Skip to main content

Duncan Ferguson apologises to Arbroath after Inverness boss accuses them of 'downing tools' following relegation

The former striker's Caley Thistle side are desperately trying to avoid the relegation play-off zone in the Championship.

Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Ferguson has offered an apology to Arbroath after accusing them of "downing tools" and not trying" following their relegation back to League One.

The Red Lichties six five year stay in the Scottish Championship came to an end with a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Ayr United last week. Ahead of their game with Raith Rovers on Friday night, Ferguson's Inverness team are in the midst of a battle to avoid finishing in the relegation play-off zone, with just two points separating them from ninth placed Queens Park.

The former Everton and Rangers striker caused a storm by claiming that relegation rivals Queens Park and Greenock Morton - who both still have to play Arbroath would have no points in picking up wins against Jim McIntyre's relegated side. Ferguson's comments outraged chiefs at Gayfield, who demanded a retraction from the Caley Thistle boss. And ahead of tonight's home clash with promotion chasing Raith, the 52-year-old did move to go back on his previous comments.

READ MORE: Neil Lennon reignites Philippe Clement feud as Celtic hero tells boss HE doesn't understand Rangers 'expectations'READ MORE: Who will win Aberdeen vs Celtic? Our writers make their predictions for Scottish Cup semi showdown at Hampden

Speaking to BBC Scotland, he said: “Maybe I didn’t use the correct words. I didn’t want to show any disrespect to Arbroath or their players.

“I’m sure they are trying extremely hard. Just at that moment, when you saw the result (5-0 defeat against Ayr), you thought the motivation wasn’t quite there.

Article continues below

“But I’m sure they are motivated and will do their club and their manager proud until the end of the season. So, I must apologise for the words I used, certainly.”

Follow Daily Record:


Duncan FergusonInverness Caledonian Thistle FCArbroath FCScottish Championship
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.