Duncan Ferguson hailed as the 'Scottish Greta Thunberg' after landing new job | indy100

Duncan Ferguson on Everton fan protests and villa defeat

content.jwplatform.com

Duncan Ferguson was unveiled as the new head coach of Forest Green Rovers this week, and a hilariously awkward interview about the club’s renewable practices has seen him hailed as the 'Scottish Greta Thunberg'.

The Everton legend has taken charge of the League One club, having served as interim Everton boss in 2019 and again in 2022.

The Forest Green job is the first head coach position Ferguson has taken on – and it also marks one of the most unique jobs in the country.

Forest Green is the only vegan club in the country, with players and staff following a vegan diet on match days and also following a carbon-neutral sustainability policy.

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

\u201c\ud83d\udde3 "I look forward to eating that later." \ud83c\udf31 \ud83d\udfe2 \n\nNew head coach Duncan Ferguson is ready to embrace the meat-free policy at Forest Green Rovers admitting he has never eaten vegan food before\u201d
— Football Daily (@Football Daily) 1674744765

Ferguson spoke with Forest Green chairman Dale Vince in an interview with Sky Sports News, and was presented with a vegan burger in a bizarre moment.

“I'm looking forward to trying one,” Ferguson said. “They look lovely, don't they? Very nice indeed. I look forward to eating that later.”

Vince then spoke about the club’s ethos, saying: “It's a broader policy than that. As a club, all of the food that we serve to anyone, players, staff and fans is plant-based, no animal products.”

When asked if he was environmentally friendly himself, Ferguson replied: “We try at home. Obviously I need to do a lot more as we all do.”

The Scottish Thunberg?Sky Sports/Getty

He added: “The earth is warming up, isn't it? So we need to all do our bit. Since I've come here, I'm sure I'll learn a lot more.”

The comments sparked a big reaction, with football fans jokingly referring to Ferguson as the ‘Scottish Greta Thunberg’ on social media.

\u201cDuncan Ferguson, once a much feared player has become manager of Forest Green - an all-vegan club & immediately professes his ecological bona-fides, "we've all got tae do our part, the Earth is warmin' up." \u267b\ufe0f\ud83c\udf32\n\nBig Dunc: aka the Scottish Greta Thunberg \ud83d\udc80https://t.co/HAtw3Yb5C7\u201d
— Men in Blazers (@Men in Blazers) 1674783275

Another joked: “Big Dunc would rather go vegan than manage Everton.”

Someone else added: “There's more chance of Hell freezing over than Big Dunc going vegan.”

“His surprise when he finds out chips are vegan, what a fella,” another wrote, while one said: “If Big Dunc tells me to recycle, I’ll recycle.”

Ferguson also said after taking on the job: “I’m really delighted to join FGR for the next step of my career, and I plan to be here for a while. We have a bit of a fight on our hands to stay up in League One and I am ready for the challenge.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to come and lead such a progressive and forward-thinking club too.”

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.