Sol Campbell admits the passion of Newcastle United fans has taken him aback.
The former Tottenham, Arsenal and Portsmouth defender signed for Toon in August.
Campbell told the Sunday Sun: "The main thing I have learned being up here in Newcastle is that you have got to concentrate on football and let everything else float around.
"The obsession with football doesn't really bother me. That is just passion for the club and I totally understand that. It is just that there are a lot of things that come with Newcastle and it's not necessarily the fault of the club. It just those things seem to appear all the time for whatever reason.
"I can understand how people can see Newcastle as a goldfish bowl because it is full-on. It's a one-club city and the club is supported by the whole city.
"But that is passion. That is good for the club and in the right way it is healthy for the club.
"I know about that passion though. If you go the Portsmouth, you'll find that the crowd there is fantastic. There might be a crowd of 20,000 at Fratton Park and it sounds like 40,000. They appreciate everything - even if the team was 2-0 down they would still be singing.
"They are just great down there. it might not seem as intrusive down there perhaps because it is the south.
"At Newcastle the fans want excellence and they want the club to achieve something so I totally understand that. I believe that as long as you take care of football then everything else just falls into place.
"In chaos, sometimes you build a bit of character. I am sure the powers that be would love Newcastle to be just calm and not much happening but is that going to happen? I think a lot of people like reading about Newcastle for the wrong reasons sometimes.
"Personally I just want to have a stable club and hopefully that is coming."