Barry Ferguson's career

TN8

Well-Known Member
I see the game last night has kicked off some discussion about Barry. My own question that I'd be interested in hearing opinions on is: why Blackburn?!

Was it simply that he left it too late to move?

I'm pretty sure in those first 2 seasons of the Advocaat era when he was bossing Champions League games and England at Wembley at 20/21 there would've been plenty of big clubs from top leagues who would've been interested.

And if he'd gone to Italy/Spain etc at that time then I reckon he could've gone on to become one of the best players in Europe.

I suppose the injury at Blackburn scuppered his chances of making it any higher in the EPL but when you look at the likes of Birmingham, Blackpool and Fleetwood on his cv I can't be alone in thinking he should have gone so much higher in his career than he did?

Was it down to him not fulfilling his early promise, or just a combination of bad luck and bad timing?
 
He’s always said he only signed for Blackburn because Souness was there at the time. Quite clearly it was the wrong move and quite short-sighted just to sign for a club because of who the manager was at the time.

IIRC in his book years ago he said Liverpool and Newcastle had also been interested.
 
He’s always said he only signed for Blackburn because Souness was there at the time. Quite clearly it was the wrong move and quite short-sighted just to sign for a club because of who the manager was at the time.

IIRC in his book years ago he said Liverpool and Newcastle had also been interested.
About as smart as Charlie Nicholas going to Arsenal, rather than Liverpool.
 
If he never got injured I don’t think we’d have seen him back at Ibrox until he was was well into his 30s.

pre injury he played directly against Keane, viera, Gerrard etc and never looked out of place.

he’d have ended up at a much bigger club than Blackburn.
Yeah I seem to remember an interview with him and he says he won MOTM awards against Arsenal and Man Utd before his injury.
He never looked out of place at any level before he shattered his knee cap, he was still brilliant after it but not quite as dynamic a player as he was in his younger years.
 
He would’ve excelled in Italian football.
Don't think this was ever an option - not because he wasn't good enough or there wasn't any interest but I'm sure I heard at the time that his wife wasn't keen on moving overseas.
Think it took some persuading to get her to agree to moving South and his move back North a few years later was, in part, put down to family reasons.
 
Blackburn were good at the time. Their modern day equivalent would be a Wolves-level side.

But for his injury, Sir Alex would have signed him as Keane’s replacement after a good season in the EPL in my view.
 
Tin hat on. Fantastic player undoubtedly, but could never take to him thought his attitude stunk at times
Each to their own mate, but I personally thought he had a great attitude, he obviously done a few silly things off the pitch but his attitude on the park was fantastic, a moaning faced bugger but a born and bred winner and didn’t settle for anything less.
He is exactly the type of guy we don’t have in our squad right now, he would be tearing guys a new one on a daily basis.
 
Tin hat on. Fantastic player undoubtedly, but could never take to him thought his attitude stunk at times

Stunk how?

If you watch Si Ferry's interviews with Barry's ex teammates, every single one of them points him out as being a leader - even at a young age and amongst top international players. They always say that he was the one demanding more from everybody and that he could've played at any level he wanted to.
 
I’m not sure where he could have gone in England. The CL teams (Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal) all had dominant midfielders who I don’t think he would have gelled with. Potentially he could have played for Man Utd or Arsenal as a replacement for Keane or Vieira but he wouldn’t have played well beside Gerrard.
 
Don't think this was ever an option - not because he wasn't good enough or there wasn't any interest but I'm sure I heard at the time that his wife wasn't keen on moving overseas.
Think it took some persuading to get her to agree to moving South and his move back North a few years later was, in part, put down to family reasons.
Did his family not continue to stay up here and he commuted to Blackburn?
 
I always remember hearing he played through injuries and rushed himself back too early which obviously held him back in the long-run. Still what a player.
 
Ferguson was a brilliant player one of the best I'd seen at Rangers. Could never understand why he dumped us for Blackburn still fully believe he could have played for any one of Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea at the time.

Playing through injuries and taking injections clearly took it's toll on him.

