Latest news with #DuncanFerguson
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'I can't think of anyone he's scared of' - fans on 'hardest player'
We asked for your views on the "hardest" Newcastle player from the past 50 years. You've also given us some shouts from longer ago that deserve a mention. Here are some of your comments:Peter: Only one name: Duncan Ferguson. That's the end of the From the modern era, you'd have to give Joelinton a mention. I always think back to a match against Brighton where Moises Caicedo, with a look on his face of absolute fear, was hiding behind Dan Burn while Big Joe was trying to get at him after a scuffle during a He may not be as brutal as some of the players from the 70s and 80s, but I would put Joelinton up there with the hardest. Can you imagine if he'd been able to get away with some of the stuff refs let go back then? Absolute carnage! Big Joe is an absolute machine and I'd certainly think twice about challenging him for the ball. He's one of our best, toughest players of the modern era and I can't think of anyone he's scared of. Have you seen the size of his thighs?Steve: Obviously I didn't play against them, like Ando did, but surely Duncan Ferguson, David Batty and Stuart Pearce need to be involved in any discussion of hardest player?Alan: Alan Shearer! Took the knocks and gave them without moaning or rolling over and over, I remember the match when so called hardman Roy Keane squared up to Shearer. He soon backed down on his way off with a red card!Ian: John McNamee was your classic 1970's Scottish piece of granite! He terrorised European forwards during our successful H: John McNamee, which is more like 60 years John McNamee. I saw him many times in the 60s, sleeves rolled up to his armpits and ready for battle. I witnessed him committing the worst foul I'd ever seen where Ernie Hunt, playing for Everton, ended up on the cinder track on the Popular side (East Stand) bleeding from thigh to calf.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
Definitely nae Fantails were allowed at our pigeon Airbnb in Leith
One hobby which Steve Cardownie immersed himself in during his youth was keeping pigeons I recently bumped into an old friend of mine who I grew up with in Leith. I used to stay in Cannon Street and he lived around the corner in, what was then, Albany Street. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... We recounted the events of our youth and the exploits (some dubious) that filled our days. One hobby which we totally immersed ourselves in was keeping pigeons. Our favourite bird was the Horseman, or Pouter. Handsome creatures that inflated the pout on their necks to strut around the 'dookit' or flying in circles around the area impressing all who set eyes upon them, particularly the opposite sex of the same species. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We would 'throw up' a bird (either a cock or a hen) depending on what some rival 'dookit' was flying, with the objective of attracting their bird to our 'dookit.' It would then be taken up to 'Ernie's' in Leith Street and sold on. However, we also ran the risk of our bird being enticed to the rival 'dookit' and we would be out of pocket, so choosing the right bird to fly at the right time was the most important decision to be made. Former Scotland footballer, Duncan Ferguson, built a complex structure to house his 3200 pigeons in Formby, Southport. It was reported that he invested roughly £1000 per bird as their accommodation was described as 'luxurious'. He unfortunately fell foul of his neighbours who complained about the noise so, undeterred, he invested around £120,000 to install soundproofing in every pigeon cage throughout the whole complex. So, Duncan's pigeons live in the equivalent of The Beverley Hills Hotel while ours had the run of an Air BnB (pun intended) Although modest, it was comfortable and clean, and our pigeons were well looked after. In addition to Horsemen, we also kept Homers and Tumblers, but definitely – 'nae Fantails'.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
How one of football's hardest men was humbled after he found himself behind bars: 'I thought I was a man. I was a baby'
A former footballer who was renowned for his fiery character both on and off the pitch has revealed how he was humbled by a stretch in prison. The ex-player made over 250 Premier League appearances, earning a fierce reputation thanks to his love for a scrap. However, he took it one step too far back in 1994 as he became the first-ever British footballer to be jailed for an offence committed on the field. After headbutting an opponent, he was slapped with a 12-game ban and a three-month prison sentence. He revealed how he was brought back down to earth by having to serve a stint behind bars. The individual in question chillingly told BBC Sport: 'I thought I was a man. I've got everything boxed-off. I was just a baby.' That was none other than former Everton and Newcastle striker Duncan Ferguson, who was convicted for headbutting Raith Rovers player Jock McStay while playing for Rangers in a match in April 1994. Fast-forward over two decades later, and 'Big Dunc' has shared what life was like during his 44-day spell in HMP Barlinie - Scotland's largest prison - located in Riddrie, north-east Glasgow. After going inside at the age of 23, he shared concerns for his safety due to his high-profile status having played for Rangers, combined with his young age. The Scot said: 'It was like they were focusing on me. You're worried sick. You've got to face that in the morning. I never slept a wink all night. 'I was terrified. I'm going to walk out on this landing in the morning and you think someone's going to stick a knife in you.' That came after he had been involved in a string of previous altercations, including a fight in Anstruther, a town located nine miles from St. Andrews. Previously, he had been slapped with a £100 fine for headbutting a policeman and fined a further £200 for punching and kicking a supporter who was on crutches. Speaking to Mail Sport last month, the ex-Toffees hardman said he was reduced to a trembling ball of anxiety during his prison stint. The 53-year-old stated: 'It became darker, and darker. Then there were the threats.' He heard threats from fellow inmates far and wide, enough to put fear into even the heart of Big Dunc himself. 'What cell is he in. I am going to cut that big dirty Orange b*****d. He's gonnae get cut tae f***.' Ferguson added: 'Half a dozen to 10 people were telling me I was going to get slashed in the morning. I was only 23, on my own. It was frightening. You think: "How has it come to this?" He has accepted that many of the tough situations he found himself in were down to an over-indulgence when it came to alcohol - a circumstance he has since rectified by being sober since 2008. Fortunately, given the stormy seas he navigated during his playing career and personal life, he is a battle-hardened sailor who lives to tell the tale of his voyages - just without a desire for a bottle of rum.
