Souness: The Dyer Slate is Clean

By Matthew Jones
September 14 2004

Graeme Souness will give Kieron Dyer a completely clean slate as he takes charge of his first game on Thursday night when Newcastle United take on Israeli side Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin at St James' Park in the Uefa Cup.

Souness knows of the unrest in the Magpies' dressing room during Sir Bobby Robson's time at the club this season - one being Kieron Dyer's refusal to play on the right - but insists that the past will be forgotten.

He said: 

"I will sit down with Kieron Dyer and tell him that the slate is completely clean.

"Who at 23 or 24 years old doesn't make mistakes? Who at 23 or 24 years old doesn't need educating? Who at that age doesn't need an arm putting round them from time to time?

"Kieron has learnt something in the past few weeks and I'm sure he will do things differently now. It's only a problem if you keep making the same mistakes then you're an idiot."

Are you happy with this, or would you rather see Souness come down hard on such incidents?

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