Kieron Dyer has opened up on the regret he has over his spell at West Ham, admitting fans saw ‘the worst’ of him.
The former midfielder completed a move to the Hammers in 2007 following an eight-season spell at Newcastle.
Dyer broke his leg early on at West Ham and was out of action for 17 months as a resultGetty
Signing as a 28-year-old, Dyer was at an age where many players are perceived to be in the prime years of their career.
However, he suffered a broken leg just ten days after his West Ham debut and made only 35 appearances over three-and-a-half years.
Dyer recently underwent a liver transplant after being diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a long-term liver disease that is incurable.
He suffered other injuries during his career and told talkSPORT that he believes this was down to his liver condition, with his West Ham stint being impacted.
He said on White and Jordan: “I still get embarrassed being called a West Ham player.
“It pains me because I went there at the peak of my career. I was one of the top-paid players and I could just never stay fit, I feel embarrassed for the fans and for myself.”
Jim White then stated that we now know the reason why he had little success with maintaining his fitness, although Dyer replied: “Yeah of course.
“But at the time, to be on the wages that I was on, it pains me because they should have had the best of me.
Dyer has admitted he is ’embarrassed’ about his time at the club
The most appearances he made in a season for West Ham was 13Getty
“They had probably seen the worst of me, I like the fans as well, they were always respectful to me, I just couldn’t get on the pitch for them.”
Dyer didn’t score for West Ham but did assist three goals during his time in east London, returning to his former club Ipswich Town in March 2011 for a short loan spell.
He then departed the Hammers in a permanent deal for Queens Park Rangers at the end of the season, before signing for Middlesbrough in 2013 and then retiring.
Dyer undertook coaching roles at Ipswich after hanging up his boots but resigned in 2022, although he has also done work at National League table-toppers Chesterfield.
