Martin Murphy Ferguson (born 21 December 1942) is a Scottish former football player,

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 scout and current chairman of Airdrieonians. He is the brother of former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. He was Manchester United's chief European scout, and as such he was often sent to monitor players in mainland Europe.

Career

Ferguson began his playing career at

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy Kirkintilloch Rob Roy Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire. Nicknamed ''The Rabs'' or ''The Roy'', they were formed in 1878. They wear red and black strips and currently compete in t ...

where he was capped for Scotland at

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

level before stepping up to Partick Thistle in 1962. He went on to

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...

then a brief spell in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

during the mid-1960s. He was appointed

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

in July 1967. He made his ''Blues'' debut in Peter Fitzgerald's testimonial in August 1967. His first league goal came in the dying seconds of a home clash with Shamrock Rovers on 19 November which led to Ferguson being chaired off the pitch. He was let go in February 1968. He later worked as a coach at Hibernian, but was sacked in 1997. He was signed by Manchester United on the recommendation of his brother Alex, and scouted players such as future signings

Diego Forlán Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi ...

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...

, and

Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (anglicised to Van Nistelrooy; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. He is currently the coach of PSV Eindhoven. A former footballer, Van Nistelrooy is often consi ...

, as well as others who did not join the club including Fabio Quagliarella and

Alessandro Nesta Alessandro Nesta (; born 19 March 1976) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. Usually deployed as a centre-back, he is widely considered one of the best defenders of all time. He was best known for his pace, artistic ta ...

. Ferguson retired from his position as chief scout for Manchester United in May 2013, the same time as his brother retired as manager. In January 2018, Ferguson was announced as vice-chairman of Airdrieonians In December of the same year, he became the

North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It als ...

club's chairman.

Honours

Waterford *

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...

: 1967–68 *

Top Four Cup The Top Four Cup was an association football super cup featuring the top four clubs in the League of Ireland. It was first held in 1955–56 and last played for in 1973–74. It was played at the end of the season. Shamrock Rovers were the i ...

: 1967–68

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Martin 1942 births Living people Footballers from Glasgow Scottish footballers Association football inside forwards Partick Thistle F.C. players Kirkintilloch Rob Roy F.C. players Greenock Morton F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Doncaster Rovers F.C. players Waterford F.C. managers Waterford F.C. players League of Ireland players League of Ireland managers Scottish Football League players English Football League players Scottish football managers East Stirlingshire F.C. managers Albion Rovers F.C. managers Hibernian F.C. non-playing staff Manchester United F.C. non-playing staff Scottish Junior Football Association players Scotland junior international footballers Drumchapel Amateur F.C. players Scottish Football League managers Chairmen and investors of football clubs in Scotland Association football scouts