Robert Moncur (born 19 January 1945) is a Scottish former professional
footballer.
Moncur is most famous for his role as captain of
Newcastle United in the late 1960s and of the
Scotland national side in the early 1970s. Moncur was part of the Newcastle team that won the
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in
1969, scoring three goals across the two legs of the final.
Early life and playing career
Robert Moncur was born on 19 January 1945 in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
.
He made nearly 300 appearances for
Newcastle United and captained the club to their triumph in the
1968–69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
After departing Newcastle, Moncur signed for
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
.
Whilst with Sunderland, Moncur won the
Second Division title.
He finished his playing career with
Carlisle United.
Coaching career
Moncur managed at Carlisle,
Heart of Midlothian and
Plymouth Argyle.
Following the departure of
John Bird, Moncur became manager of
Fourth Division club
Hartlepool United initially on a temporary basis.
He was later announced as the permanent manager of Hartlepool.
He led the club to the fourth round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
in
1988–89.
Hartlepool lost 5–2 in a replay to
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
with a potential fifth round tie against
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
on the line.
The team ultimately finished the season in 19th position.
After a poor start to the following campaign, Moncur resigned on 27 November 1989.
Post-football
Moncur makes semi-frequent appearances on
Sky TV as a football pundit.
From 11 June 1969 until 16 March 2025, Moncur held the record of being the last
Newcastle United captain to lift silverware for the club and was frequently quoted as wanting to lose this honour as quickly as possible. He lost the record on 16 March 2025 when Newcastle won the
2024–25 EFL Cup. Following this victory, Moncur was invited to present the EFL Cup trophy to the
St James' Park crowd for a
Newcastle United Women's fixture.
Personal life
In September 2007, Moncur was diagnosed with
cancer of the colon and nine months later was informed that he was in remission. Moncur was awarded the freedom of Gateshead in November 2008. He was diagnosed with
oesophageal cancer in January 2014.
Moncur resides in
Low Fell in
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...
. He is a talented
yachtsman and competed in the 1985 Around Britain Race.
Honours
Newcastle United
*
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1968–69
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
runner-up:
1973–74
Sunderland
*
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
:
1975–76
See also
*
List of Scotland national football team captains
This article lists all the captain (association football), captains of the men's Scotland national football team. As of 9 June 2025, Scotland have played 842 officially recognised international matches and have had 156 different team captains. An ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moncur, Bobby
1945 births
Living people
Footballers from Perth, Scotland
Scottish men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
Newcastle United F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Carlisle United F.C. players
English Football League players
Scotland men's international footballers
Scottish football managers
Carlisle United F.C. managers
Heart of Midlothian F.C. managers
Plymouth Argyle F.C. managers
Hartlepool United F.C. managers
English Football League managers
Scotland men's under-23 international footballers
Scottish Football League managers
Newcastle United F.C. directors and chairmen