Duncan Ferguson, Forever Everton

This is a love story, believe it or not.

Duncan Ferguson is not the greatest Everton player of all time. He isn’t even one of the ten best Everton players of all time. Duncan Ferguson is, however, the most Everton Everton player of all time. Any Evertonian will tell you that’s pretty much the same thing. Winning matters, and scoring goals is great. But the thing that will make Evertonians love you for-ev-er, until their dying breath, is to do what Duncan Ferguson did.

You have to fall in love with the club.

That’s what Ferguson did. So much can be overlooked and forgiven if you just love the club. We know this to be true because Duncan Ferguson — then playing for Rangers prior to his first Everton spell— went to prison for headbutting a man named John McStay. John McStay played for Raith Rovers, which means yes, Duncan Ferguson headbutted a man during a match and went to prison for it.

His three other assault convictions weren’t on the pitch, but in a taxi line (twice)(headbutting a police officer) and in a pub against a fisherman.