Thought when he came back he was still a brilliant player but you could tell he wasn't the peak Ferguson we once had.

Thought as time went on he just gradually started to decline played more deeper and took the easier options then the Scotland fiasco finished him with Sir Walter having enough of him.
 
If he never got injured I don’t think we’d have seen him back at Ibrox until he was was well into his 30s.

pre injury he played directly against Keane, viera, Gerrard etc and never looked out of place.

he’d have ended up at a much bigger club than Blackburn.

Nowhere near the ability of Keane, Vierra and Gerrard (or Lampard, Scholes) - who were all world class.
 
Blackburn was the wrong move and Ferguson himself has admitted that. He was swayed by the prospect of working with Souness, who from memory ended up leaving Blackburn just a few weeks later.
 
I thought the move was a step to one of the bigger clubs eventually. By all accounts he had the ability and the injury was the only reason we were able to resign him
 
Imagine Liverpool had got him. A young Ferguson and Gerrard would have been ridiculous.
 
Leaving soured him for many.
The disrespect of Walter Smith finished him at our club in any sense in respect of future employment here.

His media work shows the club were right to get him well away. He’s tarnished greatly which is the saddest part .
What actually happened with Smith? Always heard that something happened but never knew what. Was it just the carry on with Scotland or was there more to it
 
Ferguson underachieved for me given the talent he had. Held back by the bevvy culture - not that he was the worst or particularly bad here but it was still a part of the game in Scotland when he played - and the fact he was probably a bit of a homebody. Should have kicked on from Blackburn and went to a higher level.

Was back up the road 18 months later. Latter days at Birmingham he did well enough but he wasn't at his peak then. He maybe struggled to adapt to not being the main man, the best player, the creative force and the guy the team was built around. Was a more steady defensive player down there. Lots of very good players in Scotland go to a higher level in England and have to adapt their game.
 
Blackburn were good at the time. Their modern day equivalent would be a Wolves-level side.

But for his injury, Sir Alex would have signed him as Keane’s replacement after a good season in the EPL in my view.

They might occupy the same rough positon in the league but the standard down there outside the top 4 is better now than it was 15 years ago. A natural consequence of the money expanding to the point it's at. Today's wolves team are better than the Blackburn side of the early 2000s by a considerable distance.
 
Stunk how?

If you watch Si Ferry's interviews with Barry's ex teammates, every single one of them points him out as being a leader - even at a young age and amongst top international players. They always say that he was the one demanding more from everybody and that he could've played at any level he wanted to.
In games that were not going well as captain he should have been geeing up encouraging players around him. Often he moaned at players in the wrong manner as far as I'm concerned. He had a wee moany face you could punch.
That's my opinion. As I've already mentioned an absolutely fantastic player. I just didn't like him. Think with a better attitude he would have been a better captain.
 
Nowhere near the ability of Keane, Vierra and Gerrard (or Lampard, Scholes) - who were all world class.
I'd disagree with that until the injury he had the most mom in England Against those players.

The injury scuppered that I think he would have moved to the big four that summer easily and went further shovels its luck sidings its bad decision in his case prob both
 
He was top class under Advocatt, bossing the midfield against top players like Matteus, Effinberg, Van Bommel, Mendieta.
 
There was a ton of clubs linked with him the season prior. My favorite rumour was the Deportivo one.

Fergie was an Arsenal midfielder every day of the week, IMO. If he went there and gave it a go under Wenger - in terms of lifestyle and discipline - he could have properly leveled up into something spectacular.

I always remember him leaning against the dugout at Stamford Bridge tanning a packet of Jaffa Cakes just after signing.
 
People who never watched him play at Blackburn dont realise how good he was for them... If he never got injured there we wouldnt have seen him back at Ibrox.

He says in his book that Souness told him to sight tight and he'd be come back in for him and bring him to Newcastle from Blackburn.

Thankfully he came back to us.

In the end he went back down south and proved his quality with Birmingham and Blackpool winning player of the year with both clubs iirc.

The guy was an unbelievable player.
 
There was a ton of clubs linked with him the season prior. My favorite rumour was the Deportivo one.

