For Everton fans of a certain vintage, Duncan Ferguson was the man and Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton is no different. Barton can be economical with his praise at times, but the high regard he holds 'Big Dunc' in is clear.
Ferguson, once the subject of a British record transfer fee when he was snapped up by Rangers from Dundee United in the early 1990s, had two spells with the Toffees from 1994-98 and 2000-06, making almost 300 appearances for the club and earning hero status with his brutish displays up front.
Ferguson's best moments at Goodison Park coincided with the development of Barton's fandom and the Gas boss says he was one of few players he has idolised growing up, so he was delighted when the Scotsman took over as caretaker manager in 2019 after the sacking of Marco Silva, leading the club out of the Premier League relegation zone before the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti.
"I don’t know lots about him (Barton)," Ferguson said in his pre-match press conference this week. "We’ve kept in touch because he’s a big blue and he gave me a lot of support and was delighted when I was caretaker at Everton. They were in the relegation zone at the time so all Evertonians were worried, and Joey was one of them.
"I used to get texts at 2am saying ‘Have you thought about this, have you thought about that?’ I take advice from everybody, wherever it comes from but I’m my own man, I make my own decisions but Joey is a good blue."
There is a mutual respect between the proud Evertonians, but that admiration will have to be forgotten when Barton's Gas face Ferguson's Forest Green Rovers at The New Lawn on Saturday in an important game for both sides.
Since taking over at FGR in January, replacing Ian Birchnall after he was sacked, the 51-year-old has been unable to steer his team to a win and they have been cut adrift at the bottom of the table. While the Gas' place in League One is not yet secure, a tally of 42 points with 12 games to play has them well on course to clinch third-tier status for next season, but rock-bottom Forest Green are in desperation mode, 11 points from safety with time fast running out.
Barton is wishing his counterpart well, but he does not want his team to be the one that gives Ferguson his first win.
"He was the best player at Everton when I was growing up as a kid," Barton said. "I remember his goals against Manchester United and we didn’t have a fantastic team at the time, but Duncan was iconic for Everton fans and certainly my generation.
"Afterwards, when I’ve met him in and around the club when we’ve played Everton or even with my dad, knowing we’re big Evertonians, he’s always been absolutely exemplary, a top-class fella.
"I exchanged a few back-and-forths with him when he got the job. I haven’t since he took the job because now we’re competing against each other.
"I don’t want to be a fanboy, but I don’t have many people I look up to and as a kid, Dunc was iconic and still with Evertonians, he’s so well regarded by the blue half of Merseyside for the job he did there.
"I’ll have to put that to one side on Saturday so we can give them a good going over hopefully and take three points. It will be tough, but I don’t want Dunc’s first win to be against me either. I’ll have to park my admiration for him for 90 minutes on Saturday, that’s for sure."
After winning the League Two title ahead of Exeter City and the Gas last season, Forest Green have endured a difficult year on and off the pitch, losing a manager in Rob Edwards, now of Luton Town, to Watford, as well as several key players including Ebou Adams, Nicky Cadden and Kane Wilson.
So far, those efforts to rebuild the squad and establish foundations in League One have failed and they are odds-on for an immediate return to the fourth tier, but Barton says the Gas face a tough test regardless, with Ferguson having a positive impact in Nailsworth, even if the results don't show it.
"They have definitely picked up, as you would expect," Barton said. "He’s a class act, Dunc. He’s gone in with Tony Grant and the players have responded but it hasn’t quite materialised at this moment into a win or the points they would have been looking for, but their endeavour and their attitude, they are certainly competing.
"Dunc will be wanting to get his first win, they will think we are a good opportunity to do that against, a kind of mid-table team as they’ll see it.
"We have to be ruthless. From our perspective, we’ve still got our own ambitions and local bragging rights or whatever, but for us, finishing the season strongly and not tasting defeat – we’ve tasted a lot of them in recent months and we don’t want to again if we can help it."
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