Joan Gaspart (Christopher Walken) spent yesterday with Freddie Shepherd. They are quite smug about the opportunity of getting Marcelino, can you believe it???

They describe him as a top Spanish International who 'hasn't settled' in England.

They are willing to part ex one of 8 players, it doesn't say who. It will be one of their 'bargain bin' jobs i presume. THEIR bargain bin consists of Petit, Alfonso, Zenden and Dani, so don't get too down!

How will we cope without Marcelino? I'm really pissed off, i'm going to write a letter and complain... :-)

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Answers

Where did you get this info from Swift? I'd have Zenden like a shot.

If Shpeherd and Robson can get rid of Marcellino for a big fee then they deserve massive amounts of credit following the dross they have managed to get money for!

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Please God let this happen - it'd be a bigger boost to ticket sales than anything else I can think of. Hats off to fat Freddie if he makes this deal a reality.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Sorry no chance it's in the Chronicle!

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

a good player in part exchangfe would be nice, but just getting the waster off the books wil be such a lift

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Straight swap with Barca's head bog cleaner would be a good deal.

Let us pray...

Dear Lord, we don't often call on Your services in the off-season so I hope You don't mind this teensie weeny request before You head off to the Seychelles. Just let this one deal go through, please, and I assure You of a full house in Newcastle's top place of worship...every Saturday...near that nice park with the posh terraces...Ye knaa the one. Anyways, seeing as Barcelona is big on churches and that, as are most Spaniards, it wouldn't be fair to keep one of their own so far from home and his favourite paella shop, now would it? So, in short, getting Barcelona to take Senor Elena Marcelino would be increasing the amount of thanks and all round goodness by a hefty factor.

Amen.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

What makes you think praying now will be anymore successful than praying at the statrt of last season like everyone else?!

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

The Lord works in mysterious ways...whoooooooooooaaaaahhhhh...whoooooooahhhhhh to be said in a mysterious way with Karl Orf musical accompanyment (sp?)

...and prayer is often the last refuge of the sinner

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Rii-iiight!!

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

and tomorrow it'll be:

Shepherd "NO" to Barce

blah blah... nice to have interest from top Euro club ec. blah blah BUT we are not a selling club. Mercelino staying is like a major signing for us... blh blah blah...

nurse ......... :-(

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

The story I heard was that it is a three-way thingie. The Real Mallorca CB was being eyed by somebody else (Barca???) and if he went, then they would need a CB to replace him. But they were baulking at NUFC's valuation of the finger painter amd would only offer £2M.

So, the idea was hatched that Barca would buy him from us (maybe as stated here as a part-ex to offload their cr@p) then offer him in part-ex for the Real Mallorca CB (are you following this at the back??).

Apparently, the whole deal is being brokered by a Mr A Daley. It is rumoured to include a job lot of Seat Ibizas to be used as company cars in place of the existing deal with Rover.

Easy, eh?

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Whatever it takes to get him off the wage bill, whatever it takes.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

So yer saying Shepherd is involved in another "three-way thingy" in Spain are you Screach?

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

I think he's been offered a position (?) as dog minder.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

And the new record between the invention of one of these stories and its retraction ("Barca may cool their interest in Marcelino") is a staggering 4 days. Normally they only last from the Journal hitting the breakfast bar to the Chronicle coming out at lunch time.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2001

4 days has to be some kind of record though?

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2001

They'll be running an on-line poll to ask the fans who they think makes up the best stories, and then will be stunned when it's Rik

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2001