The mother of all nightmares

[Craig 6287]

Feb 22 2006

By John Gibson, The Evening Chronicle

 

 

When Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer squared up like fighting cocks in a barn last season during a Premier League match with Aston Villa, the shock waves reverberated around football.

 

Its like had rarely ever been witnessed and everyone from the St James' Park crowd to television pundits was gobsmacked.

 

However, for a distraught Dyer there was an extra personal humiliation - his doting mother was sitting proudly in the stands watching her son play for one of the biggest clubs in the country.

 

Her joy was turned to despair in one blinding moment of stupidity and blurred fists, even though Kieron was proved to be the innocent party.

 

"It was an absolute nightmare," grimaced Dyer. "My mam had to see it all and hear all the terrible words of criticism afterwards.

 

"Lee just lost it - he was upset because we were being humiliated 3-0 but we all were. Only he boiled over. People said it was racist but it was not. No way.

 

"All I was guilty of was turning to argue with him, which happens all the time between team-mates in training.

 

"However, he thumped me and that was it. I was just beginning to win the fans over again after the Bobby Robson thing at Middlesbrough and now I was back to square one.

 

"The funny thing is that Lee was - still is - a friend. He was not just a colleague, he was someone I got on particularly well with. There has not been a moment's problem with us ever since.

 

"We were arguing all the way down the tunnel and in the dressing-room. Going hammer and tongs verbally.

 

"Young Steven Taylor, who gave away a penalty and was sent off, was in the dressing-room and dressed while we were still arguing the point.

 

"It was only when Paul Winsper came in and said: `You two stupid so-and-sos realise you will miss the FA Cup semi-final, don't you?' it struck us how calamitous the whole thing was. We went from raging heat to complete silence in a split second.

 

"As it happened, I was injured in the UEFA Cup quarter-final in Lisbon and would have missed Cardiff anyway, but it was still all stupid.

 

"When the team came in on the final whistle I have never seen Alan Shearer so furious and Jean Alain Boumsong went off it as well. Of course, I fully understand it.

 

"The only thing I hope to salvage out of the whole sorry business is the fact the Geordies love passion and realise that is what we had.

 

"We were devastated because we were losing badly and everything boiled over. It was wrong but it was borne out of frustration because we cared."

 

Graeme Souness hauled both Dyer and Bowyer before a hastily-convened press conference to don sackcloth and ashes but Kieron still had to face one more important person - his mother. He revealed: "I was driving her back to Ipswich after the game and stupidly put on the car radio.

 

"It was Five Live and the fans hammered us, which we deserved.

 

"They were saying we should never play football again and such like. It was awful for me but worse for my mother. She was devastated.

 

"I was as low as you could get - but then the chairman phoned my mobile and said he had watched the tape and knew it was not my fault.

 

"That gave me a considerable lift. Next Lee phoned to apologise - he said he had simply lost it and there was no excuse.

 

"The gaffer phoned as well and said I had shown great restraint before plenty of provocation."

 

Source: http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcast...-name_page.html

[MattM4 0]

i was "lucky" to have been at that game. A moment I will never forget, quite amazing.

 

But also as soon as it had happened and seeing which players were involed, It was pretty clear that it was Bowyer's fault and only a flash in the pan moment of intense frustration. Nothing more.

 

Of course the media went over board on it, and they stupidly missed vital games because of it. Almost a year on you can tell there isn't any bad blood between them now. Probably never was.

 

If only Dyer was a 50 games a season player