Dyer - "I wasted my talent and took football for granted"

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Barmble on the other hand is quite obviously happy being shit and wasting his money. He was on a par with rio and terry in his youth.

 

I wonder if its hit home yet that his wages are stopping in 4 or 5 months and hes chance to be moving to sheffield united or stoke or somewhere similiar?

 

To thick to be bothered imo. Probably retire from the game on the money we've paid him for being one of the worst defenders in the PL.

[Fop 1]

More of a disruptive force in the dressing room than the rest of the team? I doubt he was the worst by any means. Robson's downfall was that he couldn't control the players and much as people like to think it was 'Uncle Bobby' being hard done to by the young bling brigade the simple fact of the matter is: you get young players at every club who need discipline and Robson failed miserably in instilling it.

 

 

I dunno the NUFC brat pack was very numerous, very well paid and very full of themselves, I can't think of many clubs that have had all of that.

 

It was only "solved" by getting shot of several (at least one of which has continued to act in that manner), serious injuires that made them (allegedly) re-evaluate, being threatened with no renewal of contract and such.

 

And tbh I don't know how you'd do it, you can't ban them from ever going out or ever drinking (and if you tried there'd be a human rights lawsuit).

Doesn't that proves my point about Robson not being able to discipline the young players properly?

 

 

Aye but I don't think anyone could, short of getting rid of a few and time passing and injuries etc.

 

Even Ferguson usually goes for the get shot tactic if they are too much trouble.

[Guest alex]

Eh? Robson created the situation by not dealing with it. Ferguson would never have let it get to that stage.

[Fop 1]

Eh? Robson created the situation by not dealing with it. Ferguson would never have let it get to that stage.

 

Aye he'd have likely got rid, but the only reason that works is he knows he has the money and pull to replace nearly anyone with as good or better.

[Park Life 71]

ON the occasion of his rebirth, Kieron Dyer sends his regrets. Plenty of them. A long list.

 

Some of them still nag at him as he battles Aaron Lennon for a place in the England team to play Israel on Saturday.

 

But each regret spurs him on. And each one has made him a better man and a better player.

 

Advertisement

Top of the pile is the way he behaved towards former Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson and the embarrassment he heaped upon him when he refused to play on the right side of midfield at Middlesbrough in August 2004.

 

"I still feel incredibly guilty about that," Dyer says. "The players at Newcastle used to call me 'Bobby's Son' because he would give me special treatment and the odd day off to go back home to Ipswich and I let him down massively.

 

"He was sacked soon after which made it all a hundred times worse. I should never have done it. I was just young and naive and stupid.

 

"It's something I will have to live with for the rest of my life and I'm thankful that when I rang him after he was fired, he accepted my apology.

 

"He said I was one of the only players from the club to have phoned him, but I still feel dreadful I did something like that to a man with his status.

 

"When I went out to the World Cup in Germany, I saw him at the England v Portugal game and sat with him for most of the match - and he still had all the old enthusiasm.

 

"I'm glad we're still on speaking terms. The way I acted, it would be fully deserved if he never spoke to me again. He has put the grudges behind him which goes to show what a great man he is."

 

There are other regrets, too. There are bound to be. For a long time, Dyer was the symbol of the out-of-control hedonism of a generation of players who had to cope with much too much, much too young. He was one of the Baby Bentley brigade before they made Baby Bentleys. He crashed his Ferrari on the Tyne Bridge, was caught urinating in the street, and was attacked on the pitch by team-mate Lee Bowyer. But there is something rare about Dyer that sets him apart from so many players who have allowed a precious talent to go to waste. Dyer learned his lesson before it was too late.

 

The 28-year-old midfielder has taken responsibility for his life on and off the pitch and, with the help of Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder, has turned things around.

 

He has had the mental strength to overcome a succession of hamstring injuries and conflicting diagnoses. Many began to believe he would never recover, but Dyer never doubted himself.

 

Now, he's the kind of man it's a pleasure to talk to, honest and frank and not afraid to discuss his mistakes, a bright spirit with a lively mind and a burning desire to put things right.

 

There was never anything malicious about him anyway. He was never a Joey Barton or a Bowyer. Just a kid who got carried away with wealth and fame.

 

"I'm a lad from Ipswich," Dyer says. "We were a poor family and then I moved to Newcastle and it's like a religion and suddenly you are doing well and everyone is saying how great you are.

 

"You have got money and you can buy anything you want and it seems that you are more worried about maintaining your status off the pitch than doing it for 90 minutes on the pitch. I believed the hype. I was rewarded with good wages and you do take your eye off the ball. You do get wrapped up in it. For two years I went stale. I wasted it. I had a couple of good games here and there but never had the consistency.

 

"Alan Curbishley came out with the Baby Bentley quote a couple of months ago and I do think what happened to me is happening to some of the West Ham players.

