Fergie was in demand
There have been plenty of excellent players who have worn the famous black and white stripes of St Mirren over the years.
But few have received as much attention as Ian Ferguson did in February 1988.
One of the top young players in Scotland at the time, the 20-year-old had been linked with clubs all over the UK including Manchester United, Liverpool and Rangers.
And it was the latter that stunned the football world when they made a deal with St Mirren for the player that involved the biggest-ever transfer fee between two Scottish clubs.
Ferguson was sold for close to £1 million on February 15, 1988.
And it wasn’t a smooth deal at all. The day before the contract was signed, Ferguson was pulled out of the Scotland Under-21 squad gathering in Glasgow’s Albany Hotel.
Amid phone calls between Saints manager Alex Smith and chairman Yule Craig, Scotland coach Craig Brown announced Ferguson had been withdrawn.
That same morning, the midfielder trained at Love Street, as usual, knowing that his future was hours from being settled.
The week before, Manchester United had offered St Mirren £850,000 for the star.
Spurs and Chelsea had also been keeping tabs on the player after great performances throughout the course of the season.
After the deal had been made, Saints boss Smith said: “I feel a mixture of relief and sadness.
“The whole business has dragged on long enough.
“No-one likes to lose a quality player.”
Ferguson had asked for a transfer and it wasn’t known if his wish would be granted.
But when it was, he was delighted. He said: “Everyone knows I’m a Rangers fan and this is the move of a lifetime for me.
“When I asked for a transfer, there was only one club I wanted to play for.”
After the transfer was pushed over the finishing line, Ferguson made a mad dash to rejoin the Scotland Under-21 European Championship squad.
He played in the second half of the game against England but the team lost 1-0.
Despite all of the drama over the record transfer between St Mirren and Rangers, Brown thought Ferguson wasn’t distracted.
He said: “The lad looks fresh despite all that has happened to him.
“I’m certain he has a great future.”