First of all I don't know how old this piece is, it could be today's (Saturday 26th) paper, it could be a couple of days or so old, but I just found this refered to on the Orificial Web Shite, but it seems to throw a somewhat different light on the "we want to buy a player, oops he's gone to Rangers" scenario we seemed to be plauged with a few weeks back. Alas I can't find an electronic version of the Daily Mail, nor can I get out to get a paper copy at the moment..

Anyway, the bones of the piece seem to be:

The Mail carries an extensive piece about football agent Dennis Roach. Bobby Robson is, not surprisingly, quoted extensively. Robson says: "We feel this agent has had a detrimental effect on our transfers already this season."

The Magpies' manager gave an insight into dealings with Roach when he told Sportsmail: "We tried to sign Danish striker Peter Lovenkrands while I was at Euro 2000 and our chairman went to Denmark to meet the player, his agent and lawyer

"It was agreed that Peter would come to Newcastle to see the city and stadium and that no other club would become involved.

"Then, evidently, Roach heard what was happening. He phoned my chairman and said the deal could not happen without him. The chairman told him that he wasn't needed, that the deal was as good as done and to please back off. Then some of our people went to Copenhagen only to find Roach had gone to the player and taken him to Glasgow to sign for Rangers instead."

Further on in the article it is reported that Roach is claiming that he has settled his differences with Newcastle.

This seems to bear a whole new type of witness to how much power and bloody influence these agents have got. Where do they get off? Can anything be done about them?

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

Answers

Joe Royle has been complaining bitterly about the same guy's handling of the transfer of Paulo Wanchope to City.
He may be well on his way to being black-listed by the PL Managers - unfortunately there will always be one who would break ranks to get a particular player.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000