Duncan By a Landslide

By Simon Paul : 07/01/2009 :

Comments (14) :

Duncan Ferguson has finished as the top player polled in the Hall of Fame ballot conducted by the NSNO website on behalf of David France and the other co-ordinators of the Gwladys Street Hall of Fame.

First the ballot facts: 6,142 votes were verified. Some 3,980 votes were cast via NSNO and ToffeeWeb and another 2,144 votes were recorded via postal voting. The 1,500 or so fans who voted concentrated on 10 of the 20 listed candidates. In fact, these top 10 candidates received 82% of the total votes.

To some surprise, a household name, a certain Gary Lineker, failed to make it into the top 10. There are a few others surprises. One of them resulted from a massive surge in votes over the last 48 hours of the ballot which influenced the standing of one candidate. His identity will be revealed in the very near future.

Of course, there was one clear leader. Hail Duncan Ferguson! Despite a career punctuated by controversy and injury, Duncan led the Hall of Fame ballot throughout the month of December. He picked up 68% of the votes available to him.

This emphatic endorsement cements his place in the club's history. For a dozen years or more, Duncan was the soul of Everton. His distinctive style plus his aerial dominance was the answer to Gwladys Street's prayers. He was the most powerful player of his age and arguably the most difficult players to defend against. His brilliance made our hearts pound, his ill-discipline made them murmur.

Ferguson was Everton's record signing and his rare talents warranted more than a 1995 FA Cup winner's medal. He made 250 appearances, scored 78 goals and earned eight red cards. The striker's contribution from the bench was pivotal in Everton's campaign as were his match?winning goals. He enjoys the distinction of the Scottish player to haver netted the most goals in the FA Premier League. Also renown for his ability to fight crime, when two men attempted to burgle his home in 2001, Big Dunc is respected also as one of the most generous people in football.

Now, the task facing Brian Snagg and Roger Kenyon, the organizers of the Hall of Fame Dinner, is to lure him from the Majorca sunshine in March. That may not be too difficult because it will provide him with a rare opportunity to thank the loyal Evertonians who stood by him during incarceration, injuries and other controversies. Hail Duncan Ferguson!

www.nsno.co.uk

Reader Comments

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Michael Hunt
1 Posted 08/01/2009 at 05:56:05

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I am a fan of the Big Yin, Big Dunc in his pomp and when roused for the occassion was a footballing talisman. When on song he was awesome and gave real hope in a trough of a period for our great Club.
I’m surprised he is NUMBER ONE in an all time Hall of Fame though!

I’d have thought he’d not make half dozen e.g. does Dunc deserve recognition above these legends (unless it is fame and infamy and is more related to off the field fame and notoriety).

1) Dixie
2) Labby
3) The Golden Vision
4) Big Nev
5, 6, 7) Holy Trinity

MIchael Kenrick
2 Posted 08/01/2009 at 07:09:28

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I should clarify the results for Simon in the light of Michael Hunt?s comments. These were the last five inductees for Gwladys Street?s Hall of Fame, voted on by the fans from a short list of 20 candidates who were not currently members of this august establishment. Prior to the vote, there were 119 members.

The voting indicated that Duncan Ferguson was Number 1 in terms of voting for the final group of five inductees ? not the whole shooting match. To clarify further, the top 5 of the 20 listed at NSNO are the only inductees voted in purely by the fans. Previously the nominees and inductees have been discussed and confirmed by Select Everton VIPs, the great and the good, in smoke-filled secrecy.

So Big Dunc is the People?s Choice but only from the last 20 nominees ? not the entire Hall of Fame.

Micheal Hunt
3 Posted 08/01/2009 at 07:34:53

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I geddit now... Cheers Ed!

Dennis Stevens
4 Posted 08/01/2009 at 15:13:32

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It?s unfortunate that the beneficiary of the "massive surge in votes over the last 48 hours of the ballot" is BK, as no doubt some people will now view the results & perhaps the Hall of Fame itself with some cynicism, which is much less than David France deserves. indeed, surely "Dr Everton" himself should be a member of that Hall of Fame, or else maybe the first name for a fans hall of fame.

Martyn Willsher
5 Posted 08/01/2009 at 15:54:10

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For those of us marooned out in the States who didn’t hear about this, can someone tell me who the 20 nominees were and who were the rest of the top 5?

Steve Ashton
6 Posted 08/01/2009 at 16:03:03

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Never a great fan of the big man myself and the legend is definitely outgrowing reality. In years to come I can visualise care worn Evertonian pensioners sitting their grandsons on their knees and telling how they were there the day big Dunc headed the ball 5 Manure defenders and the cross bar into row Z of the Street End. Then ate the referee for only giving one goal!

Fair play though it was a fans vote and he always played to his audience.

The only surprise about Slimeker is that he got any votes at all ? to hear him on MOTD you would never know he played for us.

Totally agree about David France, would get my vote if he was nominated.

Dennis Stevens
7 Posted 08/01/2009 at 16:33:13

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I can?t recall the full 20 nominees, but these were the top of the pile: Candidate Votes

Duncan Ferguson 1020
David Unsworth 607
Bill Kenwright 406
Graham Stuart 396
Tony Kay 350

Pat van den Hauwe 343
Mike Trebilcock 334
Nigel Martyn 328
Kevin Campbell 325

Steve Mink
8 Posted 08/01/2009 at 19:04:44

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Always thought he was a goal-shy money sink who compelled us to play hoofball season after season.

Nick Harthill
9 Posted 08/01/2009 at 19:15:55

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I would have expected the top 5 to be:

1) Tony Hibbert
2) Andy Van Der Meyde
3) Nuno Valente
4) Per Kroldrup
5) Ibrahim Bakayoko

Everyone agree??

Derek Thomas
10 Posted 08/01/2009 at 20:29:09

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This shows the truth in the old saying ? When given the choice between printing (or in our case voting) the Legend or the Truth... always print (or vote) the legend?.... and even then not fully taking into consideration the difference, at the time, for any given value or definition of the over used word 'legend'.

I will if time permits (and if I don?t, then maybe some one else might) sit down one day and give it my best shot a la Dr Johnson, at defining the numerous degrees and shades of legends as the apply to us.

Feel free if it takes your fancy.

Alex May
11 Posted 09/01/2009 at 09:40:01

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BK? Surely this is a piss-take? I can only assume that this poll was hijacked by R.S. This is the man who wants to destroy Everton by relaunching the club as a Knowsley club because he’s more interested in BK than in what’s been best for Everton over the last 10 years. This is the man who has lied repeatedly and failed the club so often.

If this is really the result of Evertonians then shame on every one who voted for him.

Paul M
12 Posted 09/01/2009 at 12:32:35

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I was in Asia almost the whole time Big Dunc was playing for us. The most notable thing I remember about his first tenture (94-98 wasn’t it?) was that we never lost a derby game in all that time he was with us. Too bad we don’t have him for this month...

Mike Gaynes
13 Posted 09/01/2009 at 18:01:10

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Hey, Nick... no place for Danny Cadamarteri?

lee rogers
14 Posted 10/01/2009 at 13:30:11

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what about earl barrat

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