Hall of Fame

A friend of mine told me earlier he's on his way to the Hall of Fame induction of one Duncan Ferguson, late of the Parish of Mallorca I believe. He got into the recent Times Online Top 50 Everton players at a lofty 49 (at least he was ahead of Gravesen). There are many words you could use to describe Ferguson, but the one I'll settle for is enigmatic. It probably best befits Ferguson's on and off-field persona and behaviour. From his arrival on loan from Glasgow Rangers, right through to the 90th minute final match penalty - on the rebound - against West Brom, the man basically transcended the football arena, possibly more so given how rank poor Everton were as a team for most of Ferguson's career at the club.

Even his decision to relocate his family to a Balearic Island post-career is different. It kind of sums the man up. Nothing he ever did was conventional.

For me Duncan Ferguson is a legend for two main reasons. Firstly, he frequently delivered in key matches against the better sides, consequently leading to accusations that he simply 'couldn't be arsed' for the mendacity of Coventry away. Secondly, he played in an era of dross. Outside of the magnificent run to Wembley in 1995, for a chunk of '94 to 2006, we were poor, and I amongst many others often went along to the game waiting to see something of quality from Ferguson. Often we left disappointed, but the odd gem stood out and are remembered far more than the barren periods.

Years from now, it will be Ferguson who is recalled from that period. Obviously Moyes' transformation of the club means we're no longer a 12th place scrapping operation, and we had a brief glimpse of what Wayne Rooney would become, but that aside I can't think of a single player so closely identified with our club during such an underachieving period in the club's history.