Kieron Dyer has admitted that Sir Bobby Robson's sacking was 'always' on his conscience after the Newcastle United midfielder infamously refused to play on the wing.
It was the summer of 2004 and Dyer had previously volunteered to play out wide in a pre-season friendly against Rangers after team-mate Craig Bellamy did not want to. However, when Dyer was asked to do so again for the Premier League opener against Middlesbrough, two weeks later, the Newcastle midfielder refused to do so as he wanted to play in the middle of the park.
Dyer eventually came on at right wing midway through the second half and was at fault for Boro's last-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw before being booed while playing for England at St James' Park a few days later after the story came out. Dyer was again jeered when he came on for Newcastle against Spurs in the Magpies' next game and the midfielder never wanted to be substituted as badly as he did in what proved to be Sir Bobby's penultimate game in charge, a 2-2 draw against Norwich City, after again being booed by some of his own fans at St James'.