 

"When you're young, sometimes you have to learn the hard way. I have had to come full circle to get to where I am now.

 

"I was out of the game for 18 months with injuries and I want to make up for lost time. I want to be up there with the Stevie Gs and the Frank Lampards who do it week in and week out."

 

Dyer got his wake-up call from Roeder's predecessor Graeme Souness. Souness has a stock question he asks every pro and ex-pro: will you be able to say you got the most out of your career when it's over. Dyer smiles when he recalls the moment Souness asked him the question. There was a long silence, he says. Dyer was embarrassed. They both knew the answer.

 

"Since then, I have really got my head down," Dyer says. "I know I haven't played great every day but I have been working towards being more consistent and feel there is no limit to what I can achieve.

 

"I took football for granted. I thought it would go on forever. To be out for nearly two years, you itch to get back out there.

 

"The enthusiasm I have now, it feels like I am back at school. I just want to play all the time.

 

"I didn't used to like playing out wide because I was dependent on someone else giving me the ball and I wanted to be at the centre of things all the time.

 

"But because of all the injuries we have had at Newcastle, it's meant I haven't played in the same position for two games on the bounce. I learned the hard way that the team is more important than individuals."

 

Dyer took a hefty whack on the ankle in the defeat to Charlton on Sunday but is desperate to impress Steve McClaren in training this week.

 

Even when Newcastle have not played well, Dyer's effort and commitment have shone through and he has taken a different attitude with him to England training camps, too.

 

"Joey Barton got hammered for saying a lot of England players just go along for the ride and once they get in the squad they are happy," Dyer says, "but I recognised myself in what he said. Now, every time I get picked for the squad, that's not enough. I want to be in the England team.

 

"I want to reach the heights some people believe I can. I want to become an England regular. I've a lot to do. I'm making up for lost time."

 

'I have got my head down. It feels like I'm back at school. I want to play all the time'

 

Come on KD we're with you.

[Mark 0]

He should have been alot better that what he is, like Jenas. Dyer's still a total stud like.

[Ally 0]

I can't stand the bloke normally and don't rate him at all as a footballer, but fair play to him for admitting his faults - takes some doing, especially so publically.

[Guest alex]

Eh? Robson created the situation by not dealing with it. Ferguson would never have let it get to that stage.

 

Aye he'd have likely got rid, but the only reason that works is he knows he has the money and pull to replace nearly anyone with as good or better.

So how come Allardyce, for example, seems able to keep players disciplined, focussed etc. then?

[TheInspiration 1]

I can't stand the bloke normally and don't rate him at all as a footballer, but fair play to him for admitting his faults - takes some doing, especially so publically.

Yes, credit where it's due - he definitely does mean this. I've never liked him as a person, and while I don't not rate him as a footballer, he is way too inconsistent as well as being paid ridiculous amounts of cash. I'm not going to take these comments for granted though.

[Guest Patrokles]

I personally have always liked him as a footballer. I remember quotes from Barca players about how impressed they were with him. He makes a huge difference to the side, no doubt about that.

[Fop 1]

Eh? Robson created the situation by not dealing with it. Ferguson would never have let it get to that stage.

 

Aye he'd have likely got rid, but the only reason that works is he knows he has the money and pull to replace nearly anyone with as good or better.

So how come Allardyce, for example, seems able to keep players disciplined, focussed etc. then?

 

 

I'm not sure he really does, just the NUFC was a goldfish bowl and prime target for the tabloid press (frankly Bolton players simply don't sell stories anything like as well as NUFC players did at the time), nor does he have the sort of brat pack Robson had to deal with (plus wife beating tends to take place in private at least).

 

Robson probably should have made an example and got rid, but (at the time anyway) which one and who would he have replaced them with?

[Guest alex]

Eh? Robson created the situation by not dealing with it. Ferguson would never have let it get to that stage.

 

Aye he'd have likely got rid, but the only reason that works is he knows he has the money and pull to replace nearly anyone with as good or better.

So how come Allardyce, for example, seems able to keep players disciplined, focussed etc. then?

 

 

I'm not sure he really does, just the NUFC was a goldfish bowl and prime target for the tabloid press (frankly Bolton players simply don't sell stories anything like as well as NUFC players did at the time), nor does he have the sort of brat pack Robson had to deal with (plus wife beating tends to take place in private at least).

 

Robson probably should have made an example and got rid, but (at the time anyway) which one and who would he have replaced them with?

So Allardyce doesn't keep his players in line? OK.

And he's just one example. Wenger seems to as well. Mourinho does, Ferguson does. Are they all less newsworth or less in the public glare than Newcastle United? Don't be silly.

All clubs have players who step out of line from time to time but Robson allowed behaviour to go unchecked imo and 'reaped what he sowed' in that regard - i.e. he let a situation develop and certain players he signed - like Bramble and Bellamy had reputations (I remember .com saying Titus was well known as a pisshead - or words to that effect in Ipswich) so it's not like he didn't know what he was getting.

