QPR winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has no doubts Joey Barton will prove a big hit.
The former Manchester City midfielders both impressed in last night's draw with Newcastle United.
SWP told the London Evening Standard: "There is an old saying: Don't judge a book by its cover. To be honest, I'd probably think the same as other people do about Joey if I didn't know him like I do.
"If you know him and are around him all the time, you see a side of him that the outside world doesn't get to see. Inside he is a softie but his image portrays him in another way.
"He is a fantastic player, a lovely person. He still needs to work on what he does outside football but hopefully I can help him with me being at QPR as well. We have always been close friends.
"It is not that I am going to be there to babysit him, he doesn't need that, but I know how good it can be sometimes for someone just to be there to have a little word in your ear. To be fair, he does that for himself most of the time.
"There are some things he needs to be careful of because there are young kids who might want to be like him but he is maturing a lot and is calming down, so hopefully it will continue to go well for him."
