Former West Ham United midfielder Kieron Dyer has singled out the club’s fans in his new book.
Dyer endured an ill-fated spell with West Ham during which he made just 30 appearances in four years for the club failing to register a single goal.
The ex Newcastle United and Ipswich Town star managed more games for England than the Hammers where he broke down with injury time and again much to his and supporters’ frustrations.
Supporters could have been forgiven for turning on Dyer – who retired in 2013 – with the club paying out more than £16 million to him during his time in East London, as previously revealed by co-owner David Gold on Twitter.
But in his new book Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late, Dyer singled Hammers fans out for praise.
“When (co-owners) Gold and David Sullivan bought the club they talked about the extraordinary wages West Ham were paying and how one player who had barely played ought to have the decency to retire. The arrow was pointing right at me,” Dyer said in the book, which has been adapted for The Daily Mail.
“West Ham fans would say what a waste of money I was. I didn’t score a goal for them in four years and didn’t play four or five games on the trot, ever.
“But you know what? Every time I went out there, they were brilliant with me and I will always remember that. It kills me that they didn’t even see a fraction of what I once was.”
West Ham fans are notoriously demanding of their players but one thing is for certain they hard but fair.
Gold and Sullivan’s decision to publicly expose the money Dyer cost West Ham lacked class but in their defence they had a duty to explain to supporters the state the club was in when they first took over.
Dyer is not the first former Premier League star to single out West Ham fans for praise in autobiographies after retirement.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
