Saturday finished just how it started for Duncan Ferguson.
On the pitch, his Forest Green side are still looking for their first win under him. They remain rooted to the foot of the League One table.
Off the pitch, he stopped for selfies and signed autographs for the many who were in attendance at Accrington Stanley’s Wham Stadium. Many of whom were Evertonians.
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But in the middle of all this, a football match took place. Ferguson, as many would expect, kicked and headed every ball on the sidelines.
He simply punched the air when Myles Peart-Harris gave his side the lead. Not long after he had his head in his hand after Rosaire Longelo scored Stanley’s winner.
In between those moments, Ferguson was left raging. He couldn’t believe Oliver Casey had seen red for a high challenge on Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.
“We were in control of the match then the referee got involved in a decision I don’t think he needed to get involved with," he said after the game when asked about the call.
"He can quite easily give the boy a yellow card and we all move on. But they surrounded him, like they did all game, he [the referee] fell for it. I thought it was a poor decision. That absolutely changed the game.
“The whole match changed on that decision. The referee gave himself plenty of time to think about it but they surrounded him and he vowed to the pressure.”
To rub salt into the wound, from the resulting Sean McConville free kick, on-loan Stanley striker Aaron Pressley headed home. From there, Forest Green were always going to be facing an uphill battle. And that is how it proved to be.
After falling behind to Longelo’s goal, Ferguson's side failed to register a shot on target. Relegation now appears to be looming.
“I think there was always a threat of relegation when I came in. We were at the bottom of the league and we are still at the bottom of the league," Ferguson said post-match.
“I’m encouraged by the performances we are putting in. At the end of the day, I don’t look at the league and to me I just go into the next game all guns blazing.
“You don’t want to be looking at the league when you are in the position we are in. We just want to make sure we look at the next game.
“I would suggest we have played well in every game I have been here and it is only Ipswich Town that have turned us. One game out of seven. We just can’t seem to get that break that we talk about and some decisions we feel have gone against us.”
But this was Ferugson like we have never seen him before. This was Duncan Ferguson the manager.
Amid all the smiles post-match, when stopping for selfies, Ferguson showed a ruthless side that many of the great managers have.
After he had taken aim at referee Declan Bourne, he turned his attention to Ross Doohan. Asked whether his goalkeeper could have done better with both Stanley goals, the Scot couldn’t have been more scathing.
“He should’ve saved both of them and I’ve told him in there that it’s not good enough,” was his reply.
If things had turned out differently, Ferguson could have been preparing Everton for their trip to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon. Instead, he found himself in East Lancashire, where he was joined by a number of Blues supporters.
As Ferguson made his way over to speak to the press, he was stopped by two Everton fans who had made the journey to the Wham Stadium. Both gents couldn’t contain their excitement at being able to speak to their hero.
Ferguson was only happy to chat. You could tell from the conversation just how much Everton Football Club still means to him.
It is perhaps being too kind to suggest that Ferguson has gone in at the deep end. He, in many ways, has gone into the unknown, a world in which he needs to learn on the job and fast.
But for that he should be applauded. Ferguson could have easily stayed at Everton and continued to work on the club's coaching staff. He probably gave up a job for life when he left in the summer.
On Satruday’s evidence, things might get tougher before they get easier, but if Ferguson has learnt anything during his time at Everton then it is nothing ever comes easy.
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