Arsenal news: Ray Parlour admits he'd have been banned if camera phones were around back then

Arsenal legend admits he was not the best role model

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes he would have been banned from playing if he was a modern day footballer.

The 43-year-old, nicknamed the Romford Pele, played more than 450 games for Arsenal between 1991 and 2004, winning three Premier League titles, including as a member of the Invincibles, the FA Cup four times, the League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup.

Before the arrival of Arsene Wenger at Highbury, Parlour, along with Tony Adams and Paul Merson, had been a big part of the boozey culture that was rife at the north London club.

Parlour admits that the absence of social media and camera phones means that, unlike today where smoking a cigarette can get a player suspended, many of his exploits were not recorded.

"Oh, these days I think I would have been sacked. We would have pictures of us in the bars," he told The Sun.

"You’ve got to live like a saint now, I probably wouldn’t even risk drinking now."

Such incidents include crashing a golf buggy while srunk during a pre-season break in the US and ending up in a police station for attempting to steal a plant pot from a hotel. One incident that was reported saw Parlour get arrested in Hong Kong for fighting with a taxt driver, where he almost ended up in prison.

The arrival of Wenger changed the culture at Arsenal, as did Adams admitting he was an alcoholic and Merson admitting he had a gambling addiction.

"The whole scenario changed. It got more professional. It was the right timing for me," he says.

"It was good fun but my football career was going to go down if I didn’t knuckle down."