Ranger says he was heading for serious trouble earlier in his short life, and the former street gang member admits that St James’s Park has provided him with a refuge from a life of crime.
He was sentenced to 11 weeks in a Young Offenders Institute after becoming embroiled in gang warfare and ending up involved in a street robbery in the Muswell Hill area of London.
Nile Ranger: “Moving here was a breath of fresh air to me.
“Getting out of London was good for me. It wasn’t the best situation for me at that time.
“I was itching to get up here and I loved it ever since I arrived.
“It was a new life for me coming to Newcastle.
“London is so busy. Newcastle is very different and I love living here.
“I have some very good friends here in the likes of Kazenga LuaLua, Frank Danquah and Ryan Donaldson.
“They are all good mates and we hang around at training on and off the field.”