Duncan Ferguson’s phone had been buzzing relentlessly for 48 hours and not even a night spent pacing the floor provided time to clear the digital backlog.
As soon as news broke that he had been named the manager of Forest Green Rovers, the ping-ping-ping of messages started. Carlo Ancelotti and his son Davide, with whom Ferguson had such a rapport at Everton, both sent their well wishes, as did countless others.
There is a huge amount of goodwill towards Ferguson, with many eager to see him succeed at the League One club, but those who typed out their good wishes to him were going to have to wait for a reply.