In hindsight, the decision to sign Nile Ranger at all has to be viewed as a disaster: he was a source of way too much controversy and never repeated his youth team form and potential in the first-team, throwing away opportunities thanks to a bad attitude and poor off-field decisions. By 2011, Ranger was appearing in the front of newspapers far more than he was in the back pages, and he was rightly sent out on loan - first to Barnsley and then to Sheff Wed - but both times he returned to the club. At that stage, his contract should have been ripped up, but Newcastle persisted and he was unthinkably handed 2 first team appearances in 2012/13 to the annoyance of most Newcastle fans. Thankfully the second chance proved short-lived and he was released in March 2013 after more scandal.
