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    Duncan Forbes

    Not a name everyone will remember on here, but I only found out that one of our great figures, Duncan Forbes, passed away yesterday. In total, he spent thirty three years as a player, chief scout and club ambassador, plus was the first player to captain Norwich to the top flight and at Wembley. Sadly taken by Alzheimer's which he had been suffering from for over a decade.

    Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to talk to Duncan when he came into my workplace many years back. My dad met him several times, and nobody really had a bad word to say about him.

    He'll be given a rapturous round of applause before the Man U game on Sunday. RIP big fella.

    https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwic...died-1-6339543

    #2
    I remember him - or at least his name - quite well. Particularly from the League Cup, which had a high profile back then even if the final wasn't live (not much was, of course). Sorry to hear about the Alzheimer's, as with so many old players.

    Nice photos in Arturo's link above. Norfolk has a hill, who knew?

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      #3
      Duncan Forbes was the reason I first heard my Uncle Cyril swear. "Fucking Duncan Forbes played! Duncan Forbes! And fucking Trollope*! Fucking Trollope!"

      This was some year in the 1970s/80s. I had no idea who Fucking Duncan Forbes or Fucking Trollope were.

      *John Trollope.
      ​​​
      ​​​​​
      Last edited by treibeis; 26-10-2019, 20:41.

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        #4
        That hill in the link is not far from my old house (yes, Norwich has some surprisingly steep climbs in places). It is Mousehold Heath and was notorious for manager Ron Saunders taking the squad training up and down the slopes, overlooking the city skyline and overshadowed by the Victorian buildings of the prison. The work put in by the players was brutal, and the tales of them throwing up were legendary. Forbes embraced the Saunders ethos of workrate and was the talisman of the side in the way that players such as Roberts, Mackay, Holt and Pukki have been over the last couple of decades. He was tough, but rarely got booked, and for all his 'hard man' tag, he never seriously injured another professional.

        Saunders and Forbes were instrumental in getting the club promoted to the top flight for the first time, and also to Wembley in the League Cup. When Saunders left and John Bond took over, the squad (hard working but limited in ability) was overhauled and the majority of the side shipped out. Bond kept Forbes as captain though, and helped us to another promotion, Wembley final, and consolidation in the top flight. He was probably a better player than given credit for, as he held his own in the side with colleagues such as Martin Peters, Ted MacDougall, and Phil Boyer. Bond would have canned him if he wasn't.

        There have been stacks of tributes to Big Dunc, many detailing his generosity and time taken with supporters groups, charities, coaching youngsters, and so on. I don't doubt the authority of them, because I've known people over the years tell me similar stories. I hope he gets a fitting tribute today, ironically at a time when we barely have one fit centre half to field.

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          #5
          Sorry to hear that. He was of course the man we all loved to hate when I was going to Ipswich games. Wasn't he in charge of the youth team at one time?

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            #6
            I'm sure Forbes was a pain in the arse to Ipswich supporters during that period, even if we were frequently walloped by their classy side. He wasn't in charge of the Youth Team, although he did do some coaching locally and was Chief Scout at City for thirteen years.

            I hadn't remembered that before joining us, he'd spent seven years at Colchester United, winning two promotions and making nearly 300 appearances. Not sure if they had a tribute at their place on Saturday.

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              #7
              Melchester Rovers had a no-nonsense Scottish centre half called Duncan McKay. I wonder to what extent he was inspired by Forbes.

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                #8
                Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post
                Melchester Rovers had a no-nonsense Scottish centre half called Duncan McKay. I wonder to what extent he was inspired by Forbes.

                Maybe a composite of Forbes and Dave Mackay.

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