Duncan Ferguson, (born December 27, 1971 in Stirling, Scotland) is a Scottish football player currently unattached to a club, although it is believed he will be signing on a short contract for Perth Glory, a club in the Hyundai A-League, the top division in Australia.

Ferguson began his footballing education at Carse Thistle F.C. before being signed to Dundee United F.C. in 1990 on his first professional contract. From that time he has played for Rangers F.C., Everton F.C. and Newcastle United F.C.; his career often punctuated by controversy and injury.

When not blighted by these mishaps, his strength and stature made him a potent target–man. These characteristics have earned Ferguson a reputation as one of the most difficult players to defend against in the English Premier League.[citation needed] Players such as John Terry and Sami Hyypiä have both named Ferguson as their toughest opponent. This dominating style and a poor disciplinary record has often seen him attract the ire of referees.

In 2001, Ferguson was the victim of a burglary attempt by two men at his then home in Rufford, Lancashire. Ferguson confronted the pair and was able to detain one of them who subsequently spent three days in hospital.

Ferguson has frequently found himself in trouble with the law. This has led to four convictions for assault; two arising from taxi–rank scuffles, one an altercation with a fisherman in an Anstruther pub and the most infamous: his on–field assault of Raith Rovers defender John McStay in 1994 while playing for Rangers.

For the indiscretion of head–butting McStay, Ferguson was punished with a three month sentence in Barlinnie Prison of which he served forty–four days in 1995 while contracted as an Everton player. In addition, the Scottish FA imposed a twelve–match playing ban on Ferguson which is widely considered a primary factor in his decision to withdraw from international football.[citation needed] Oddly, Ferguson played a further two matches for Scotland after these events which would suggest that his reasons are more complex than popular opinion is able to account for.

In contrast to the Scottish FA, Everton were highly supportive of the player. Ferguson’s manager, Joe Royle, visited him in prison and the club argued successfully that any playing ban imposed in Scotland was not enforceable in England, thus enabling Ferguson to play immediately after his release.

Upon conclusion of his sentence he was feted onto the field of play by both club and supporters. This created some sense of anger as many observers believed that such actions condoned Ferguson’s misdemeanours and were thus a poor reflection on the club and game. Ferguson’s idols took the opposing view; that the player had endured a highly unpleasant experience and deserved support in his efforts to return to normality.

This episode of Ferguson’s life inspired the musical piece Barlinnie Nine, composed by Osmo Tapio Räihälä. The name comes about by way of Barlinnie prison and Ferguson’s shirt number; nine. Of his work, Räihälä said: “I got the idea for it when he was facing jail and had just become something of a cult figure for Everton. It takes into account the contradictions in him: he has an aggressive side but there is a lyrical undertone to him, as the fact that he keeps pigeons shows.”

Barlinnie Nine was premiered on April 20, 2005 by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo, in the Finlandia Hall, Helsinki. On this same day Ferguson scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United at Goodison Park. It was the first time in ten years that Everton had beaten Manchester United in a league encounter and both matches were decided by a Ferguson goal. The significance of this was not lost on Räihälä who said: “There I was describing Duncan as a failure in Finland, and thousands of miles away at Everton he rises like a phoenix from the ashes to score against Manchester United. If there are gods of football up there, this proves they have got a most twisted sense of humour.”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Ferguson)