Classic Moments: Duncan Ferguson Headbutts Jock McStay, Spends Three Months In Prison, 1994 (Video)

Chris Wright

21st, May 2013

2 Comments

By Chris Wright

SCOTTISH SOCCER

There was a good reason they called him “Duncan Disorderly” you know!

Having signed for Rangers in the July of 1993, Ferguson’s Ibrox career started fairly dismally as the target man, being routinely played on the left wing, contributed little in the way of form or goals. Injuries played their part in Dunc’s stuttering start, as did a lack of discipline – no surprise there then.

With three assault convictions already to his name: one for belting a policeman at a taxi rank, one for kicking a fan on crutches…at a taxi rank and one for a brawl with a fisherman in a pub in Anstruther. Lo and behold, Ferguson’s 1993/94 season would end with him racking up his fourth.

During Rangers’ 4-0 win over Raith Rovers at Ibrox on 16th April, Ferguson tangled with defender Jock McStay in the corner until losing his rag with the Raith right-back and subsequently stuck a textbook “Glasgow Kiss” on him, knocking him to the floor…

Although Ferguson escaped without punishment at the time after both the referee and the linesman conspired to miss the butt on McStay, things eventually caught up with him when the Raith defender reported the assault to the police after the game.

Big Dunc was on probation at the time due to his previous convictions and, as a result, was sent down for three months in 1995 after losing his appeal. He served 44 days in Glasgow’s notorious Barlinnie prison, which later inspired Finnish composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä to write a short symphony called ‘Barlinnie Nine’ about the rowdy Scottish striker.

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.”

Give it a listen here.

Beautiful. Really captures the pigeony-ness at the core of Big Dunc.

More in Pies’ Classic Moments series…

Roy Essandoh Answers Wycombe Wanderers’ Ceefax Advert For Striker, 2001
Ian Woan Scores Two Exquisite Freekicks Against Tottenham In The FA Cup, 1996
Eric Cantona Launches Into ‘Assassin Tackle’ On Michel Der Zakarian, 1988
‘Maggie Thatcher, Your Boys Took A Helluva Beating!’, 1981
Chris Waddles Launches Assault On French Pop Charts (With Help From Basile Boli), 1991

Posted in Featured, Retro, Scottish football, Videos

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2 Comments

  1. Milkchew says:

    Loved the story about the people who broke into his house and….well made a MASSIVE mistake.

  2. DJ says:

    Also that iconic image of him with both of his hands round the neck of stefan freund. Comedy gold

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