Everton’s new manager, if not Duncan Ferguson, needs Duncan Ferguson.
When he arrived in late 2019, Carlo Ancelotti made it clear that Big Dunc would not just be kept on, but brought in closer.
Ferguson was named as one of Ancelotti’s assistant managers and he should retain the role under his replacement, if he has any sense.
Everton are, once more, experience tumult, looking for a fifth manager in as many years and again scratching around on the floor for a sense of identity, in the wake of Ancelotti’s shock exit.
But for those reasons, and more, Ferguson has to remain.
He should be kept on as an assistant on merit, on the fact that he is said to be a good coach - his work with Dominic Calvert-Lewis is plain to see - and the fact that we have seen him be far more tactically astute than he had previously been given credit for.
When he took caretaker charge, he knew exactly what was required to get Everton going again.
The experience drained him, emotionally, but he met the brief, for sure.
Yet he must also be kept on for his Royal Blue mettle - and that should never be dismissed as sentimental rubbish.
It matters. And having people of Big Dunc’s ilk is essential to a healthy football club.
Farhad Moshiri, always keen to know how the fans are thinking, is said to have spoken to supporters in the wake of the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford and felt their emotion, that same raw passion for the club transmitted by a rain soaked Ferguson.
Ferguson understands Everton, has a connection with the supporters like few have, he knows what it means to play for the club, he lives and breathes the high standards he expects at Everton, everyday, and that - as a daily, weekly and as a match by match reminder - for the players and new manager, is vital.
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There are suggestions that, Ferguson has shown himself to be far more of a thinker, than a ranter and a raver, in the tough moments this season. Ancelotti’s calm, clearly rubbing off. But it re-emphasises that he wants to be well-rounded, not just the blast-furnace motivator of men, but someone able to speak to players on all levels.
As you would expect, he is said to have thrown his name into the ring to replace Ancelotti but if he is not successful then his job should remain.
