He told me: "It was Boxing Day, I had just got off the team coach at St James' Park and Charlie wanted a word with me.
"He offered me a contract, and guaranteed me a job as a used-car salesman when I retired. I kid you not!
"But I got off that coach and within two minutes I was fozen to the skin.
"I turned it down because I couldn't play every week in that cold. It was freezing.
"I hated going to Blackburn and Bolton too, for the same reason."
Today we read that Blackburn Rovers forward El Hadji Diouf has suggested the recent cold weather has contributed to his poor form for the club.
Diouf: "The season is long. Sometimes you have good form, sometimes it's not like that.
"This time I don't have my best form, but the gaffer knows me very well.
"Maybe it's too cold. But hopefully that goal will help me for the future. Now I'm sure my best form can come again.
"The season is still young, I'm going to work hard on the training ground and start to play well again for my team."