ROBSON FUMES AT MARCELINO OUTBURST

Marcelino claimed that his relationship with Robson has had its `up and downs`, and insisted that club refused to sell him when they had offers from Spanish teams at Christmas.

Marcelino said: "Here, there are a combination of circumstances which have meant I have not played all the time.

"My relationship with Bobby Robson has had ups and downs. Sometimes I felt as if I had a lack of support and almost humiliated in the way I've been treated as a professional.

"Last summer and at Christmas various Spanish teams approached Newcastle but the club did not let me go at that moment."

Robson, though, has fired back at the Spanish defender, saying: "How dare he say what he has?

"I am surprised he's said this and I'm really angry with him. I will have to speak to him about this."

Marcelino has spent the majority of his time at St James` Park on the treatment table, and Robson insisted that he has tried to help and encourage the £5.8 million signing through his injury crisis.

"I have been professional with him and tried to encourage him to get fit," he said. "How he can complain about this club I will never, never know."

Marcelino revealed that he wants to return to Spain, and it would seem that The Magpies will not now stand in his way.

"My first option of course is Spain. I've still got the prestige that I've lost in England," he said.

"I'd love to go back to Mallorca but I'm open to any interesting offer from Spain."

Marcelino may have had a chance of returning to the first-team had he pledged his future to Newcastle, as Robson was somewhat critical of his defence at the weekend.

Robson branded his centre back partnership of Nikos Dabizas and Andrew O`Brien `dummies` for allowing Michael Owen the freedom of Anfield to notch a hat-trick.

"They're not dummies," he stated. "But they defended like, what's the word?...dummies, anyway, you know what I mean.

"When you are playing against Michael Owen, he's a wonderful talent, a smashing little lad, but when you are defending against him, the one thing you don't want is to let him turn past you. He's got such pace that you have to get behind him and stop him turning.

"I told my defenders they can let him have the ball in front of them, with his back to goal, but on no account could we let him have it behind us.

"So what do they do? They're dummies, two of them standing there watching him as he gets between and behind them, and then he's away.

"What is so annoying is that first goal cost us because we were comfortable, but then it cost us at least half an hour when we weren't in the game. It can be so frustrating."