Kieron Dyer reveals his United regrets
Oct 21 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
Kieron Dyer is adamant there were more highs than lows for him at Newcastle United but, in an exclusive interview with chief sports writer Luke Edwards, he explained why he still has regrets.
It is an act of petulance he has never quite come to terms with, an act which tossed away his hero status at St James’ Park and betrayed the man who he had consistently described as a father figure.
He said: “It was a special time in my career, a great time. I was very happy there and I don’t have a bad word to say about the club, the fans or the city. But I also have regrets. There were more highs than lows, but I’m still sad about things that went on in my life at that time.
“You know, we made up straight away, but when I fell out with Sir Bobby before the Middlesbrough game, I still regret that day and I always will.
“He was fine about it afterwards, I refused to play on the right wing and he dropped me to the bench. But it will haunt me for the rest of my life.
“That was the moment it changed for me up there, that was when my relationship with the fans was soured because it was leaked to the Press.
“Bobby told me not to worry, but it was a terrible moment. I don’t think the fans saw me in the same light again.”
Nevertheless, for all of the regret and the scandals, Dyer’s time at Newcastle coincided with a prolonged period of success for the club. It is not a coincidence. Dyer won all 33 of his England caps with the Magpies and was an integral part of Robson’s team.
He said: “It was a golden era for the club in many ways. I don’t know if the fans see it like that, but when you look back we enjoyed a lot of success.
“I think history will show what a good few years it was, we finished third and fourth, we qualified for the Champions League two years running. We played in cup finals, cup semi-finals.
“We broke the big four, we finished above Liverpool one year and Chelsea another. We were one of the top sides in the country for those three or four years.
“What about that Champions League night in Feyenoord? We qualified for the second stage, winning 3-2 in the final minute.
“It was an amazing game to be part of. That has got to be the highlight for me. You know, we should have won a trophy in that time. I still can’t quite believe we didn’t.
“That is what the club needed, it’s what the fans craved and I honestly thought we would end the drought, but it never quite happened.
“I remember reaching the semi-final of the Uefa Cup and playing Marseille. We would have beaten them I reckon.
“But we lost about five of our key players before the second leg, it was dreadful luck. That’s all we needed, a bit of luck and it would have happened.”
