Sunday's FA Cup semi-final defeat was your last chance for silverware this season. How disappointing was the result?

"The result didn't reflect the play and I think we deserved something out of the game. Chelsea are a very capable side, but we had far more of the play. In the second half we were by far the better team and when Rob Lee brought us level I felt there was only going to be one winner. But football is not always fair. Gustavo Poyet took both of his goals well, but Chelsea didn't exactly create a lot of clear-cut chances. It was heartbreaking for the players, but even more so for the Newcastle fans. I think they deserve something, it's been a long wait for them, yet they still support the team in incredible numbers."

Your name was all over the Sunday papers last weekend with people linking you with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid. Are you looking to leave Newcastle?

"I have two years remaining on my contract and I've always maintained I'm happy here. What I have said is that talk of moves to Manchester and Madrid has been very unsettling. Although it's unlikely that I would go to United because I'm a Newcastle player, the Madrid situation is different. All I've said is that, if there is any truth in the rumours, it would be very difficult to turn down a club of that stature. Perhaps it will come to nothing, I don't know. But if Newcastle are considering selling me, I want to know."

This is your second season in England. What do you think of the Premiership?

"It's very fast and very physical, and it was difficult for me early on. The playing surfaces are different from Argentina, where I came from - the grass tends to be much longer there and ball control is easier. Here, teams play to their own strengths and they cut the surfaces accordingly. You don't get much time on the ball in England and you have to be very alert. But I like the excitement of the game here. I love the fans' passion and the way they get behind you. As time has gone by, I've grown more in love with the English game."

Is it true the players abused your lack of English when you first came here?

"Yeah, I couldn't speak a word, so certain players kept telling me I had to be polite and taught me a few words I had better not repeat. It was only when I had upset a number of people that I realised the players had taken the complete piss out of me. But there is a lot of humour here. People have this impression that Alan Shearer is boring, but when it comes to fooling around or pulling pranks, he's normally at the centre of it."

How much of a difference has Bobby Robson made to Newcastle United?

"His experience, his knowledge and his achievements are well known, but I think what he brought to Newcastle in the first place was unity. That was missing because of Ruud Gullit. He was a good coach, but he couldn't communicate and he only talked to certain players when it suited him. He seemed to me to be somewhere else, I could never work him out. I appreciate he gave me a very good run in the side and he seemed to have plenty of faith in my ability, but there were far too many players who were unhappy and when results started to go wrong, people were pulling in different directions. Bobby Robson is completely different. He commands unrivalled respect and the players respond to him better. It has shown in the results, he has turned the club around."

How is your relationship with the fans at Newcastle?

"Very good. I don't think I have ever come across better supporters. One thing I like about England is you can walk down the street without worrying about your safety. That wasn't possible where I came from. In Argentina, there were always fears you would be insulted or even kidnapped but the fans are very polite here. They don't ask for much, maybe the odd autograph here or there. And when they get behind the team the noise is incredible. Even when we don't play well they still get behind us."

In Argentina you played for Boca Juniors, one of the most famous teams in South America. What was it like there?

"The expectations of everyone were huge, it was almost like a burden. The fans didn't have much patience with the team if things didn't go right and you had to get used to that environment. You knew if a game wasn't going well in the first 15 minutes that the supporters would be on your back. But in terms of education, I think my football improved. I've learned to deal with aspects of the game I had never encountered before. You could say it made a hell of a change coming here."

You're something of a celebrity back home in Peru. Is that difficult to handle?

"Not really, I've got used to it. There are a lot of problems back in Peru and people tend to look at other people and think they have found the answers to happiness. As a footballer, I'm very famous. When I go home I'm mobbed and it's difficult to go out without people swamping you. Why Im so famous, I don't really know. You know when you go into football that if you make it big people will look up to you. I just never expected there would be millions of them."

Has your success as a footballer enabled you to help others?

"It's enabled me to have things I never dreamed of and it's given me and my immediate family a better way of life. But yes, I like to help others. I give to notable charities and I do charitable work when I'm back home. When I'm at Newcastle I receive thousands of letters a week asking for handouts. I have to ignore them because if I give to one I have to give to them all. So I try to be constructive in the various charity work I do. I don't like to see people suffer and I think it's important that when you are given a privileged place in society you should help those that are not so fortunate. I didn't come from a very poor background, but I have many friends that did."

What are your future goals?

"I don't want much. To stay fit and healthy would be enough. As long as I enjoy my football and I'm successful, I will be happy. I have the same goals as other players so success is important to me. But my wife, Andrea, is always telling me how fortunate I am so I shouldn't ask for too much. I have been very lucky, it's not right to be greedy. Even if I don't win another thing in the game, I will always be able to look back and say I died trying."

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2000

Answers

Seems like a nice boy

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2000

Still nothing definite about staying or going....

Personally he's one of my favourite players at the club, I think he's a very aware, skillful player...he might not get the boot in fast enough for some of us but he often does enough to put the opposing players off and is lightening fast on reading where the ball will drop....

I would be sad to see yet another good player leave...but that's not gonna stop it, is it?

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2000

I happen to believe, also, that Solano staying is important for Gavilan. I don't see Gavilan as a replacement yet, Solano is key in both helping him settle in the area, and as someone for the lad to learn from. I can't see who else would take him that step further, not on the playing side anyway. Guts and determination perhaps, but not really tricks and skills etc. Sorry Bobby/Gary ;-)

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2000

I definately agree with Windy in regards to the Gavilan/Nobby situation.

I think Nobby states pretty clearly his position in relation to playing for Newcastle and a possible transfer. He is happy at Newcastle, loves the fans, likes and respects the coach, is enjoying his football, and the lifestyle doesn't really concern him.

If Madrid did come in for him, he would prefer the move.

He doesn't believe the club are trying to sell him, and would want to know if they were.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2000