Duncan Ferguson’s ‘Big Dunc’ autobiography includes Inverness chapter where he savages ‘abusive’ Caley Thistle fans and casts light on the chaos of the club’s slide towards administration
Duncan Ferguson has branded Caley Thistle fans he clashed with during 13 months in the Highlands “a disgrace” in his newly-published autobiography ‘Big Dunc’.
The football legend’s recounting of an incredible life story has been eagerly anticipated throughout the UK, given his successful but controversy-strewn playing career on both sides of the border.
Among the highlights of a fascinating read are the first insight given into his infamous stint behind bars in Barlinnie prison, the phenomenal goals and regular red cards at Everton, and the day he “flattened” – then had to resuscitate – a burglar who, unwisely, broke into his home.
Only eight of the 350 pages, the penultimate chapter, are dedicated to the Dundee United, Rangers, Everton, Newcastle and Scotland striker’s tumultuous spell as manager of the Inverness club.
But within those 2625 words, past Caley Thistle manager Ferguson offers up a savage assessment of the bitter breakdown in relations with supporters, details the sorry state of club finances and facilities, lays bare his own financial sacrifices and explains why he backed the hated proposal to shift the club’s training base to Fife.
REACTION: Caley Thistle fans bite back at Big Dunc
On the shelves since May 8, published by Century and ghost-written by leading UK sports writer Henry Winter, ‘Big Dunc’ illuminates many aspects of his past for the first time.
His stint in Inverness, though, was clearly far from happy, and brought relegation from the Championship to League One ahead of the club’s sorry slide into administration.
Ferguson, who certainly gave the Inverness job heart and soul, was sacked a day later, on October 23 last year.
While he tended to be well-liked by most who met and spoke to him, local media included, few Caley Jags fans mourned Ferguson’s departure. There was widespread unrest over his style of play, perceived as too ponderous and lacking in cutting edge.
Supporters will, however, recall Ferguson’s early impact as positive results brought a short-lived spell of saluting the fans with pumping fists.
But before too long, what he calls an “abusive” vocal minority completely soured relations.
He accuses the supporters of favouring “long balls” and adds acerbically: “My teams play football. I think they preferred tossing the caber.”
He describes how the breaking point came in March 2024 ,after Caley Thistle dominated Partick Thistle with 10 men after Cammy Kerr’s later rescinded red card, but lost.
Ferguson and the players went to applaud the fans, but faced anger.
He recalls: “I flipped and reacted … had a go back. ‘We were down to 10 men … give the lads a break!’
“After that, for the rest of the season, I got the hump with the fans … which was a shame as there were a lot of good fans. That’s really unusual for me.”
Ferguson goes on to say that, in and around Inverness, at supermarkets and the like, fans were always welcoming and would “talk to me quite happily”.
But differences became irreconcilable after a minority turned their venom on Ferguson’s own son.
Cameron Ferguson, who had been at Newcastle United as a youth, failed to start a match for ICT after signing in June last year but made a dozen substitute appearances.
A section of fans, by now baying for Ferguson senior’s blood, aimed what ‘Big Dunc’ describes as “disgusting” abuse at Cameron.
The book says: “What really hurt me was (Cameron) got terrible abuse. It was disgusting what they were saying to Cameron, a young man trying to make his way … sickening.”
Ferguson, in the book, asks tongue-in-cheek whether the great Jose Mourinho would have accepted his promised wage being slashed on the first day in the job.
He recounts a story we reported last year on how a £3000 a week pay packet magically became £2000 a week on his arrival at the stadium, before he later accepted a cut to £1200 – although the book says £1000 – then zero pay.
He tells how he spent £20,000 of his own cash so that the players could stay in hotels before away matches, with just three defeats in eight months on the road at one stage.
With club coffers empty, he was buying players and staff breakfasts each morning at a cost of £50 a day.
When the club’s previous board told him administration was their favoured option, Ferguson offered a £50,000 donation if the five directors present all did the same to avoid insolvency.
“They all started looking down, fiddling with their laces,” he says.
He detailed his disbelief at the poor standard of Caley Thistle facilities, saying: “At the Caledonian Stadium, we were poor. The pitch was bobbly … the facilities were shocking.”
As well as often having no hot water, “the drains backed up and stank the place out … the physio’s room leaked when it rained. There was no proper food.”
The Fort George training ground, the base where generations of ICT success was mustered, also incurred Ferguson’s wrath - “basically, a rugby pitch with a football pitch at the side”, no showers, gym or changing facilities.
Ferguson, asked to stay on and fight for promotion back to the Championship, also tells how he was advised by people he trusted in football to leave after taking 41 points in 30 games.
He had started to feel isolated in Inverness, not helped by the board continually downgrading what had initially been plush living accommodation.
He felt like he had been lured in by false promises of all manner of future club developments and investments, but did see the logic when ex-chairman Ross Morrison called to say Kelty Hearts ground was to become their new training base.
The idea was to save a huge amount chunk of budget spent on player accommodation.
“They were spending £250,000 on accommodation … my entire budget for 2024/25 was meant to be £500,000.”
He adds: “I sort of understood … I felt positive for the future.”
Next he heard, while on holiday in Florida, was that Morrison had resigned after the board had “buckled under fan pressure … stoked by the local media.”
Two days later, Inverness announced they were staying at Fort George. Ferguson returned to no players, no budget, he says, with administration looming.
Interestingly, Ferguson makes not one single mention of controversial past Inverness chief executive Scot Gardiner.
Long before club consultant Alan Savage moved in to help stabilise finances, ultimately through administration, Ferguson knew the writing was in the wall for his time at ICT.
“It wasn’t a nice environment the last two or three weeks,” he says.
After his exit was confirmed, every single player messaged him.
“It was emotional,” he recalls, “The players were devastated” knowing how much effort and money he had put in for them.
But he concludes the chapter: “I never received any messages from any senior staff. Considering I was buying all their breakfasts, no class.”
♦ ‘Big Dunc’, written with Henry Winter, one of the UK’s leading sports writers, is available at all good books shops from Century publishers for £22.
