Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
and former player, who was most recently the manager of
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed
Preston North End and
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
.
As a player, Ferguson was managed at
Manchester United by his father, Sir
Alex Ferguson. He won a
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
title and the
FA Charity Shield in 1993 with the club before going on to spend most of his career at
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
and
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
in the lower divisions of English football.
Ferguson's first managerial appointment was as player-manager of
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
in January 2007. After two successive promotions, and guiding the club to the
second-tier of English football for the first time in 17 seasons, Ferguson was relieved of his duties on 9 November 2009, with Peterborough United at the foot of
The Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
.
Ferguson was appointed
Preston North End manager on 6 January 2010. He was dismissed on 29 December 2010 after a string of poor results. On 12 January 2011, he was again appointed as the manager of
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
, where he took the club to the
League One play-off Final at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
, and in this match won promotion to the
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
, the club's third promotion in four years, with a 3–0 victory over
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
.
Peterborough United spent two seasons in the Championship after winning promotion. On 4 May 2013, Ferguson's side were relegated to League One after losing to
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
3–2 on the final match of the season.
Playing career
![Darren Ferguson juli 1991](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Darren_Ferguson_juli_1991.JPG)
Ferguson was born in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
[ He is the son of former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He has two siblings: a twin brother, Jason, and an elder brother, Mark.
His father brought him through the youth ranks at Manchester United, giving him his first team debut in 1990. Ferguson played in United's first 15 games of the new ]Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
in 1992–93 during the absence of the injured Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...
, and although he did not start a league game after November, he played enough games to qualify for a title winner's medal at the end of the season (which, at the time, was a minimum of 10 matches).
However, his first-team chances were very limited in 1993–94 and he was transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
for £250,000. His final season at Old Trafford brought just five first team appearances, and with the introduction of squad numbers in the Premier League that campaign he had been issued with the number 18 shirt which would next be worn by Simon Davies.
He spent five years at Wolves, during which they qualified for the Division One
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
play-offs twice and finished in the top 10 on four occasions, but never gained promotion to the Premier League. He left Wolves in 1999 to sign for Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam, but only made 14 appearances.
Between 1999 and 2007 he played for Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
making 310 appearances, scoring 51 goals. Ferguson captained them to win promotion to Division Two in 2002–03. He also led the club to its first national trophy (in English football
Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...
), the Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
, scoring the second goal himself in a 2–0 win over Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
in 2004–05.
Managerial career
In 2001, 29-year-old Ferguson was linked with the management post at Wrexham, following the departure of Brian Flynn. At the time, he assisted caretaker manager Joey Jones
Joseph Patrick Jones (born 4 March 1955) is a Welsh former international football full-back who most notably played for Liverpool, with whom he won two European Cups.
Club career
Wrexham
Jones was born in Llandudno, and joined Wrexham in 19 ...
. After manager Denis Smith was sacked in January 2007, Ferguson was again touted as a candidate, having by now played well over 300 games for the club, but coach Brian Carey
Brian Patrick Carey (born 31 May 1968) is a former Irish international footballer who played in the Football League for Leicester City as well as Wrexham, whom he also served as manager. Since his playing retirement he has worked as the Assist ...
was appointed instead.
There were suggestions that Ferguson and Carey had clashed, as Ferguson had expected to be appointed. Carey, who had left Ferguson on the substitutes bench for his first game, denied this. The pair had argued a year previously, following a defeat to Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
. Ferguson later stated he was disappointed not to be considered for the management position, and stated the club would have done better under him than they did under Carey.
Peterborough United
Shortly after his father celebrated 20 years as manager of Manchester United, Ferguson followed him into football management. In January 2007 he left Wrexham to become player-manager of fellow League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
. Previous manager Keith Alexander had been sacked after a run of six straight defeats. He led the club to a 10th-placed finish in his first season of management. In his first full season of management, he took Posh to second place in League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
, gaining promotion. He was named League Two manager of the month for March 2008, after Peterborough won six games out of eight in the month.
In his second full season, 2008–09, he led Posh go to second place and automatic promotion to the Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
. He also won the League One Manager of the Month award for March 2009, following six straight wins. Ferguson left Peterborough in November 2009, by mutual consent, with the club bottom of the table.
Preston North End
In January 2010, Ferguson signed as manager of Preston North End. His first game at home as a manager was an FA Cup match against Chelsea on 23 January 2010 which his side lost 2–0. On 14 September 2010, Ferguson was charged with misconduct by the FA after his behaviour in the tunnel towards the referee after a 4–3 Championship defeat by Burnley.
During a disappointing period as manager of Preston, in a spell which lasted less than a year, Ferguson had a comeback win in September 2010 when his Preston side beat Leeds United 6–4 after being 4–1 down at Elland Road. After the match Ferguson said: "I have never been involved in such an amazing game."
After 49 games in charge, winning 13, drawing 12 and losing 24 games, he was sacked as manager on 29 December 2010, with Preston North End bottom of the Championship.
Following his sacking by Preston, his father Sir Alex Ferguson immediately recalled all three Manchester United players on loan at Preston; Joshua King, Ritchie De Laet
Ritchie Ria Alfons De Laet (, born 28 November 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian First Division A.
De Laet played for various youth teams before joining the Royal Antwerp youth ...
