
<p>Longtime Everton assistant coach Duncan Ferguson was named head coach at Forest Green Rovers on Thursday. This will be the Scot’s first permanent managerial job. Ferguson was previously an assistant on Merseyside since 2014.</p>



<p>The 51-year-old coach was obviously delighted to finally get a chance at the helm. “I’m really delighted&nbsp;to&nbsp;join&nbsp;FGR&nbsp;for the next step of my career, and I plan to be here for a while. We have a bit of a fight on our hands to stay up in League One and I am ready for the challenge,” <a href="https:\/\/www.fgr.co.uk/news/duncan-ferguson-appointed-fgr-head-coach" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proclaimed</a> Ferguson.</p>



<p>“I am grateful for the opportunity to come and lead such a progressive and forward-thinking club too.&nbsp;Their world leading green creds are seriously impressive.&nbsp;I want to thank Dale for bringing me in.&nbsp;I’m looking forward to getting started!”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2>Duncan Ferguson ends nine-year stay at Everton</h2>



<p>Ferguson was also asked about his links with Everton on Thursday as well. The Toffees are currently in the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> relegation zone and recently fired head coach Frank Lampard. “I was always going to be linked with that job. It never happened for me, but I’m delighted to be here,” <a href="https:\/\/www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/64409654/page/2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed</a> Ferguson.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🗣 "I look forward to eating that later." 🌱 🟢 <br><br>New head coach Duncan Ferguson is ready to embrace the meat-free policy at Forest Green Rovers admitting he has never eaten vegan food before <a href="https:\/\/t.co/GBIHLOMIiB">pic.twitter.com/GBIHLOMIiB</a></p>— Football Daily (@footballdaily) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1618622977309917186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>The former Everton player was previously named caretaker manager two separate times during his coaching stay with the club. His first opportunity came when Marco Silva was sacked in 2019. Everton went unbeaten in four matches under Ferguson, which included tough fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal.</p>



<p>Ferguson was also given the reins temporarily for one match last season as well. Everton narrowly lost the top flight home game against Aston Villa. Lampard was named head coach following the fixture.</p>



<h5>No bad blood</h5>



<p>Despite being overlooked for Everton’s vacancy, Ferguson has wished his former club well. “They’ve had a difficult time. They are bottom of the league, they have lost some games and they are looking for a new manager. I wish them well,” <a href="https:\/\/www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/64409654/page/2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> Ferguson. “It is a fantastic club. There was always a chance [I could get the job], but they’ve gone in a different direction.”</p>



<p>Marcelo Biela, Wayne Rooney, Sean Dyche, and Nuno Espirito Santo have all been linked with the Everton head coaching job in recent weeks.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images</em></p>


Duncan Ferguson has been named head coach of Forest Green Rovers, a major miss for Everton, which is without a manager.

Everton misses out on Duncan Ferguson as Lampard replacement


<p>After falling to West Ham on Saturday, Everton relieved manager Frank Lampard of his post. The Toffees are in 19th place, level on points with bottom-of-the-table Southampton. Everton’s three wins are the lowest in the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> this campaign. </p>



<p>The sacking of Frank Lampard is <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/bournemouth-win-piles-pressure-on-evertons-frank-lampard-20221112-WST-408054.html">not necessarily a surprise</a>. Everton <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/05/19/frank-lampard-rescues-everton-premier-league-safety/">narrowly escaped the drop</a> last season. Frank Lampard, a midseason signing as manager, kept Goodison Park afloat in the top flight. Everton won three of its last six games to escape plummeting to the Championship.</p>



<p>However, Everton failed to adopt any sort of form in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign. Everton has just two points from its last eight games. Inexplicably, those draws came on the road against Fulham and Manchester City, two of the more in-form teams in the league this season.</p>



<p>As of now, there is no replacement in store for Lampard, even in the interim. However, once the club releases a statement on Lampard, it will name a caretaker in his stead.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Frank Lampard has been sacked by Everton, as expected — official club statement to follow 🚨🔵 <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/hashtag/EFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EFC</a> <a href="https:\/\/t.co/TzPqLqs6Gb">pic.twitter.com/TzPqLqs6Gb</a></p>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1617543733117059074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>Replacements for Frank Lampard at Everton</h2>



<p>The Everton job is not exactly an appetizing one at the moment. While history and passion are certainly strengths of the Merseyside club, there is no recent success to build off. Like it was for Frank Lampard a season ago, it is a major challenge to keep Everton in the Premier League next season.</p>



<p>Regardless, there are a <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/worldsoccertalk/status/1617526406518542336">number of interesting candidates</a> rumored to be on the list for owner Farhad Moshiri. </p>



<p>Among those is Sean Dyche, something of an expert at Premier League survival. Dyche managed Burnley for nine and a half years. The club sacked him while it was in the relegation zone. It suffered the drop. However, Dyche’s time at Burnley included some narrow survivals, as well as some decent success, such as a seventh-place finish in 2017/18.</p>



<p>Another name to keep an eye on is Marcelo Bielsa. The former Leeds manager has also been out of a job since 2022. Leeds sacked Bielsa with the club in the relegation zone, much like Dyche at Burnley. However, new arrival Jesse Marsch did enough to keep Leeds out of the Championship.</p>



<p>Finally, the last rumor is Wayne Rooney. The former Everton youth product was among the names in line before Frank Lampard arrived at Goodison. Now, with his English teammate sacked, the current DC United manager could return to England, where he previously coached Derby County. </p>



<p>Everton has some time off, with its next game on Feb. 4. However, it takes on league leaders Arsenal before traveling across town to face Liverpool. </p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images</em></p>


Frank Lampard is out of a job at Everton. The Merseyside club sacked the English manager with the club sat uncomfortably in relegation.

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Everton misses out on Duncan Ferguson as Lampard replacement

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Everton sack Frank Lampard with Toffees in relegation zone