How have big names fared in the Irish Premiership?

Duncan Ferguson's appointment as Glentoran manager is one of the biggest arrivals in the history of the Irish League.

The Everton and Rangers legend has signed a multi-year deal at the Oval, and while he has been honest about his lack of local football knowledge, there is optimism at the club that he can guide them back into title contention.

But Ferguson, 54, is not the first well-known name to come to the Irish Premiership in recent years, either on the pitch or in the dugout.

There's been mixed success, from trophy-laden spells to forgettable cameos over since the Premiership was rebranded in 2008.

With Ferguson set to take charge against Ballymena United on Saturday in his first test as manager, how did the previous big names get on in the league over the past 18 years?

There was a lot of intrigue when Northern Ireland winger Keith Gillespie made a surprise move to Glentoran in 2009.

At the age of 34 there was no doubt his best years were behind him, but boasting Premier League experience with Newcastle United and Manchester United, there were hopes that he could help the club win back-to-back Gibson Cups.

However, Gillespie's Irish League career never really took off. There was success in the League Cup, but he scored just four goals and recorded five assists in 45 appearances in all competitions.

Gillespie would depart at the end of the campaign after he failed to agree a new deal when the east Belfast club were struggling financially.

Replacing his former Northern Ireland team-mate Warren Feeney at Linfield, a significant name himself, David Healy was handed his first management job at Windsor Park in 2015.

A Northern Ireland legend who had spent the majority of his career in the top two divisions in England - including Leeds United, Fulham, Preston and Sunderland - it was a risk for a young manager at a club with lofty expectations.

However, Healy has presided over a successful reign with six league titles, two Irish Cups and four League Cups.

Eleven years on, Healy is still at the helm at Windsor Park and the Blues are in title contention once again in the early stages of the season.

Ferguson is not the first big-name former Rangers striker to make the move to the Oval.

A fan favourite at Ibrox, there was a lot of excitement as Nacho Novo, although past his prime, signed for Glentoran in 2016.

But in a struggling side it was a season of disappointment and he spent just one year at the club.

He scored just four goals and registered three assists in 26 appearances, and was banned for six games, which was eventually halved, in January 2017 for attempting to headbutt now-Crusaders manager Declan Caddell.

Some 13 years after he won the Premier League with Manchester United, Carroll joined Linfield in 2016 off the back of the Euros with Northern Ireland.

The former United, West Ham and Wigan goalkeeper made an instant impression with two league titles in three years at Windsor Park, as well as an Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield in 2017.

Carroll used all his experience throughout his time at the Blues, which was cut short with a knee injury in January 2019 at the age of 41.

After leaving Linfield at the end of that season, he had a spell at Dungannon Swifts before he moved to his hometown club Ballinamallard United to see out his Irish League career.

A hero of Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign, Niall McGinn joined Glentoran in January 2023 after his long career in Scotland had faded out.

It was a full-circle moment for the 35-year-old winger, who had started his career at Dungannon Swifts 15 years earlier before he moved to Derry City and then Celtic.

After he struggled for form and fitness, he attracted plaudits for a superb display against rivals Linfield in a 4-0 win in December 2023.

However, with 16 goals in 61 appearances over 18 months, his overall impact was limited and he left the Oval at the start of the following campaign, at first on loan to Greenock Morton before a permanent exit.

Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty was a high-profile addition to the Irish Premiership when he joined Linfield in February 2023 on a short-term deal after leaving Kilmarnock.

Aged 35 at the time, Lafferty's journeyman career had taken him from the likes of Burnley, Rangers, Norwich City and Hearts to places further afield like Palermo, Sarpsborg 08, Reggina and Anorthosis Famagusta in Cyprus.

However, it was not a successful stint at Windsor Park and Lafferty failed to score in eight appearances.

After his departure at the end of the season, Lafferty criticised the professionalism at Linfield, something the club strongly refuted.

Former Premier League and Northern Ireland midfielder Jim Magilton became Cliftonville manager in July 2023.

His arrival may not have been as big a shock as some of the names on this list, given he had been coaching on the island of Ireland for 10 years, but he still brought big-name pedigree to the Irish Premiership.

In 2024 he led Cliftonville to their first Irish Cup since 1979 in a famous day in the club's history, as well as the BetMcLean Cup the following year.

Magilton was linked with the Glentoran job before Ferguson's appointment, and the Reds have had a difficult start to the new season.