kieron-dyer

The Daily Mirror has reported that 31-year-old West Ham midfielder Kieron Dyer is considering his future in the game. Dyer has had rotten luck with injuries throughout his career and is apparently unsure of whether or not he should continue trying to regain match fitness. If he does decide to follow in Dean Ashton’s footsteps and retire, it would be a sad way to end the career of an immensely talented but troubled player.

Dyer has only made 18 appearances for West Ham since his £6million move three years ago. That works out at over £400k per game not including his considerable wages. On his third appearance for the club he suffered a double leg-break and was ruled out for 17 months. Since that point he has continued to struggle with muscle injuries and he is still plagued by the hamstring problems that have haunted Dyer throughout his career.

Injuries played a big part in Dyer’s career at Newcastle as well; he missed 7 months of the 2005/06 season and was then injured at the end of that season ruling him out of England’s World Cup squad. He was constantly picking up small injuries and in 8 years at Newcastle, he only played 190 league games; an average of 24 a season.

As well as injuries, Dyer has had a controversial career; he was arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure; he refused to play on the left-wing when asked by Sir Bobby Robson and most famously he was involved with an on-the-pitch fight with teammate Lee Bowyer. Dyer’s reputation took a real hit after these episodes and they often overshadowed his ability. He earned 33 caps for England and if injury hadn’t struck at the wrong time, he could have made a real impact at the 2006 World Cup.

Despite all the controversy, Dyer is an extremely talented footballer; in his prime he was a match for anyone with his pace and quick feet. It was once reported that Manchester United offered £20million for the player and this is a measure of how good he was. He has never quite reached his potential due to injuries and a questionable attitude, but he is one of the great English talents of the last 15 years and it is a shame that he will not be remembered too fondly by many. If the rumours of retirement are true, it is a sad end for a gifted but ultimately cursed player.