Duncan Ferguson is expected to be confirmed as Glentoran manager on Monday, ending a five-week search that has taken in some of the Irish Premiership’s most obvious candidates before landing on one of its least expected. The former Everton striker would take over at the Oval after the club parted company with Declan Devine on 14 September.
The easy option looked to be Tiernan Lynch, Devine’s former assistant. Lynch won the Irish Premiership twice with Larne and had left Derry City in August. Glentoran instead made Cliftonville’s Jim Magilton their priority, but he made clear he intended to stay at Solitude. That left the job open for Ferguson.
The 54-year-old Scot made 273 appearances for Everton and scored 72 goals, winning the FA Cup with the club in 1995. He also played for Rangers and Newcastle United, won seven caps for Scotland, and holds the Premier League record of eight red cards. He would instantly be the most recognisable face in the league. On Saturday, fans joked about false sightings of him at Glentoran’s 1-0 win over Limavady and at a chip shop on the Newtownards Road.
His coaching CV includes spells as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and Ronald Koeman. He worked under seven permanent managers at Everton and twice took charge on an interim basis. After leaving Merseyside following Frank Lampard’s departure in 2022, he managed Forest Green Rovers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Neither stint was considered a success, though both came in difficult circumstances. He has no experience of the Irish League, and the appointment is a clear gamble.
A long wait for the title
Glentoran have not won the league since 2009, when the late Alan McDonald delivered the club’s 23rd Gibson Cup. Since then, Mick McDermott won the Irish Cup in 2020 but faced supporter protests. Rodney McAree, now at Dungannon, left for personal reasons after just under five months. Warren Feeney, unpopular with fans because of his past with Linfield, also had a short reign.
Devine won the County Antrim Shield in January 2025, but back-to-back BetMcLean Cup final defeats followed. Last season he came close to a title challenge. A 0-0 draw with Larne in the penultimate league game, in which Glentoran were the better side, cost them a chance of going top. They then lost 6-2 at Coleraine and finished third.
Source: BBC Sport
