| John Duncan 13:13 - Dec 18 with 15948 views | el_nino |
Was reading a thread below about attendances etc which inevitably turned to MM and better/worse managers than him.
I’ve noticed that people really didn’t rate John Duncan and put him down as one of our worst managers. Looking at the stats his win record was actually pretty decent, albeit in the second division (45% win rate which puts him up there). I didn’t start to watch Town until the end of the Lyall era in 1994, so I was wondering what was so bad about Duncan? Was it the manner of football played? His attitude? |  | | |  |
| John Duncan on 12:11 - Dec 20 with 1458 views | dingus |
| John Duncan on 16:06 - Dec 18 by hype313 |
Hadleigh High School |
Definitely Hadleigh. He went from being manager of town to my PE teacher in a few weeks. I remember the rumours spreading around the school that he it was going to happen and not believing it until I saw him walking about the school.
Although they didn't let him loose on our school football teams, which we thought was weird at the time, but looking back not surprising. |  | | |
| John Duncan on 12:20 - Dec 20 with 1450 views | farkenhell |
| John Duncan on 10:57 - Dec 20 by solemio |
Linighan was considerably better than you make out.
When Lyall signed Steve Whitton DL's high left to right balls (Hi, Benters) were most effective and remarkably accurate. The %age of times Steve got a directed header to Goddard or Kiwomya was very high. |
Craig Forrest as well - used to kick to Whitton standing on the touch line half way inside the opposition half. He would win the header 9 times out of 10, immediately turning defence into attack. Very effective as you say.
Steve Whitton was instrumental in our success during that championship winning season. What a player - very underrated. I remember an inch-perfect turn and pass to Steve Palmer -v- Newcastle towards the end of the season. Took 3 Newcastle players out of the game and Palmer running forward didn't even need to adjust his stride. Simply squared the ball to Kiwomya to turn into the empty net for our 4th and winning goal. | | | |
| John Duncan on 12:33 - Dec 20 with 1427 views | patrickswell |
| John Duncan on 16:12 - Dec 19 by farkenhell |
A fair assessment. I remember that we gained a new unbeaten run (might still be a club record?) which came to an end when we were thrashed at Port Vale - 4 or 5 nil.
Port-bloody-Fail of all teams! |
Indeed. The Duncan era can be summed up by the two results we had before that New Year's Day 1990 5-0 defeat at Vale; a 1-0 home win vs West Ham and a 3-0 home win vs Middlesbrough. So 6 points and 4 goals scored without reply against sides who had been in the top flight the previous season followed by a 5 goal loss to a side who had been in the third tier the previous season.
We didn't win in the league again that season until March 1990. |  | | |
| John Duncan on 12:50 - Dec 20 with 1410 views | Steve_M |
| John Duncan on 17:39 - Dec 19 by farkenhell |
He was. Yet Warky rates him as the best pound-for-pound signing that the club ever made (yes, better value than both Muhren & Thijssen!)
Just think what DL could have achieved if only he had stayed off the sauce! |
That and his knee ligaments. I'm not sure he was ever as sharp mobile, and he was never the most mobile of players, after that. |  |
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| John Duncan on 17:08 - Dec 20 with 1356 views | The_Last_Baron |
| John Duncan on 19:43 - Dec 19 by imsureazzure |
Did he sign Kevin Wilson? |
No, that was Ferguson in 1984. |  |
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| John Duncan on 17:22 - Dec 20 with 1353 views | The_Last_Baron |
| John Duncan on 11:59 - Dec 20 by GeoffSentence |
No. Kevin Wilson left in 1987, I am not sure if Duncan sold him or if he went just before Duncan arrived. |
David Lowe was signed by Duncan when he arrived as Kevin Wilson had just left for Chelsea. Lowe was a fine player until he got badly injured by Chris Whyte. | |
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| John Duncan on 17:36 - Dec 20 with 1341 views | imsureazzure |
| John Duncan on 11:59 - Dec 20 by GeoffSentence |
No. Kevin Wilson left in 1987, I am not sure if Duncan sold him or if he went just before Duncan arrived. |
Thanks, I wonder if Chelsea will ever sign a town player for their first team again. |  | | |
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