Bob Moncur has confessed his delight at the club’s decision to reconsider their cup policy, after admitting he didn’t understand Lee Charnley’s logic behind not trying in cup competitions.
Moncur, the last man to lift a trophy for Newcastle United, was promoted to Newcastle’s four-man Board of Directors last week and will now play a major part in the club’s decision making. Steve McClaren, Lee Charnley and chief scout Graham Carr join the former-Magpies captain on the new board.
In his first interview since McClaren’s appointment, Moncur said: “It’s maybe a bit unrealistic to think we’ll finish top four or five immediately. You never know, things change quickly, but the FA Cup to me is special.
“All the fans say to me ‘All we want is to have a go in the FA Cup’ and I don’t see that as a big risk. I know there’s reasons given to me. There was a general trend of injuries, but I said to Lee [Charnley] as an ex-player you’re going to have to explain to me why we don’t have a go. He did, but I didn’t see it. The risk of injuries compared to the feelings of the fans and the bad publicity isn’t that big.
“Especially in January because by then you know where you stand in the league a bit. Worst comes to the worst, someone gets injured but it happens.”
He went on to admit: “I can’t take credit for the Cup part of the statement but I have said to Lee in the past I can’t understand why apparently we weren’t having a go, especially with the FA Cup.
“The Capital One Cup might be a bit early on in the season but by the time you get to January you know exactly where you are. The likes of last season I thought ‘Now is a good time to have a go’.”
Moncur admits he is among those predicting significant investment into Newcastle this summer as the club prepares to mount a serious challenge for a finish in the continental qualification berths.
“I’m fairly positive people will pull together, that’s one of the reasons why I accepted this appointment to the board,” he said.
“One of the things that spurred me on was Mike Ashley doing his interview. I’ve spoken to people who are really looking forward to it because he made a statement and now he’s got to back that up. I think that will happen.
“A lot of the supporters are buoyed up and looking forward to next season. At the end of last season it was a bit doom and gloom and now that Mike has come out and changed things around a little bit – a new coach, a new board – and people are looking forward to it.
“There will be discussions on the board about who is right and who is wrong. Time will tell on that one.”
