‘It’s great to be back,’ Duncan Ferguson says of his choice to rejoin Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Duncan Ferguson never considered the significance of his return to Scottish football when he accepted the job as manager of Inverness.
He returned to his country 29 years after leaving Ibrox for Everton as a former Dundee United and Rangers striker.
In 1995, a year after moving to Merseyside, the 51-year-old spent 44 days in Barlinnie Prison following a failed appeal against his conviction for assault on John McStay during a game against Raith Rovers at Ibrox.
He never played for Scotland again after ending his international career in 1997 due to lingering bitterness at the Scottish Football Association’s attempts to impose a 12-match penalty – both before and after his initial court case. After another court case, the long-running disagreement was finally decided in favor of the athlete.
“I’m feeling good, I’m feeling great,” the former Newcastle striker said on MFR Radio when asked how he was feeling about his return to Scottish football. I suppose I never really considered it.
“Isn’t football just football? It doesn’t matter where it is; it could be in England or Scotland.
“Of course, it’s nice to return to Scotland, my home, but that’s not why I accepted the job.” I accepted the position because I believe this club can make progress.
“However, it’s nice to be back. I obviously come and go, so I haven’t been completely down south. I’ve got relatives up here. But it’s great to be back.”
Ferguson’s second managerial position, following a brief stint at Forest Green previous season. Rovers won just one of the 18 games he managed, and they were relegated from Sky Bet League One.
Ferguson, who was born in Stirling and has signed a three-year contract, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me.” It’s wonderful to be back as a manager, doing what I love: coaching and managing, and I’m very thrilled about the project ahead.
“The club has a huge ambition to return to the Premiership.” Unfortunately, that is not the situation right now, but they have a lot of good ideas for how to get there. The major reason I came was the club’s and my own desire, and it’s a fantastic chance.”
Ferguson spent 14 years as an Everton coach, the majority of them with the first team, and believes he can lift Caley Thistle out of the Championship and up the table.
Former manager Billy Dodds was fired months after taking the club to the Scottish Cup final, and Caley Thistle are currently bottom of the table with one point from six games.
Ferguson, whose first game will be against Dick Campbell’s Arbroath at Gayfield on Saturday, said: “We need to get some goals, start creating some chances, and make sure we are in the opposition box.”
“There’s not a lot of points on the board so we need to make sure we change that and change that quickly.”
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