Everton club hero Neville Southall has thrown the name of Everton’s assistant manager Duncan Ferguson into the ring for the vacant Goodison Park job.
The Scottish former striker served as interim manager after the sacking of Marco Silva, before being kept on my Ancelotti as his deputy number.
He has been involved with the coaching setup on Merseyside since 2014 under a plethora of different eras and managers at the club, working largely at first-team level.
Taken on as a coach by manager Roberto Martinez in 2014, he stayed on in a first-team role under Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce and Marco Silva.
He mustered a tally of 68 goals in 269 outings in the Premier League with a reputation for an aggressive target-man style of play that also saw him see 40 yellow cards and 8 reds in Everton and Newcastle shirts.
Speaking via his agent, Southall argued that Ferguson’s strong connections with Everton make him a viable alternative to other managerial targets.
As quoted by the Echo, Southall claimed:
“It’s important to support Big Dunc. He’s the only man since Joe Royle to show the loyalty and dedication to revive our fantastic club’s fortunes.
“He has stepped up each time he has been asked with pride, passion, commitment and drive to help our beloved club.
“If anyone understands the club it is him. We have tried all sorts of managers and in different ways they have all come up short.
“The big guy has learned a tremendous amount from each one but now I feel it’s his time to become the manager.
“I truly believe he can be and every Evertonian would know we have someone who gets the club, will always give 100% and also drive the players to do the same.
“He’s got a big enough heart, a big enough personality, tons of passion and enough knowledge to get us back to where we belong.”
Read Everton Verdict
His long-standing association with the club ensures a genuine desire and affinity to see Everton thrive, but Ferguson’s lack of senior experience is a concern.
He has only managed a handful of senior first-team games – though a memorable win over Chelsea and hard-fought draws against Manchester United and Arsenal stand out as worthy achievements.
Ferguson would represent a wildcard option, though certainly one who has shown fledgling potential and would certainly prove to be a popular appointment with the fanbase.
History and a flash of positivity is only so much to anchor to however, and Ferguson would need to impose himself quickly.
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