Former Newcastle United striker Nile Ranger has opened up on the sizeable gambling addiction which blighted his Magpies career.
The forward was signed as a teenager in the summer of 2008, and went on to play a cameo role in United's Championship triumph the following season.
However, disciplinary issues which dogged his stay on Tyneside have continued to plague his career. The 29-year-old has been a free agent for more than two years, with his last appearance in professional football coming on New Year's Day in 2018.
Poor timekeeping and frequent brushes with the law - including that infamous photo with a BB gun - have led to Ranger's subsequent exits at Swindon Town, Blackpool and most recently Southend United.
But it was at the Magpies where the promising teenager developed a taste for gambling. Fresh from signing a three-and-a-half year deal under Alan Shearer, Ranger's habit of midweek casino trips led to him borrowing from his team-mates to foot his bill.
Despite attempted interventions from the club's hierarchy and senior team-mates, the striker admits the advice fell on deaf ears.
Ranger told FourFourTwo : “Off the pitch I’d been in trouble with manager Chris Hughton, who’d been appointed at the beginning of the 2009-10 season.
“I turned up late for training more than once after developing a taste for midweek nights out, and was also spending far too much free time in casinos.
“I gambled £30,000 in a two-month period and had to borrow £70,000 from Hatem Ben Arfa, Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini to pay my debts. The club found out and instantly banned me from every casino in Newcastle, while Coloccini sat me down and warned me about the dangers of gambling.
“Mark Viduka was a positive influence too, often advising young players to save their money. Alan Smith was another good role model who drove a battered old car despite his big earnings. I still didn’t listen.”
