Ferguson claims hardman reputation cost him Middlesbrough job after Carrick U-turn

Duncan Ferguson believes the fearsome reputation he built across a 20-year playing career has repeatedly blocked his path in management, with the former Everton striker revealing he lost out on the Middlesbrough job in 2022 only after Michael Carrick changed his mind at the last moment.

Ferguson, now 54 and head coach of Northern Irish club Glentoran, told The Telegraph that he had been confident of landing the Championship role after a strong interview process. Carrick had initially turned the position down, but reversed course before the appointment was confirmed — leaving Ferguson to receive a call from the sporting director with the news.

“Michael Carrick had said he didn’t want it,” Ferguson explained. “I had smashed the interview; the two boys who interviewed me told me they wanted to give it to me but they had to speak to [owner] Steve Gibson. I thought I had a right chance of getting it. A couple of days drifted by, then the sporting director phones. ‘We’ve got bad news.’ Carrick had changed his mind and he went back to Gibson and said he wanted the job. So they went with him.”

Ferguson, who received nine red cards during his playing days, acknowledged that his on-pitch persona may be difficult for potential employers to look past. “I can’t get away from that. That was just how I played football. But I’m not like that off the pitch,” he said. “Maybe they can’t see past it.”

The former Scotland international had two interim spells in charge of Everton — in 2019 and again in 2022 — before taking permanent roles at Forest Green Rovers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. His Glentoran tenure began last month with a 1-1 draw away to Coleraine.

Despite the financial sacrifices involved in taking the post, Ferguson said the pull of management made the decision straightforward. “I’ve given up a lot to come here, but it’s a great chance,” he said. “When you are out of football, a day becomes like a month. You’re used to working every day. You’re sitting around at home, a week feels like a year, so you get itchy.”

Carrick, meanwhile, went on to lead Middlesbrough for two and a half seasons before departing in 2024.