, and Matty James
Matthew Lee James (born 22 July 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays for Championship club Bristol City. His regular position is in midfield, but he can play in defence when required. James began his career with Manchester Unit ...
. In addition, the Stoke City manager Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.
Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him on ...
recalled the two Stoke players on loan at Preston; Danny Pugh
Daniel Adam Pugh (born 19 October 1982) is an English professional football coach and former player.
A versatile player, he could play in midfield or at left-back. He began his career with Manchester United, and made a handful of first team ...
and Michael Tonge. This meant that in a single week, Preston had lost five key first-team players, effectively sealing the team's relegation.
Return to Peterborough United
In January 2011, Gary Johnson
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
left his job as manager at Peterborough United, with the club several points adrift of the playoff places. On 12 January 2011, Ferguson was re-appointed as manager at Peterborough on a four-and-a-half-year contract. His first match ended up in a defeat away to league leaders Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
, but the following week, in his first game at London Road since his return, Peterborough beat Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded i ...
4–0.
The club ultimately finished fourth in League One, and after beating Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
4–3 on aggregate, reached the play-off Final at Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
against Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
. Peterborough went on to defeat Huddersfield 3–0 to clinch a return to the Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, just one year after they had been relegated. By the end of the season, Peterborough had become the top-scoring side in the whole country, with 106 goals in total.
Peterborough spent two seasons in the Championship after winning promotion, before being relegated back to League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
after losing to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
3–2 on the final day of the season. Peterborough had led the match with seven minutes remaining, but went on to lose in the final minute; a draw would have been enough to keep Peterborough in the Championship. Their total of 54 points during that season is to date the highest amount accrued by a relegated side in Championship history. On 21 February 2015, following a 3–0 away defeat at Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
which left the team 15th in the League One table, Ferguson left Peterborough United by mutual consent.
Doncaster Rovers
Ferguson was appointed manager of League One club Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
on 16 October 2015. They were relegated at the end of the 2015–16 season, but a third place finish in their only season in League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
saw the club win promotion back to League One in May 2017. Ferguson resigned from his role as manager on 4 June 2018, after guiding Rovers to 15th placed finish in their first season back in League One.
Second return to Peterborough United
Ferguson was re-appointed as manager of League One club Peterborough United on 26 January 2019 for the third time with a deal agreed until the end of season after the dismissal of Steve Evans, with Gavin Strachan as his assistant.
In May 2021, after missing out on the previous season's play-offs due to the season being curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferguson successfully guided Peterborough to promotion to the Championship.
On 20 February 2022, the following day from a last-minute 1–0 defeat to relegation rivals Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
that left Peterborough in 23rd position, five points from safety, it was announced that Ferguson had resigned during a phone call to joint-owner Darragh MacAnthony
Darragh MacAnthony (born 24 March 1976) is an Irish football chairman, author and entrepreneur.
Early life and education
MacAnthony, the son of Austin MacAnthony, a nightclub owner, MacAnthony was educated at St Mary's College, Dublin. He moved ...
.
Personal life
In June 2003, Ferguson married Nadine Metcalfe.
On 23 October 2007, he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his estranged wife on the driveway of his father's home in Wilmslow
Wilmslow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England, south of Manchester city centre. The population was 24,497 at the 2011 Census.
History
Toponymy
Wilmslow derives its name from Old ...
, Cheshire. He was released on bail. He appeared at Macclesfield Magistrates' Court on 23 January 2008, and was charged with common assault, to which he pleaded not guilty. On 10 April 2008, he changed his plea to guilty and was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £200 in court costs.
Managerial statistics
Honours
As a player
Manchester United
*Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
: 1992–93
* FA Charity Shield: 1993
Wrexham
*FAW Premier Cup
The FAW Premier Cup (until 1998 the FAW Invitation Cup) was a Welsh football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008. Since the FAW excluded clubs playing in English leagues (including six Welsh ...
: 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04
*Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
: 2004–05
*FAW Premier Cup runners-up: 2004–05, 2005–06
As a manager
Peterborough United
* Football League One runners-up: 2008–09, 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*Football League One play-offs: 2010–11
*Football League Two runners-up: 2007–08
*Football League Trophy: 2013–14
Doncaster Rovers
*Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
third place: 2016–17
Individual
*LMA Manager of the Year
The League Managers Association Awards is an annual award ceremony in English football, awarded by the League Managers Association. The most prestigious award is the LMA Manager of the Year award. It is presented to a manager from any division for ...
: 2009 League One
*Football League One Manager of the Month
The Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the manager adjudged best for each month of the season in the Football League One, the third tier of English football. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the Lea ...
: March 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
, February 2011, April 2014, August 2014, October 2019, October 2020, February 2021
* Football League Two Manager of the Month: March 2008, January 2017
* EFL Manager of the Season: 2016–17
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Darren
1972 births
Living people
Footballers from Glasgow
Scottish footballers
Association football midfielders
Manchester United F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Sparta Rotterdam players
Wrexham A.F.C. players
Peterborough United F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Scottish football managers
Peterborough United F.C. managers
Preston North End F.C. managers
Doncaster Rovers F.C. managers
English Football League managers
Scotland under-21 international footballers
Scottish expatriate footballers
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands