Dyer: Bowyer bust-up has been a 'nightmare'
Kieron Dyer has described the fall-out following his bust-up with Newcastle team-mate Lee Bowyer as “one of the hardest times of my life” and fears it may have undone the progress he has made under manager Graeme Souness.
Dyer and Bowyer are set to miss the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United after being sent off after the fracas during the 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa although the Magpies have appealed against Dyer’s red card.
It followed a transformation in Dyer’s fortunes at St James’ Park after the fans who had booed him earlier this season began to warm to his performances and application.
Dyer told the Daily Mirror: “The whole thing is just a nightmare. The hours and days since Saturday afternoon have been one of the hardest times in my life. Both Lee and I know that we have let a lot of people down.”
The 26-year-old annoyed Newcastle fans earlier in the season by refusing to play on the right wing under Bobby Robson, who was later sacked.
Dyer added: “I thought I had done the hard part in winning the fans over. I have put in a lot of hard work to do that and I’ve been really concentrating on keeping my head down and staying out of trouble. I’ve been enjoying making headlines for my football. I feel I have learned a lot in the past few months.”
Newcastle will find out today if their appeal against Dyer’s red card has been successful.
The England midfielder is “desperate” to play in the semi-final, saying: “It will be the biggest game I've ever been involved in at club level and I’d be gutted to miss it.
“I’m so upset that this has all happened just when everything seemed to be going so well for me here. I feel I’ve really responded to the new manager. I’ve done a lot of growing up but I know some people aren’t going to see it that way.”
Dyer vehemently denied the fracas was prompted by any racial abuse, insisting he and Bowyer are good friends and described it as “a flare-up out of nothing”.
However, he is determined to continue his rehabilitation at St James’, vowing: “What I need to do now is to prove to everybody at the club that I can put this in the past and make it up to them all. And I intend to do that on the pitch.”
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