Newcastle United down the decades has been a club largely devoid of success but while the trophy cabinet lays bare, the fans have always had superb captains wearing the armband and leading their team forward in the hunt for trophies. Of course, the last honour came in 1969 with the Fairs Cup, and ever since United fans have longed for another.
That night the cup was lifted by Bob Moncur, led by manager Joe Harvey who had won the FA Cup in succession just over a decade before. Those two names alone are examples of the great leaders the club has had and since that night in Budapest, other great captains have followed.
From Kevin Keegan to Alan Shearer - United have always been fortunate to have strong characters in their side. Some led with a loud voice and others with an arm around the shoulder.
LISTEN - THE EVERYTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE PODCAST
In the latest episode of Gibbo's Corner via The Everything is Black and White Podcast, John Gibson has provided his Top 10 list of Newcastle United captains. Part ONE, where we count down from ten to six can be found here. Part TWO can be found here.
It was no easy task for Gibbo. He's been fortunate to see most of the great captains play for the club - after all, he started covering Newcastle in 1966.
We've asked our current-day Newcastle United desk to pick their top captain from Gibbo's list of 10. We also want you to re-order the list by clicking here.
LEE RYDER - ALAN SHEARER
My own choice for the best skipper is probably reflected in the golden era I was able to watch Newcastle in. Alan Shearer gets my vote although an honourable mention would go to Bob Moncur as the last man to lift a trophy for Newcastle.
Shearer has my admiration not just for his goals but his commitment to Newcastle. He didn't have to sign for Newcastle, he could probably have signed for anybody in the world in 1996, AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus or Manchester United.
But he choose to play for his boyhood club and even when things didn't go to plan, with Kevin Keegan leaving, he stayed on. Shearer's goals are there for all to see with 206 to his name but I will also remember his dedication on the pitch.
He was always the first player back to defend a corner for example and could head it clear like a centre-back and when the team's quality declined he had that game-time awareness that he needed to take responsibility himself. That's why you'd see him taking the ball to the corner flag, putting his foot on it and eating away the precious seconds to get the win his goal was probably about to earn.
As a journalist, I was fortunate enough to interview Shearer and you will struggle to find a better bloke. Always honest, and always prepared to face the music if the team lost the game.
Looking back at his stint as manager I think it is one of the great disappointments that he wasn't allowed to take the team on in 2009.
Of course, he's smashed it as a pundit. But I still think his combination of ideas and understanding of all things Newcastle would have resulted in him being a success. Sadly, Mike Ashley couldn't see that. But nothing should deflect from Shearer being Newcastle's greatest, as a captain and player.
ANDREW MUSGROVE - JOE HARVEY
Okay, I never saw Joe Harvey manage Newcastle United let alone captain the side but I've heard the stories and read the books on him and, for me, there's no bettering the two-time FA Cup-winning captain. He was a man whose bite was certainly said to be as bad as his bark and led with an iron fist but also by example.
He was a strong player with a good footballing mind and personified what it meant to be a leader. His background in the army moulded him perfectly for the loud and tough captain he became.
I put together a documentary on Harvey - speaking to his son Ken as well club legends like Supermac, Bob Moncur and Frank Clark who all played under him. It was fascinating to get an insight into his skills as a man-manager and love for Newcastle while in the dugout during the 60s and 70s, but all that started in the late 40s as captain of this great club.
A man who led by example and has the trophies to go with it. Now, if I was to pick a player I'd seen in the flesh from Gibbo's list, it would have to be Alan Shearer. A man who achieved the dream of every young lad on Tyneside - playing for his team. A man who sacrificed trophies to achieve that dream. Like Harvey, everything he preached to his squad was nothing that he would not do himself - a fine example of a leader.
CIARAN KELLY - BOB MONCUR
Bob Moncur not only captained both club and country; the Scot was, of course, the last skipper to lift a major piece of silverware for Newcastle back in 1969. It showed how highly manager Joe Harvey rated Moncur that the former Newcastle skipper handed his protégé the captaincy at a relatively young age.
Indeed, it is easy to forget Moncur was just 24 when held the Fairs Cup aloft. Moncur was certainly not known for scoring goals as a defender - it was his reading of the game that made him stand out - but the skipper did what great captains do and led from the front in the final. Moncur popped up with three goals against Ujpesti Dosza, including a sweet volley in the second-leg when Newcastle were 2-0 down.
The great captains also have a humility to them and it says a lot about Moncur that he is desperate for another skipper to step up and finally end the club's trophy drought. After such a long wait, Moncur may get his wish sooner rather than later.
MATTHEW KETCHELL - COLIN VEITCH
I feel an obligation to go niche having co-hosted a 30-part history series on our Everything is Black and White podcast platform! Colin Veitch was a remarkable man born in Newcastle the year the club's story began: 1881.
A natural leader, he is the only captain to lift a league and cup for Newcastle United. He was just 5ft 6in but could do everything, play anywhere (though his preference was in the backline) and was light years ahead of his time tactically.
He played in five FA Cup finals for the club (winning one) and won the league three times. This is to say nothing of his life and career off the pitch which is too remarkable to cover in just a few sentences.
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