Has Ranger shot himself in the foot for good?

Nile Ranger's future on Tyneside appears to be less than certain, if you go by what the Sunday Sun is reporting today.

Apparently Ranger has been instructed by the club to find himself somewhere else to play his football, and not on a temporary basis either!

It seems that only a permanent move will suffice for the Newcastle top brass, which will naturally raise the question of just what Ranger has done to be on the end of this rather strange decision. Is it something new? Or is a culmination of everything that has gone on before?

I mean if we're being honest there has been plenty of negative press surrounding Ranger during his time on Tyneside. Both Chris Hughton and Alan Pardew have been critical of him to varying degrees due to his punctuality and application in training.

Then there is the other stuff, like being pictured posing with what is claimed was a replica gun. Fake or not, that isn't the kind of message that needs to be sent out is it?

Maybe Ranger has just gone one step too far? The straw that broke the camels back if you like?

It's a shame really as I actually think that Ranger could have a great future at Newcastle. The emphasis is very much on the word could though.

If there is one criticism that I have of Nile Ranger as a player (no, not that kind of player), it's his finishing. He seems to lack that clinical instinct needed to be a striker at the top level.

That's not to say that he'll never learn it, but then again to learn it you have to put the hours in on the training pitch instead of turning up late and giving it the biggun. Therein could lie the problem.

So I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether or not this is one final kick in the backside for Nile Ranger or whether this really is the end of the road for him.

Personally I think it's the latter.