Everton Album: Best Of Freunds?

First in a new feature focusing on memorable photos from Everton's past.

Welcome to the Everton Album, the feature which takes a famous photograph from Everton's past and brings it back to life.

We may have started the feature with a Cup win or a title presentation, a trip to Europe or a Dixie Dean thunderbolt.

Instead we elected to open with one of the Club's more alarming moments.

On Saturday 20 March 2004 Everton travelled to relegation battlers Leicester City. It became a day neither Duncan Ferguson nor Steffen Freund are likely to forget.

Four minutes before half time Ferguson, already on a yellow card, received his marching orders following a tangle with the German (Click here to read the match report).

His response to the dismissal? To grab a horrified Freund by the neck.

Everton went on to draw 1-1, conceding a late Marcus Bent equaliser. The repercussion for Big Dunc was a four-game ban which ruled him out of the season's run-in.

Duncan Ferguson introduces himself to Steffen Freund

"It was a massive game for both clubs," Freund told evertonfc.com. "Leicester City were in the relegation zone, it was one of the last home games of the season and Everton were involved down there too.

"Of course I remember the incident with Duncan. I was shocked in that moment.  I'm sure he knows as a player that if you do something like that you will get sent off [Ferguson had already been dismissed]. That's why I couldn't believe it.

"I was close to him and in came a long ball. He was between our defender and me and I tried to win the header. [He saw red and] then he reacted. It wasn't provoked or a bad challenge from my side but what happened, happened. It's forgotten now though.

"You can see in the picture my eyes and how I was feeling. I couldn't believe he was so agressive in that moment.

"He was a great player and he was always dangerous. I can remember I lost 6-1 with Spurs at Newcastle, he scored and he was always dangerous. He had so much quality and scored so many special goals. I have good memories of him as a player.  

Nowadays Freund is working towards obtaining a professional coaching licence.

The former Germany international, who already has his Uefa A and B qualifications, hopes one day to return to the Premier League as a manager.

In the meantime he is gaining valuable experience as assistant of the German Under-18s side, having previously worked under Berti Vogts with Nigeria.

It was a role that left him with high opinions of Everton duo Joseph Yobo and Yakubu. 

"Joseph is a great player," Freund added. "If he concentrates on the pitch he is one of the best centre halves in England. What a professional. I remember he trained well, worked hard and it was great to work with him.

"The same for Yakubu. I remember one particularly great performance against Ghana in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations. And in the Premier League he is so dangerous. You can see he's not easy to play against."