He won a Premier League title[3] and the FA Charity Shield[4] in 1993 with the club before going on to spend most of his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wrexham in the lower divisions of English football.

After two successive promotions, and guiding the club to the second tier of English football for the first time in 17 seasons, Ferguson was relieved of his duties on 9 November 2009, with Peterborough United at the foot of The Championship.

[citation needed] He spent five years at Wolves, during which they qualified for the Division One play-offs twice and finished in the top 10 on four occasions, but never gained promotion to the Premier League.

[7] After manager Denis Smith was sacked in January 2007, Ferguson was again touted as a candidate, having by now played well over 300 games for the club, but coach Brian Carey was appointed instead.

[citation needed] On 14 September 2010, Ferguson was charged with misconduct by the FA after his behaviour in the tunnel towards the referee after a 4–3 Championship defeat by Burnley.

This meant that in a single week, Preston had lost five key first-team players, effectively sealing the team's relegation.

[20][21] In January 2011, Gary Johnson left his job as manager at Peterborough United, with the club several points adrift of the playoff places.

[22] His first match ended up in a defeat away to league leaders Brighton & Hove Albion, but the following week, in his first game at London Road since his return, Peterborough beat Hartlepool United 4–0.

[citation needed] The club ultimately finished fourth in League One, and after beating Milton Keynes Dons 4–3 on aggregate, reached the play-off final at Old Trafford against Huddersfield Town.

Ferguson resigned from his role as manager on 4 June 2018, after guiding Rovers to 15th-placed finish in their first season back in League One.

[27] Ferguson was appointed as manager of League One club Peterborough United on 26 January 2019 for the third time with a deal agreed until the end of season after the dismissal of Steve Evans, with Gavin Strachan as his assistant.

[30] On 20 February 2022, the following day from a last-minute 1–0 defeat to relegation rivals Derby County that left Peterborough in 23rd position, five points from safety,[31] it was announced that Ferguson had resigned during a phone call to joint-owner Darragh MacAnthony.

[32] On 4 January 2023, after the dismissal of Grant McCann with Cliff Byrne as his assistant, Ferguson returned for his fourth stint as manager to Peterborough United on a contract until the end of the season with the club sitting in eighth position in League One.

[34] In the 2023–24 season, Ferguson won his second EFL Trophy title, defeating Wycombe Wanderers in the final at Wembley.

[39] On 23 October 2007, he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his estranged wife on the driveway of his father's home in Wilmslow, Cheshire.