Fergie was an Arsenal midfielder every day of the week, IMO. If he went there and gave it a go under Wenger - in terms of lifestyle and discipline - he could have properly leveled up into something spectacular.

I always remember him leaning against the dugout at Stamford Bridge tanning a packet of Jaffa Cakes just after signing.
On your arsenal point I asked Craig Moore about Barry's move and why he never ended up top 4. Craig said a move to arsenal was near enough agreed but fell through. Came home done research and couldn't find anything.
 
when folk say "disrespecting walter", is this the V sign with his fingers to his mouth you're referring to or is there something else?
 
Blackburn weren't the relegation fodder folk think, they were a 6th placed team when he joined, souness being the swaying factor as many agreed. Houllier was sniffing about prior to that, my dad has always said SAF should have signed him as keanes future replacement. My hero and proud to say my middle name is after him. What could have been though, the injury at blackburn ruined any chance of world class outfits taking him, as said he got MOTM against arsenal etc and wenger complimented him in the press so the idea he was poor at Blackburn is just a myth. Genuinely my hero who even after he left rangers in 2009 was exceptional at a top half premiership team winning POTY
 
when folk say "disrespecting walter", is this the V sign with his fingers to his mouth you're referring to or is there something else?
The V sign I'm sure, Walter wasn't as much annoyed by the booze gate but he told fergie to keep him head down until they come back from the break and fergie needless to say didn't
 
On your arsenal point I asked Craig Moore about Barry's move and why he never ended up top 4. Craig said a move to arsenal was near enough agreed but fell through. Came home done research and couldn't find anything.

Interesting info mate, thanks for sharing.

I can definitely remember there being paper talk about Arsenal prior to McLeish coming in, but Liverpool always felt more realistic. Perhaps if Gio worked out Wenger would have insisted on pushing it through.
 
First spell - imperious. I was genuinely gutted when he left.

Second spell - a bit meh. Clearly wasnt the same after his injury and we actually played better at times when he was out. The PLG and Scotland stuff also mar him. Still played his part in two title wins and captained us to a European final ( an incredible achievement)

The best Scottish player of his generation.
 
Interesting info mate, thanks for sharing.

I can definitely remember there being paper talk about Arsenal prior to McLeish coming in, but Liverpool always felt more realistic. Perhaps if Gio worked out Wenger would have insisted on pushing it through.
Yeah as I’ve said in another post Houilier wanted kept in the loop RE Fergie. Barry and stevie as a midfield pairing Jesus. Really grinds my gears that some folk refuse to acknowledge how good he was
 
First spell - imperious. I was genuinely gutted when he left.

Second spell - a bit meh. Clearly wasnt the same after his injury and we actually played better at times when he was out. The PLG and Scotland stuff also mar him. Still played his part in two title wins and captained us to a European final ( an incredible achievement)

The best Scottish player of his generation.
Think when he came back he’d gone from playing with RDB , GVB and arteta etc to lesser players along with the injury and had to mould his game a bit, getting easily frustrated and coming deeper and deeper to get the ball. Still was very good and chipped in with a decent amount of goals
 
Had completely forgotten untill last night he was part of the Birmingham team that beat arsenal to win the league cup in 2011
 
Criminal he never made the Scotland HOF
levein wanted him back in the squad when he took over but Barry felt too much of a big deal would be made and levein would get stick etc. I imagine he’ll regret that and not getting to 50
 
I'm sure Wenger wanted him before Advocaat took over. An offer of £500,000 is in my mind. When you look at the midfield we had between '98 & 2003, was he really a level below any of them? I'd say no & Van Bronkorst went for £8.5 million to Arsenal, peak Ferguson was heading for a top 4 club before the injury at Blackburn. I'm sure Liverpool were seriously looking at him.
 
Think it was Andy grey that said he could have replaced Keane at Man Utd. Was class on his day.
 
In my opinion I thought he was a better player when he wasn’t the captain. When he took that role he forgot about his own game sometimes
But he was a great wee player and I wish we had someone of his ilk now
 
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