Toon Crier: From bad to worse for Ranger

It already hadn't been a good week for Nile Ranger, as he received some major backlash for his criticism of Newcastle supporters. But now, it has gotten worse. Ranger has been questioned by police in a rape case. According to the report linked, a Newcastle spokeswoman declined comment.

In case the tide hadn't completely turned against Ranger, the troubled striker spelled his name with money and shared it on his Instagram account. This came days after telling supporters they didn't need to pay the players' wages.

As reported here earlier, Fabricio Coloccini is staying Tyneside, at least for now. Manager Alan Pardew says it is "fantastic" news, but then again, I didn't really expect him to say anything other than that. Coloccini will stay at NUFC till the end of this season, when his situation will presumably be re-evaluated.

Pardew did fear that Coloccini was gone, but says that the Argentine has responded well in training.

Pardew did talk about the new signings, and addresses the number of Frenchmen now wearing the black and white. He says he wants to keep a British core, but this is the direction the club is going for now.

The Sun says Pardew went on the attack following criticisms from Arsene Wenger, but it's the Sun and I think they're blowing the Pardew quote a bit out of proportion. Pards did respond though.

This week's opposition, Aston Villa are out of the FA Cup after losting to Millwall. Manager Paul Lambert says the club will "keep going" and will not "lie down".

Meanwhile, Villa is trying to secure a long-term deal for Andreas Weimann.

On to the Europa League, because we're still in it! A few teams might be facing stadium bans. Turkish club Fenerbahce will be playing behind closed doors due to fan violence. Italian club Lazio is in trouble after supporters made racist taunts during a game against Tottenham.