The Sun
09-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘He battered me' – Ex-Everton hardman Duncan Ferguson reveals current England star beat him up in training fight
DUNCAN FERGUSON has revealed he was "battered" in a training fight by a current England player. The former striker built a hardman image during his career and it is a reputation he is still known for. 3 3 3 Ferguson has previously fought off intruders in his own home and picked up nine red cards, often for thuggery, but one England star got the better of him. The Scot fought Anthony Gordon in a boxing match while the pair were at Everton. Ferguson was a big admirer of the youngster and handed Gordon his Everton debut while interim manager, but he wanted to teach the winger a lesson to persuade him to quit sparring - one of his big hobbies. But after donning the gloves to take on Gordon, Ferguson was taught a lesson of his own - not to challenge the quick and nimble winger. Ferguson revealed the incident in his book, Big Dunc: The Upfront Autobiography. He said: "I made sure Gordon got his debut at Limassol, I then gave Anthony his second game against Leicester,' Ferguson wrote. "I loved his appetite to improve, he wanted to learn and practice, practice, practice. "He was as fit as a fiddle and took diet seriously but was still going to different boxing gyms and sparring. 'You have to stop,' I told Anthony, "You can't go to them, you'll get hurt". "He battered me once in the Finch Farm gym. I had a pair of boxing gloves on, he didn't. And I didn't do it again. "Anthony's a bright lad, knows what he wants and is dedicated and lightning quick."
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Duncan Ferguson reveals the current England international who 'battered him' in a training ground boxing match - after Toffees legend warned star he would 'get hurt'
Duncan Ferguson has admitted he was 'battered' by a current England international in a boxing match during his time at Everton. Ferguson played over 270 times for Everton during two separate spells at Goodison Park, first between 1994 and 1998 and later between 2000 and 2006. The former forward had established a reputation as a hardman during his playing career, having been sent off on nine occasions. Ferguson was sent to prison for three months in 1994 following an on-field assault of Raith Rovers' John McStay when he played for Rangers. He also famously confronted burglars on two occasions at his home in 2001 and 2003. One of the burglars in 2001 required a three-day stay in hospital following their confrontation with Ferguson. Despite his fearsome reputation, Ferguson revealed in his autobiography 'Big Dunc: The Upfront Autobiography', that a current England star got the better of him in a training ground boxing match. Ferguson explained he had attempted to convince Anthony Gordon to stop boxing, after hearing the winger had been sparring in gyms in Liverpool in the early stages of his career. As part of his efforts to dissuade Gordon, Ferguson warned him that he would 'get hurt' if he continued to spar. Having handed Gordon his Everton debut in a Europa League tie during an interim spell as manager in 2019, Ferguson had then faced the youngster during a boxing match at Everton's Finch Farm training ground. 'I made sure Gordon got his debut at Limassol, I then gave Anthony his second game against Leicester,' Ferguson wrote. 'I loved his appetite to improve, he wanted to learn and practice, practice, practice. 'He was as fit as a fiddle and took diet seriously but was still going to different boxing gyms and sparring. "You have to stop," I told Anthony, "You can't go to them, you'll get hurt". 'He battered me once in the Finch Farm gym. I had a pair of boxing gloves on, he didn't. And I didn't do it again. Anthony's a bright lad, knows what he wants and is dedicated and lightning quick.' Gordon has previously claimed boxing has helped to improve his game, suggesting he began to enjoy contact from defenders and could hold them off easier. He had reportedly asked about boxing trainers in the Newcastle area when he joined in a £45million move in 2023, but ultimately decided against continuing sparring in gyms. Speaking to the BBC last year, Gordon suggested his roots in Liverpool had encouraged his love of boxing, with fighters like Tony Bellew, Liam and Callum Smith coming from the city. 'I think everyone in Liverpool likes boxing,' Gordon said. 'I think every kid just finds themselves in the local boxing club. 'You grow up watching it as well. On the pitch, I think it makes me more aggressive, play with more tenacity. 'Before I started [boxing], I was down a lot. I would get pushed off the ball a lot.
