Terry Butcher and the rest of the footballing world were seemingly in agreement on this day in 1993 – everyone was queueing up to tell Sunderland they had grabbed a bargain by signing Scotland midfielder Derek Ferguson.
Manager Terry Butcher splashed out £460,000 in cash, plus £150,000-rated John Colquhoun, to land the former Rangers midfielder from Hearts, despite beating off a late challenge from Aberdeen as well as previous interest from Chelsea, QPR and Everton for Ferguson’s signature.
Ferguson’s
agent, Bill McMurdo, claimed the 25-year-old was worth at least £1m and that Sunderland would reap the rewards:
I’m biased, but Jim Baxter says the same too. He said he’s one of the best midfield players he has ever seen. Derek was out of contract but Hearts didn’t really want to lose him. They offered him a package, but this is a great opportunity for him at Sunderland.
He’s signed a two-year contract and by the end of it I’m sure he will be worth much more than what Terry Butcher has paid for him.
Considering the interest in Ferguson over the summer, Butcher claimed his spell with Rangers proved a big help in landing his signature:
People down here will have hardly seen him play. Down south they are very sceptical about taking Scottish players. But I have seen him play and I know what I am getting. I’ve seen part of his game where he was so arrogant on the ball. He will excite the crowd just by keeping us playing.
We have lacked a player in that position. For me, Derek fills that very role. I’m very, very pleased to have him. He has a lot of quality.
Ferguson, who would turn 26 a few days after signing, would have an early opportunity to express his skills by lining up against his ex-Rangers pals in Gary Bennett’s testimonial 24 hours later and was excited to get going:
I’m delighted to be here. It’s dragged on a bit and all I’m interested in now is getting my first training session with the boys under my belt. A lot of people I have spoken to have told me what a big club Sunderland is.
Ally McCoist always spoke highly of them, so I knew I was coming to a big club. I’ve had ten years in Scotland and I have always wanted to come down and try my luck in England. Others have done well and I hope to do the same.
In other news…
Rodgerson fee to be confirmed!
After bagging the signing of Ferguson, the Roker manager would discover on this day in 1993 how much his employers would have to pay Birmingham City for Ian Rodgerson. The winger joined Sunderland on freedom of contract after Butcher and Blues boss Terry Cooper were unable to agree a fee.
Rodgerson was accompanied to the tribunal at Villa Park by Butcher and chairman Bob Murray, where at the same hearing a Premier League tribunal ordered Liverpool to pay £2.275m for Nigel Clough. Nottingham Forest had demanded £3m and Liverpool had offered £1.5m.
Butcher chases Irish defender…
It was a summer where every man and his dog was linked with a move to Roker, and the latest on the list was reported on this day in 1993 to be Cambridge United’s highly-rated centre back, Liam Daish.
The Roker boss reached the halfway stage to his close-season target of eight newcomers when he signed Derek Ferguson and was believed to have made a firm inquiry for the Republic of Ireland international, who started his career with Portsmouth before joining Cambridge in 1988.
He was a hard, uncompromising defender and Cambridge did not want to lose the 6ft 2in 24-year-old and were looking at offers of around £400,000 if they were to be persuaded to lose Daish as the then Cambridge United manager and Father of future manager Lee, Gary Johnson said:
There has been no bid from Sunderland for Liam Daish. I have heard of some inquiry, but it wasn’t made to me. As I have heard nothing, it is like putting the cart before the horse. Sunderland assistant manager Ian Atkins is well aware of Daish’s pedigree, he will have recommended him to Butcher.
Atkins was manager at the Abbey Stadium for the second half of the previous season, and, with Butcher expected to hang up his boots, the signing of an experienced central defender was a main consideration for the manager:
I said before the start of the season I wanted eight players in and it would be nice to get eight in. I am still looking to add to my squad. I am not happy with what I have got so far. I have got to get some more in. I am confident it will happen and it is not dependent on moving players out.
The chairman has said more cash is available, and he knows the areas that I want to strengthen. It is nice that the chairman has backed me. I’m not surprised, but I am very pleased. It’s got to be done.
That was very evident after the last three years. There’s no point in doing half the job. We have also got players we can use in part exchange, so we are the ones with the aces.
Contract rebel in a Rush to leave…
First Division rivals Bolton Wanderers were reported to be in the hunt for Sunderland contract rebel David Rush on this day in 1993. Rush, who has turned down a new deal from Terry Butcher, was reported to be highly rated by the Bolton managerial duo of Bruce Rioch and Colin Todd.
They had already spent £1m on players during the summer, but Bolton would go into the new campaign without Andy Walker, who damaged knee ligaments just before the end of the season and would be out until Christmas, and Rioch was chasing Rush to play alongside Owen Coyle, signed from Airdrie.
Sunderland fans snap up Rangers tickets!
Ticket sales for Gary Bennett’s testimonial that was were described as being “brisk” on this day in 1993, and it’s a good job, because it was 24-hours later! It was reported that Sunderland would have sold their allocation of 15,381 when the Ticket Office closed at 7pm.
But Rangers fans had been slow to respond. Only 5,427 tickets, of their 12,354 allocation, had been sold at close of business the previous day. No tickets were available on the day of the game.
I assume that was to prevent any trouble… cough, cough…
One player who would not be taking part was new signing Phil Gray, after the £775,000 capture from Luton had picked up a hamstring injury. Sunderland were also due to play at Whitley Bay on the evening of this day in 1993 – and the evening before the Rangers game – where players not planned to be involved the following day would get a run out.
Former Sunderland coach chases former Sunderland striker…
We’ve had plenty of popular assistant managers over the years, and Viv Busby is right up there on that list, and on this day 1993, he was chasing three forwards from his position as Hartlepool United manager.
Not only had Busby taken former Chelsea forward Colin West on trial, with a view to a permanent deal, but he was also planning talks with freed Sunderland striker Peter Davenport, as well as Port Vale’s Keith Houchen.
Meanwhile, up the road, it was announced that former Sunderland full-back Barry Venison would lead Newcastle in the new season as team captain, taking the armband from Gavin Peacock.
