Dunc demands passion play
Everton role fires up Ferguson
JUST for a moment, there was a crack in Duncan Ferguson’s voice that owed nothing to first-day nerves.
Audiences with Ferguson, a totemic figure in Everton’s modern history, are rare. During his playing days, when he scored 72 goals in 273 appearances over two spells for the club, he never spoke to the media. So sitting down in front of the cameras a day after Marco Silva’s sacking was something of an ordeal.
The Scot’s anxiety to get everything right was characterised by the rapid-fire way he answered questions, rattling out his thoughts about the club’s plight at a blistering pace.
Everton are sinking and their fans are seething. Ferguson, elevated from coach to caretaker manager, is the bridge between the supporters and the squad. The bleak situation is hurting him but you wonder if it is hurting some of the players as much. Do they care as much as him?
‘Is that possible?’ Ferguson said, affronted by the idea that someone might pull on a blue shirt and not give their all.
‘That is the kind of message we gave to the players this morning. We have to bleed for this club. We have to bleed on that pitch (against Chelsea today).
‘There will be a rallying cry to get blood and thunder, but we also have to be sensible because we know how good Chelsea are. They can hurt you on the counter attack so we need a good defensive balance and then take it from there.’
Some will find it difficult to attune their minds to the possibility Ferguson — who courted controversy as a player — has been asked to come up with a sophisticated game-plan as Everton search to find a new manager from a shortlist that includes Vitor Pereira, Carlo Ancelotti and David Moyes.
Ferguson does not want to be considered for the permanent role. He knows his limitations — this will be the first match in which he has managed — but he knows the club inside out and understands what is needed to change the mood.
He has been like a coiled spring since 7pm on Thursday, when Farhad Moshiri, Everton’s major shareholder, asked him to take charge. He returned home to see his family later in the evening but was so pent up with emotion he took a late-night bath.
Whether he is in the dugout for one game or one month, Ferguson does not want to let anyone down, be it his family — sons Ross and Cameron are seasonticket holders — the players, the board or the supporters who idolise him.
‘When I got home the kids were still up crying their eyes out,’ Ferguson said, pausing again to control his emotions. ‘I watched a bit of Chelsea and tried to relax because there was a lot of stuff going on in my head. It has been hard to take it all in. But I’m also excited, nervous, proud.
‘I am here to steady the ship until they find whoever. I have my ideas. I put them to the team and, of course, I will pick the team. I know what I am going to go with. My message is clear.
‘I’ll always believe that every Everton team are committed. I believe they can turn it around. I believe that is what we will do.’