yet a further twist in the career of Mr Ferguson

2136: SENDING-OFF Duncan Ferguson (Everton)
Ferguson is shown a straight red card after appearing to punch goalscorer Scharner in the stomach.
Substitute Ferguson was only on the pitch eight minutes before he saw red for flooring Wigan goalscorer Scharner.

This is Duncan's 8th red card, making him (along with Viera) the joint-top "most dismissed" Premiership footballer of all time. The list:

Leicester away 1995 (elbowing Izzet)
Blackburn away 1996 (swearing at referee)
Arsenal away 1996? (decked Jensen)
Derby away 2002? (decked Wanchope)
Bolton Home 2002? (punched Bobic)
Leicester away 2003 (two bookings)
Charlton away 2004 (elbowing Hreidisson)
Wigan away 2006 (punching Sharner)

Note that none of them were truly big games, and most were away to a so-so club in a relatively unimportant match - strength to the theory that he's a big game player.

Note also that 6 of the 8 were for violent conduct, and the only "conventional" sending off (against Leicester in 2003) was followed by him stangling Steffan Freud and swearing at the crowd. We should also add the Villa game where a video panel gave him a three-match ban following an elbow on Gudjonsen.

Also, he escaped punishment after this:

He is fiery, ill-disciplined, and slightly petulant - but he's not a dirty player. A dirty player will dive, spit, and try to get opponants sent off. Ferguson is an anacronism, harping back to the legend of Dixie Dean:

          After a game at Spurs, Dixie was the last to walk off and a fan shouted           to him “We’ll get you yet, you black bastard! ” a policeman overheard           this but was pushed aside by Dixie saying “It’s alright officer I’ll           handle this” Dixie jumped over to the fan and punched him sending him           flying. The policeman who saw the incident winked at Dixie and said           “that was a beauty but I never saw it officially”. Cockney police are           dead helpful.

In any given game, Ferguson receives treatment from defenders that - were he to fall over - should result in a red card. But he'll stay on his feet, and get on with it. Some players respond to that, and John Terry seemed to enjoy being tested by a compative center forward. Other players don't, expecting imunity. Few of the above red cards were unprovoked, and in many instances the retaliation by Ferguson was no worse than the orginal incident.

We know that once a season he's likely to lash out - it's what makes him who he is - and therefore we must judge him as a whole. He's an honest player surrounded by cheats, and can't be arsed playing their way. Referees don't protect him (famously, one official actually admitted this) and so when he's aggrieved, he'll respond.

Duncan won't change, and whilst frustrating at times, i'm glad.