Nowt against Robson - he did a great job - but the lack of discipline (for me) ultimately led to his downfall. Confused at the wife-beating comment btw.

[Renton 22596]

Eh? Robson created the situation by not dealing with it. Ferguson would never have let it get to that stage.

 

Aye he'd have likely got rid, but the only reason that works is he knows he has the money and pull to replace nearly anyone with as good or better.

So how come Allardyce, for example, seems able to keep players disciplined, focussed etc. then?

 

 

I'm not sure he really does, just the NUFC was a goldfish bowl and prime target for the tabloid press (frankly Bolton players simply don't sell stories anything like as well as NUFC players did at the time), nor does he have the sort of brat pack Robson had to deal with (plus wife beating tends to take place in private at least).

 

Robson probably should have made an example and got rid, but (at the time anyway) which one and who would he have replaced them with?

So Allardyce doesn't keep his players in line? OK.

And he's just one example. Wenger seems to as well. Mourinho does, Ferguson does. Are they all less newsworth or less in the public glare than Newcastle United? Don't be silly.

All clubs have players who step out of line from time to time but Robson allowed behaviour to go unchecked imo and 'reaped what he sowed' in that regard - i.e. he let a situation develop and certain players he signed - like Bramble and Bellamy had reputations (I remember .com saying Titus was well known as a pisshead - or words to that effect in Ipswich) so it's not like he didn't know what he was getting.

Nowt against Robson - he did a great job - but the lack of discipline (for me) ultimately led to his downfall. Confused at the wife-beating comment btw.

 

Agreed. Robson was from a different era and found he couldn't cope with the apalling behaviour of the Bling Brigade he encountered here. It's a shame because otherwise he was clearly still up to the job, not that he did everything right. I don't think there's any point in making excuses for what he let happen on his shift, as it were, though.

[Fop 1]

Eh? Robson created the situation by not dealing with it. Ferguson would never have let it get to that stage.

 

Aye he'd have likely got rid, but the only reason that works is he knows he has the money and pull to replace nearly anyone with as good or better.

So how come Allardyce, for example, seems able to keep players disciplined, focussed etc. then?

 

 

I'm not sure he really does, just the NUFC was a goldfish bowl and prime target for the tabloid press (frankly Bolton players simply don't sell stories anything like as well as NUFC players did at the time), nor does he have the sort of brat pack Robson had to deal with (plus wife beating tends to take place in private at least).

 

Robson probably should have made an example and got rid, but (at the time anyway) which one and who would he have replaced them with?

So Allardyce doesn't keep his players in line? OK.

And he's just one example. Wenger seems to as well. Mourinho does, Ferguson does. Are they all less newsworth or less in the public glare than Newcastle United? Don't be silly.

All clubs have players who step out of line from time to time but Robson allowed behaviour to go unchecked imo and 'reaped what he sowed' in that regard - i.e. he let a situation develop and certain players he signed - like Bramble and Bellamy had reputations (I remember .com saying Titus was well known as a pisshead - or words to that effect in Ipswich) so it's not like he didn't know what he was getting.

Nowt against Robson - he did a great job - but the lack of discipline (for me) ultimately led to his downfall.

 

 

Again though none of the ones you mention have had something like that, the closest example would probably be the young Leeds team (and they had at least one high profile court case and quite a few incidents).

 

Most of the other managers you mention would have got shot (and been able to replace with as good or better) - comparing us to Man U, Chelski and Arsenal is being kind to say the least.

 

Souness came in and kinda did that in the end, was that really a better way than the way Robson handled it?

 

Look at Liverpool, Bellamy hasn't been given his marching orders (although there might be a "yet" on the end of that)

 

So I dunno what Robson could have really done but get rid (for which he would have been roundly criticised for getting rid of "good" players no doubt).

 

Confused at the wife-beating comment btw.

 

Which kinda supports my comment about the public and therefore media interest difference between Bolton and Newcastle, especially at that time when it seemed to be a regular slow news day filler for journalists too lazy to write anything of real interest.

[Guest alex]

You are a contrary fucker Fop

[Fop 1]

You are a contrary fucker Fop

 

Aye , but I do really think Robson was in a bit of a no win situation.

 

He probably should have been tougher at the start, but I remember at the time he was fining them and such and dropping them, but they still kept doing silly things (because their were a lot of them egging each other on no doubt, and they were young and very very well paid).

 

Although equally there were loads of stories of the "Newcastle's XXXX play seen out drinking at 9:30pm SHOCK!!!" where they weren't actually doing anything but being out having a few drink at maybe a bit later than they should have been on a night after games and long before their next one.

 

Hindsight is 20:20, but short of doing a Souness I dunno what could have been done.... I'd still be willing to bet we'd have done better overall under Robson in the following two seasons than we did though.