June 11 – Fair’s Fair at Newcastle

HERE at OTFD we really are starting to wonder how Mike Ashley ever got his hands on his vast fortune in the first place. His decision making seems about as good as that of the Newcastle defence this season yet somehow he amassed enough cash to buy the club in the first place. It is a mystery.

Still, they do say a fool and his gold are soon parted, and what better club to start parting with it than Newcastle United? This once great club has become a byword for a joke, a shambles and generally a right old horlicks of a mess.

Every time you think they have sunk as low as they can, something else happens. This week, we had the most laughable attempt to sell a football club since, well, since the last time Ashley tried to sell it when he simply flew off to the Middle East and started hawking it around to anyone who would listen, which, as it turned out, wasn’t anyone.

Now Ashley has turned to the internet, and all you have to do is send your offer in to admin@nufc.co.uk and the club could be yours – provided you meet his ludicrously optimistic asking price. £100m? He’s dreaming.

It’s all a far cry from the glory days of the club, the very last of which came exactly 40 years ago today in 1969 when they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – the forerunner to the Uefa Cup.

The final was a two-legged affair and the Magpies had given themselves every chance of winning it after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Hungarian champions Ujpest Dozsa at St James’ Park two weeks earlier.

The second leg in Hungary was held today and by half time the Georgies were beginning to get worried as Ujpest had gone in 2-0 up.

Just when it seemed like defeat might be snatched from the jaws of victory, captain Bobby Moncur decided enough playing around, and scored just minute after the restart. Preben Arentoft added anouther four minutes later and then any hopes the Hungarians had of coming back were dashed when substitute Alan Foggon, who had only been on the pitch for two minutes, scored to give Newcastle a 3-2 victory on the night, 6-2 on aggregate.

Since then Newcastle have won precisely nothing. Just some of the English clubs to have won major silverware since then include Wimbledon, Swindon Town, Oxford United and Luton Town.

Bobby Moncur remains the last Newcastle captain to hold any trophy aloft. He recently told the Times: “I would never have imagined that the Fairs Cup would be the last thing we’d win for 40 years.”

“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 (Shearer) to be the man to take that title from me. He got quite close.”

Close indeed, but no cigar.

That’s all for today folks, but Scotland fans be sure to click here to read about one of the most celebrated goals ever scored in a blue shirt.