Forty years. Forty years since Bobby Moncur, as captain of Newcastle United, held the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup aloft from an open-topped bus and almost killed himself on a low-slung electricity line.
Forty years since he slept with the trophy in his house. Forty years since that manic summer spent touring pubs and clubs on Tyneside, urging grown men not to ruin their best suits by drinking from the last piece of silverware Newcastle won.
Forty years and where has it brought them? To the brink of an anniversary and to the edge of an abyss. On May 29, it will be exactly four decades since Newcastle mustered a 3-0 lead in the first leg of their final against Ujpest Dozsa (they beat the Hungarian side 6-2 on aggregate), and a dinner will be held at St James’ Park to commemorate their achievement. Moncur is unsure whether it will feel like a celebration or a wake.
Five days earlier at Villa Park, Newcastle will play for their place in the Barclays Premier League.
It has been a reckless, dismal season on Gallowgate, strewn with poor decisions — too many bad signings, too many bloated players, too many managers, full stop. In the distance, you can hear the faint echo of past glories.
It is instructive to listen to a man such as Moncur. To hear the old stories about Joe Harvey, the legendary Newcastle manager whose team talks — delivered with a fag hanging from his lips — would invariably end with the exhortation to “just get effing stuck in”. To think back to a time when the club were not synonymous with sapping years of underachievement.
But also instructive because Moncur is still involved. A substantive figure, he watches every home game, is friendly with Alan Shearer and believes that the manager is destined to remain in his post beyond the end of his eight-game contract.
He has spoken to Derek Llambias, the managing director, and pleaded with the hierarchy to communicate with supporters.
The Scot, 64, has witnessed previous relegations; Newcastle were demoted in 1961, the year after he joined the club as a young centre half, and did not rise again until 1965. “I am disappointed and sad, but I don’t feel completely down in the dumps,” he said. “I feel that with Alan at the helm, this time next season, there will be an upturn.
“The mood in the city is nail-biting. Everyone was devastated by the home defeat to Fulham. I could tell in people’s voices that they were thinking, ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’
“I’ve seen it before, but there’s a generation who haven’t. I know what happens. No one is going to die. They might want to hang themselves, but after a couple of weeks they’ll look to next season.”
Shearer is vital to what follows. “I would never have imagined that the Fairs Cup would be the last thing we’d win for 40 years,” Moncur said.
“We didn’t realise what it meant. If you mention my name to people now, they associate it with the last Newcastle captain to win a trophy, which is pretty boring after a while. When he was playing, I wanted Alan to be the man to take that title from me. He got quite close.
“I’ve had a bit of fun with him. When he got the manager’s job here, I sent him a text saying, ‘Ah well, you might still take that title off me.’ It might feel like a long way down the road, but it would be nice. When he came in, I thought, ‘Fantastic — legend.’ He has done two jobs at once, the football side and the fans side. It works and people believe in him. You couldn’t have got a better man.
“I think and sincerely hope he’ll stay on. The fact that Alan accepted the job gave me encouragement, because he wouldn’t have taken it on without making his intentions clear to Mike Ashley about what he would expect.
“I’m not saying Alan would have had everything his own way, but he would have taken it on his terms.”
Forty years on, the wait continues.
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