REFORMED bad boy Noel Whelan has credited Gordon Strachan with saving his career.

Middlesbrough forward Whelan admits he went off the rails in his days at Coventry.

But former Sky Blues boss Strachan, now in charge of Southampton, put him back on track by making him his house guest.

Football's image has been tarnished again this week, with Chelsea's John Terry and Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne appearing in court accused of causing actual bodily harm and affray.

The case comes hard on the heels of Middlesbrough-born Jonathan Woodgate's conviction for affray, and Leeds teammate Lee Bowyer's acquittal on all charges, following a late-night city-centre attack on student Sarfraz Najeib.

The high-profile cases have prompted the PFA to launch an initiative, fronted by recovering alcoholics Tony Adams and Paul Merson, to inform young players about the dangerous excesses that can come with fame and fortune.

It is a move welcomed by 27-year-old Whelan, who said: "It's a good idea. Any youngster needs that sort of guidance, whether it's from his manager or the coaches at his club.

"With the money in the game these days, it's easy for a young lad to go off the tracks.

"It happened to me when I first signed for Coventry. I had too much too soon and it was hard to deal with.But if people keep you on the straight and narrow - someone like Tony Adams is very well respected in the game - it makes you think twice.

"I couldn't have asked for anyone better than Gordon Strachan to help me through. If he hadn't been at the club at the time, I might not have got a second chance. But I did, and you realise you can't live that way and football comes first.''

Whelan showed his new level-headed approach to life this week when he issued a public apology to referee Andy D'Urso for remarks he made about the official after Boro's defeat at Arsenal last month.

Now Whelan "wants to be talked about'' for the right reasons, after resolving to make up for lost time.

The former Leeds striker's star is certainly in the ascendant at the moment, with Boro boss Steve McClaren picking him ahead of leading scorer Alen Boksic.

Signed by Bryan Robson from Coventry for £2m in the summer of 2000, Whelan has struggled to hold down a regular place and been hampered by injuries.

A "freak'' foot ligament injury, sustained in the act of scoring in the pre-season game against Athletic Bilbao, kept him out for the first four months of the campaign.

"It has been frustrating,'' said Whelan. "Now I want to be talked about again for playing well and scoring goals.

"I've been disappointed because I don't think I've fulfilled a lot of things in my career which I should have done. I feel I've got a lot to catch up on and prove to myself and other people.

"I've got one goal since I came back and I just want to score a few more. When I was at Coventry, I had a ratio of about a goal every three games, and that was when I was playing left-back, left-wing, forward, central midfield or whatever.

"I think I've played in nearly every position in my time - barring keeper and centre-half!''

Whelan hopes he has picked up a few tips from Boksic. "Alen is a quality striker, probably one of the best I've seen and I would like to think I've learned a bit from him by watching him and training with him,'' said Whelan, who is urging his midfield colleagues to share the goal load.

Boro have scored only three in their last nine games in League and Cup, and Whelan stressed: "People like Carlos Marinelli, Allan Johnston, Jonathan Greening and Paul Ince can chip in - we've seen it from them before.

"We have to score more if we're going to get away from the bottom end of the table.'

Read more about the Boro here.