Duncan Ferguson reflects on his reputation for aggression

Duncan Ferguson says his reputation for aggression reflects the way he played football rather than his general temperament away from the pitch, adding that breaking into his home would be an exception.

“I can’t get away from that. That was just how I played football,” Ferguson told The Telegraph. “But I’m not like that off the pitch, unless you are breaking into my house.” He also said he had lived in Liverpool since he was 22 and that people who behaved badly would be found out.

His comments recall two separate incidents at his homes, in 2001 and 2003. In January 2001, two men entered his Rufford home during the night while his family were asleep. Ferguson later recounted hearing a noise and seeing two shadows coming through the conservatory before confronting one of them.

On the BBC podcast Tony Bellew Is Angry, he said he feared he had killed the man during the struggle, then tried to resuscitate him. Ferguson described the shift from attacking the intruder to trying to help him as happening within seconds.

Michael Pratt and Barry Dawson pleaded guilty to the 2001 burglary and were jailed for 15 months. Dawson spent three days in hospital after being injured. The pair had attempted to take bottles of champagne, a framed picture and CDs.

Ferguson put the house up for sale after the incident. Two years later, there was a second attempted burglary at his home in Formby. Carl Bishop spent two days in hospital after trying to steal alcohol from an outbuilding. Ferguson confronted him and suffered a knee injury in the scuffle; Bishop was left with a broken jaw and three missing teeth.

Bishop was sentenced to four years in prison for trespassing with intent to steal, plus 12 months for failing to return to prison while on licence.

The incidents became part of the public image of Ferguson, who is tied for the Premier League record for most red cards, with eight. The Scottish forward began his career at Dundee United and went on to play for Rangers, Newcastle United and Everton. He spent two years at Newcastle, from 1998 to 2000.

At Everton, Ferguson scored 72 goals in 273 appearances across all competitions and was part of the team that won the FA Cup in 1995. He finished his playing career at Goodison Park in 2006, then served as the club’s caretaker manager twice, in 2019 and 2022.

Ferguson moved to Glentoran after spells managing Forest Green Rovers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

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