West Ham United midfielder Kieron Dyer has warned promising Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll of the perils of living in a city where he will attract so much attention.
Dyer spent eight-and-a-half seasons at St James' Park so is well aware of what comes with the territory of being a popular footballer in Newcastle and says Carroll, who has already been involved in some off-field trouble, should be wary of what can go on.
"This is what happens when you turn young men into millionaires in a city where they receive so much adulation just for being footballers," Dyer said. "There are so many dangers when that happens, so many pitfalls - and I fell into a lot of them. There are things I did which I just can't believe when I look back.
"They called us the Brat Pack and I suppose we were. There was myself, Craig Bellamy, Jermaine Jenas, Titus Bramble and Carl Cort.
"We were doing well on the pitch and intent on enjoying ourselves off it, but we got into too many scrapes.
"But that is the problem you have in a city like Newcastle. I look at Andy Carroll and you can see the same problems." It was Jenas who said it was like living in a "goldfish bowl" and why he wanted out for Spurs."
