Dunc has been along time out of short trousers
Duncan Ferguson’s decision to quit Everton is a brave one.
He is looking for a new challenge, and wants a crack at being his own man in management.
After being involved in coaching for more than a decade – since Davie Moyes gave him a chance to work with the youngsters at Goodison – Duncan has progressed very well.
He was on the first-team coaching staff for four or five years, under guys such as Carlo Ancelotti, Marco Silva and Frank Lampard.
He will have learned plenty of different things from all of them.
So when he gets the chance to sit down in front of a chief executive, that person will get an education on the game from Duncan.
I can understand why Duncan feels the time is now right to put himself out there. After all, he’s been a long time out of short trousers!
It’s just about being given that opportunity, and he may well have to wait until October or November, at the earliest, as not a lot of jobs are up for grabs just now.
I’m sure that he will do well. When he had the caretaker manager’s job at Everton, on two different occasions, he showed he had something to offer.
Off the park, he is also a big guy, and any time I have been in his company, he has always been as good as gold.
I hope that he succeeds when he is given a chance, whether that’s in English football or back home in Scotland.
Duncan will want to show what he is all about, and prove to himself that he can do it, even though I don’t think he’ll possess any self-doubt.
Lots of guys make the jump from a coach or assistant to being a manager, and it doesn’t always quite go to plan.
But they need to try it. They need to find out.
Otherwise they’ll spend a long time wondering what might have been.