Tributes paid to Accies fan

Jan 22 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

TRIBUTES have been paid to Hamilton Accies’ most infamous supporter Ian ‘Fergie’ Russell, who this week died aged 71.

Mr Russell was known to football supporters across Scotland.

His rants, usually spattered with expletives, became legendary and led him to be banned from Accies’ home matches for a time.

He passed away yesterday (Wednesday) in a Lanarkshire nursing home after a long illness.

Mr Russell was believed to be from Glasgow but lived for many years in Hillhouse.

He attended Accies matches home and away and always had the team’s picture, usually taken from the Advertiser, above his mantlepiece.

Pals say he never recovered from an incident about seven years ago when he was the victim of a vicious attack by two junkies.

He had not been seen at New Douglas Park for about six years, although he was still fondly remembered there.

Both of Accies’ secretaries over the last 30 years paid tribute this week to a “unique” supporter.

Alan Dick, who was secretary from 1978-89, said: “Fergie always caused me a lot of problems but he was such a likeable character, although his language was blue to say the least.

“He was always regarded as a good supporter and he was very passionate and over-the-top.

“At one point in the early ’80s the Hamilton board told me to send him a letter and make a house-visit to tell Fergie that he was banned for the next two matches.

“At the first game, he appeared with a ladder at the lower end of Douglas Park and watched the game from there; technically he wasn’t breaching the ban because the ladder was outside the stadium!

Mr Dick added: “I was very saddened to hear of Fergie’s death. In his heyday in the ’70s and ’80s he was known to every visiting player and referee and although they got some abuse from him, they always spoke to him or gave him a wave.

“He was well-known but if you say the name Ian Russell to a supporter they won’t know who he is; if you say ‘Fergie’ they recognise him and have always got a story about him.

“He was rude and cheeky but nobody had a bad word to say about him – he was amazing.”

Current secretary Scott Struthers, who took over from Mr Dick, said: “I had great affection for Fergie and stood alongside him at several away grounds over the years to stop him from being thrown out by stewards.

“Like everyone else associated with the club I had known Fergie for many years; he was more infamous than famous and was known for his unique vocal support.

“At one point we picked him up at Forfar because the supporters had left him there; but he gave us all such a mouthful that he was thrown off the bus at Arbroath!”

He added: “I was saddened to hear of his death; Fergie was very much a one-off.”