Duncan Ferguson has finally managed to shake off the reputation of being Everton’s go-to option whenever they need an interim manager.
He’s been their interim boss two times in the last four years but seems to be sick of taking that momentary position at the club.
Earlier this month, Ferguson was appointed as the manager of EFL League One club Forest Green Rovers marking his first permanent managerial role in his career.
The 51-year-old has had a relatively late start to his top-level managerial career but now seems to be ready to build his reputation from the lower divisions in England.
While a lot of Everton fans will keep an eye on the journey of their club legend, Duncan has gone viral on social media for something not even related to any matches or his results.
It was for an interesting interview he gave which had very little to no relation to the beautiful game at all.
As you know the earth’s warming up isn’t it?
Forest Green Rovers are one of the most unique clubs in England. They have earned the reputation for being the ‘greenest team in the world’ and UNESCO also recognized them as the world’s first carbon-neutral football club.
In 2021, they even announced a partnership with clean energy and electric vehicle YouTube channel Fully Charged – renaming their ground as The Fully Charged New Lawn.
They are the world’s first 100% vegan, sustainable and carbon-neutral club. As a result, the club wants everyone associated with them to be doing their own bit in the fight against Climate Change.
In the past, Ferguson didn’t actually have a reputation for being politically correct. In fact, he owned racer pigeons during his playing career and even allowed them to roam around during his period at Newcastle United.
Pigeon racing is a sport of releasing specially trained homing pigeons, forcing them to return home over a carefully measured distance. This ‘sport’ is an inherently cruel one because it causes inevitable deaths for the birds.
The races that take place across the English Channel have seen 90% of the birds go missing, with most presumed dead – as per PETA research. PETA has also seen videos of racer pigeon owners snapping the necks of slow-flying birds as well.
The 51-year-old is a known ‘pigeon fancier’, which is why some fans questioned the logic behind him joining a club like Forest Rovers. However, it appears that the Englishman is ready to change his ways at his new club.
In a recent interview, Duncan was asked if he recycles materials and does things that are good for the environment. He answered: “I’ve been trying at home yeah. Of course, I need to do more as we all do. As you know the earth’s warming up isn’t it? Since I’ve come here, I’m sure that I’ll learn more about it.”
For a man who used to be fed raw meat during his playing days, Ferguson has definitely had to change his ways a lot to find a place in football management in 2023. When it comes to keeping his racer pigeons, things appear to have changed in recent years.
Does Duncan Ferguson still keep pigeons?
He kept his beloved birds with him for a long time and even kept them with him after his retirement as a player in 2013. However, after deciding to move into the coaching level, Ferguson decided that the racer pigeons had to go and sacrificed his questionable hobby.
He said in 2013: “I’ve given them up to do the coaching. I’ve had to because coaching is every day, full on, and this is my life now. I’m working as hard as I possibly can to become a good coach.
“I loved the pigeons from when I was a kid and I was always in clubs. I even brought them down to Liverpool. It was my hobby but there’s no time for it anymore.”
So the owners at Forest Green Rovers will be delighted that their manager doesn’t own racer pigeons anymore and work with him off the pitch, teaching him how to work as a climate change activist and shape his actions that benefit the environment and future of the planet.
