Duncan Ferguson has ‘unfinished business’ as he returns to dugout at Glentoran

Duncan Ferguson believes he has unfinished business in management after taking over at Irish Premiership club Glentoran.

Ferguson returns as a manager in the unglamorous surroundings of East Belfast two years after his spell at Scottish Championship outfit Inverness ended.

The 54-year-old Scot previously coached at Everton, where he had two stints in caretaker charge of the Premier League club, and was manager of Forest Green in the EFL.

“I was busy doing punditry and I could easily have kept going down that route,” Ferguson told the Press Association.

“But I’ve been a wee bit unlucky in my managerial journey and I still think I’ve got unfinished business.

“I lost my last job through administration, but I love football, management and coaching players.

“I met the owner (Ali Pour) and liked him. I thought it’s a big club, they’ve got ambition and it got the fire in my belly.”

Glentoran are currently third in the Irish League following the departure of Declan Devine in September.

The Glens have won 23 league titles and over 130 major honours in their 144-year history, but their last championship-winning season was in 2008-09.

“I’ve had two tough jobs, but this one’s a bit different because the ambition is to win the league,” said Ferguson.

“I managed Everton in the Premier League and took them out of the relegation zone, I moved Inverness up the league and to a play-off.

“Forest Green was for the future, bottom of the league, but I went there with the understanding that I was going to get a rebuild.

“I got on all right with the owner (Dale Vince), but he decided to go a different way in the summer. I came out of the Premier League and took the wrong job.”

Ferguson, who starts his reign at home to Ballymena on Saturday, says he spoke to several people about the Glentoran vacancy, including Sam Allardyce.

The former England boss began his own coaching career at Limerick in 1991, guiding them in to the League of Ireland Premier Division by winning the First Division title.

Ferguson said: “I spoke to Big Sam and he said, ‘Dunc, get in there. You win on a Saturday you feel good, you lose you feel bad. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at’.

“When you’re out of work for six months, it feels like six years. It’s exciting to do this again and a big opportunity for me to live the dream.”