header.
As mentioned earlier some players
have done more without the hero
status and Paul Rideout was
certainly one of them. That season
he scored 16 goals to help preserve
our Premier League status and
scored the winner in the cup final,
yet he is now consigned to history
With Newcastle despatched in
the quarter finals, the sheer joy
on Ferguson’s face at the final
whistle as he jumped for joy
perfectly summed up how quickly
he had come to love Everton.
No sooner had Ferguson become
adored by the Goodison faithful,
however, injury struck and so
began the frustrating side of
Ferguson. Injuries began to occur
frequently with Ferguson missing
the F.A cup semi-final win but
still his influence could not be
denied and with Everton in the
cup final a barely fit Ferguson was
placed on the substitutes bench for
the Wembley showpiece. A move
which lifted Everton fans and
struck fear into the opposition. while the image of Ferguson’s
smiling face complete with blue
nose still adorns the club’s walls.
The opening day of the following
95/96 season was about 2 strikers.
Duncan Ferguson and Newcastle’s
record breaking signing Alan
Shearer. The test of time has
rightly seen Shearer revered, but
on that sunny opening day only
one striker looked like he was
worth 15 million, and it wasn’t
Shearer.
That day Everton played the
Geordies off the park with
Ferguson leading the line to
devastating effect. Winning the
penalty for the first goal, Ferguson
then turned provider for the
debutant Speed, flicking on for
him to slot home. It was a goal
that brought so much promise
as Ferguson now had a willing
runner from midfield to bring into
play.
18
“from Dixie Dean to
Graeme Sharp the club
has had a long line of
famous players wear
the shirt.”