BIG DUNC

They don''t make footballers - and football autobiographies - like this any more. The brutally honest, riotously entertaining story of the much-loved Everton legend and iconic Premier League bad boy. Praised by Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the greatest and most passionate players to ever play the game, Duncan Ferguson, or Big Dunc as he is known, is larger than life in every sense. Measuring a towering 6 feet 4 inches in height, from the moment the striker emerged in British football in the 1990s, he was front and back page news. On the pitch, fans loved Duncan for his roguish charm, his thrilling goals and his total commitment in every game. Fighting tooth and nail, he was a born leader and took no prisoners. Like his rival Roy Keane, he played close to the limit, and often crossed it. Such as the time he was sentenced to 3 months in Glasgow''s toughest prison for headbutting an opponent - the first and only time a footballer has ever gone to jail for a crime committed on a football pitch. Off the field, he was just as likely to be seen drinking with fans as he was at training. In BIG DUNC: The Upfront Autobiography , Duncan reveals, for the first time, the full story: the truth about his experiences in prison, his battle with alcoholism, his partying with African princes and Liverpool gangsters, his fighting with burglars, his going bankrupt, and how he turned his life around through his beloved Everton F.C.. In the process, the book sheds light on one of football''s most charismatic but notorious and enigmatic hardmen. Duncan is now a coach and manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.. He is a pillar of the community in Merseyside, giving back to stricken children who share a similar tough upbringing to his own. Duncan''s book takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of humour, drama and redemption. Buckle up.

Auteur

Duncan Ferguson is a former Scottish footballer. He grew up in the tenements of Stirling in Scotland, releasing his pent-up energy as a cross-country champion, in playground scraps and fighting on the streets. He began his career at Dundee United in 1990, and moved to Rangers in 1993 for what was then a British transfer record fee. He spent the remainder of his career in England, moving to Everton in 1994 before a stint with Newcastle United between 1998 and 2000, after which he returned to Everton, where he retired in 2006. During his career, Ferguson won the FA Cup with Everton in 1995. He was capped for Scotland seven times, playing at UEFA Euro 1992, but made himself unavailable for selection for the national team from 1997 due to a dispute with the Scottish Football Association. He has scored more goals (68) than any other Scottish player in England's Premier League since its creation in 1992. Ferguson's aggressive style of play resulted in a career total of nine red cards, as well as a three-month prison sentence following an on-field incident in 1994. Eight of his red cards were in the English Premier League, where he holds the joint record for dismissals alongside Patrick Vieira and Richard Dunne. As a coach, at Everton he has been caretaker manager and assistant manager. He managed Forest Green Rovers and is now manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.