My Sporting Life is The i Paper’s look behind the curtain at what drives sports stars to greatness. This week, former Everton, Newcastle United and Dundee United striker Duncan Ferguson reflects on a distinguished playing career and his 44-day prison stint for on-field assault.
If I felt threatened, I lashed out
I was never the best player at school because I was so tall and skinny. I just couldn’t run the way the other lads did but all of a sudden I stopped growing, filled out and kicked on. Then I thought “I’ve got a proper chance now”.
I was never in trouble as a kid. I was the lad who brought the ball to school, I was a Boys’ Brigade boy, I loved my athletics. It was uneventful until I made a breakthrough as a footballer at 17 or 18, then people started to recognise me and I became a target. I was a face and that was where my troubles started.
I was going out, going to discos, in taxi ranks, kebab shops, doing what young lads do and I found it difficult to walk away when people confronted me. If people are in your face and you feel threatened, I would lash out. That was the way I was taught. “Make sure you throw the first punch.” It got me in a bit of trouble as the years went on.
Prison was horrific
I was 22 when I got sent to prison. My past had caught up with me and I was on probation for previous offences. It was my last chance. I never thought I’d get put in prison for something I did on the football field.
It’s a wake-up call, to put it mildly. I was a bit fearless when I was younger. It sounds strange but I was actually quite excited about going to prison, it was something a bit different. That soon gets knocked out of you.
The first night was horrific. I was in D Hall in Barlinnie, which was notorious. The lights went out, the doors shut and people started shouting at me. That’s when it really came home that it wasn’t going to be easy. There were threats on my life – people were going to stab me, slash my throat, do me in when I came out of my door in the morning.
It was a sleepless night and then I had to step forward in the morning through my door onto the landing. That was a big moment. It eased off a bit after that but you’re never truly comfortable in prison. There were no toilets in prison so the smell of all the lads slopping out in the morning or after a weekend was absolutely horrendous. That has stayed with me. Remember I was a Premier League footballer at the time!
I’m a totally different person now. I’d never put myself in those sort of positions. And I don’t drink.
I fell in love with Everton in that cell
My love affair with Everton started when I was in that jail cell. The loyalty the club and fans showed me in prison was incredible. I got 10,000 letters: boxes and boxes piled up in the prison, telling me what an injustice it was, how they were going to support me when I came out of jail.
I invested in the club, I loved the people and the city and it wasn’t just words to me. Of course it’s the goals and the way you play, but it’s also how you are as a person.
I sign every autograph and say yes to every picture request and they remember it. I wouldn’t walk by anyone. I was asked to visit people at their house or in hospital and they remember it forever. I think I’ve probably bought most of the Everton fanbase a drink over the years as well, so that helps!
Newcastle United was a missed opportunity but I loved it
I don’t want to sound cocky but football was quite easy for me. It was injuries that were my issue – they mounted up. By the time I went to Newcastle I was just managing constant injuries. I had bits of my calf cut out, I had scars everywhere.
When I was fit for three or four months I was unstoppable and the team were flying, which is why I think I get looked on with a bit of fondness up there. We lost the 1999 FA Cup final and I had to come off at half-time, which was a huge regret.
I loved Alan Shearer, he was one of the best I ever played with. Great player, great mentality. We didn’t speak for three months because he was injured but our wives connected in the stands – they got to know each other before we did! Meanwhile we were like two bulls in a field.
Ruud Gullit signed me for Newcastle and I was a bit starstruck. I actually played against him at Euro ’92 and he was the best player I ever saw live. What a presence he was. He looked the part and as a young player I thought “Wow, this is the level”.
He’d tried to sign me at Chelsea, he really rated me as a player and spent £8m on me so I thank him for that. I thought he was a brilliant manager, such a good coach but maybe as a man manager he just needed a bit of work because he was young and still probably thought he was a player. He fell out with Alan and I think he thought he was finished as a player, which was a big mistake. Ruud was a bit jealous of him when he should have put his arm round him.
Walter Smith was the greatest football man I ever met
Walter discovered me at Dundee, he moved to Rangers and broke the British record in the process. He then became my Everton manager and I was his captain.
No one would say a bad word about him. He was a legend and he was loved. Walter was a man of few words but he didn’t have to say a lot. It was just a nod, a handshake, an “Alright Dunc?” He was a diamond.
Managerial aspirations still burn
I still want to be a manager. I’ve fallen into punditry but the fire is still there and I think I have a lot to offer. I’ve been really unlucky. I lost my job at Inverness Caledonian Thistle because the club went into administration, not through results.
Hopefully I get in a bit sooner than later. (On links to Glentoran) I’m interested in all work, if anyone comes to me with work I’m happy to sit down and talk to them. I’ve talked to numerous clubs over the years and it’s never quite materialised but if you’re out of work and someone offers you work, you’re going to listen.
Read more
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Interview: At 19 I was an Everton wonderkid – then I lost two decades to cocaine
Neville is a brilliant businessman
I love teaming up with Gary Neville. I went on The Overlap to promote my book so to get the chance to be part of the daily shows is a great opportunity. I jumped at it. I spent the summer with Gary at the World Cup and he’s a force of nature.
It’s been great getting to know him. He was a great player and he’s now this brilliant businessman too.
Overlap Daily airs weekdays at 4pm. Catch Duncan Ferguson alongside Mark Crossley every Thursday with episodes available on YouTube, Global Player and wherever you get your podcasts.