Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor admits he's at the heart of the pranks that go on inside the dressing room.

The Geordie told the Sunday Times: "There have been a few little incidents.

"A few of the lads have been stitched up but don't know the identity of who may or may not be the culprit. Like what they've found in their wash-bags, which is probably too bad to be printed. It could get me in trouble, and not just with the players. With everybody.

"I find myself getting bored a lot and when I'm bored, I'm dangerous. The fun part is trying to get out of trouble. But there's a serious side to it as well. For our Christmas do, we went out for a bonding session and a couple of the young lads, Fraser Forster and Jonny Godsmark, decided to go home early. When I looked around and saw they'd gone, I thought, 'We're in this together, you can't do that.'

"The consequences were me getting a master key card, going into their room and using a Bic to shave their hair off. They had Mohicans. And that was just my little warning. The next night, they were out with the rest of us until the very end. That's how it should be. That's how this football club needs to stay together. It might sound daft, but it's important."