The Club confirmed tonight that Kieron Dyer has suffered a double-fracture to his lower leg following the results of a series of x-rays. Following a late challenge by Bristol Rovers defender, Joe Jacobson in tonight's Carling Cup tie, Kieron was stretchered off the pitch and rushed straight to hospital where it was confirmed he had fractured both the tibia and fibula of his right leg. A statement reveals it is too early to say at this stage how long the player will be out for as this will become clearer once the first stage of surgery is completed.
Speaking after the game, Alan Curbishley said: "We think that Kieron Dyer's broken his leg and we're so devastated for him. I just can't put it into words. The game was just immaterial after that and I think that the Bristol Rovers' player has got to be very disappointed with his tackle because, as far as I could see, he lashed out after losing the ball. The players could see what he did and that's why they were so angry. Obviously, we're delighted that we got through to the next stage of the competition but the game was irrelevant after Kieron's injury. I'm really down because he was looking sharp out there, playing in his favourite position in the middle of the park. Everyone in the dressing room's really flat but we've just got to get over this. After all, that's the reason why we've got a squad and now we've got to push on and look forward to Saturday's game at Reading."
The 2-1 win that was marred by Joe Jacobson's 10th minute challenge on his England midfielder but Curbishley added: "Although you sometimes wonder why you put such a strong team out for these games, it still won't make me think twice about putting out a similar strength side in the future. Here at West Ham United, we see the League Cup as a competition in which we can do well. I said to the players before the game that Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic have all made the final in recent years, so it's an opportunity for us to get into Europe. That's why we attacked the game against Bristol Rovers but I guess the luck's against us right now. It's delicate and we're treading on eggshells. Things had already conspired against us before the game, when Dean Ashton's girlfriend went into labour and he had to miss out because he's so desperate for a game. Craig Bellamy had come off with a niggling groin injury against Wigan Athletic on Saturday and we were wondering whether we did the right thing in playing him instead of Deano but, fortunately, he got his first couple of goals for us and he's really pleased with himself. Looking around, though, I've got £20 million-worth of injured players - Julien Faubert, Freddie Ljungberg, Scott Parker and now Kieron Dyer - all on the sidelines."
Hammers captain Lucas Neill, reflecting on the game, stated: "We allowed them back into the game after executing a very good first half of total football, but when you don't score the third goal and you give them a sniff in front of their home crowd, they're going to raise their game. In the end I thought we were quite resilient but it was our mistake that allowed them back into the game and we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure. When you play in the Cup, it's not so much about the performance. It's being in the next round that's important. If you win five games ugly and get to the final, eventually you're going to play really well but no one remembers the performance, just the result up until that point. We're in the next round, we can stay positive and there's an opportunity to get into Europe if we're successful in this tournament so we'll be taking it seriously."
Taking much of the gloss off an important win was the injury sustained by Kieron Dyer after a late tackle six minutes into the match. "It wasn't an overly aggressive challenge or full of malice but it was a foul," said Neill. "Everyone is devastated that it has happened to the poor lad. We really feel for him. We're all going to go and visit him and hope that he as a speedy recovery. It's the scariest time for a footballer and no one likes to see it. He's only been here a couple of weeks and after all the activity that went on trying to get him as well. He was starting to look really good, he was hungry, he was determined to do well and he was looking sharp in training. He has great experience, both internationally and domestically and it's a big lost. But we've got players in the squad who now, through his unfortunate circumstances, will get an opportunity to replace him and hopefully push on."
Lee Bowyer was the first player to tend to Dyer as he went down following a late challenge by Joe Jacobson. "It was a nightmare," he recalls. "I was standing right there. Kieron came straight towards me and I thought he was going to pass me the ball because he took a touch and it came my way. But the fella went in after and it looked like a slash to me. I said that to the referee. I heard a crack but I was hoping it was just his shin pad. Obviously it wasn't and it's a big loss for us. We're just not having much luck at the moment with Julien and his Achilles and Kieron being another new signing with his leg, both on the right side. I've played with him before so I know how he plays and I thought he did well against Birmingham and again on Saturday against Wigan. Hopefully he gets better sooner rather than later."
Speaking after the game, Alan Curbishley said: "We think that Kieron Dyer's broken his leg and we're so devastated for him. I just can't put it into words. The game was just immaterial after that and I think that the Bristol Rovers' player has got to be very disappointed with his tackle because, as far as I could see, he lashed out after losing the ball. The players could see what he did and that's why they were so angry. Obviously, we're delighted that we got through to the next stage of the competition but the game was irrelevant after Kieron's injury. I'm really down because he was looking sharp out there, playing in his favourite position in the middle of the park. Everyone in the dressing room's really flat but we've just got to get over this. After all, that's the reason why we've got a squad and now we've got to push on and look forward to Saturday's game at Reading."
The 2-1 win that was marred by Joe Jacobson's 10th minute challenge on his England midfielder but Curbishley added: "Although you sometimes wonder why you put such a strong team out for these games, it still won't make me think twice about putting out a similar strength side in the future. Here at West Ham United, we see the League Cup as a competition in which we can do well. I said to the players before the game that Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic have all made the final in recent years, so it's an opportunity for us to get into Europe. That's why we attacked the game against Bristol Rovers but I guess the luck's against us right now. It's delicate and we're treading on eggshells. Things had already conspired against us before the game, when Dean Ashton's girlfriend went into labour and he had to miss out because he's so desperate for a game. Craig Bellamy had come off with a niggling groin injury against Wigan Athletic on Saturday and we were wondering whether we did the right thing in playing him instead of Deano but, fortunately, he got his first couple of goals for us and he's really pleased with himself. Looking around, though, I've got £20 million-worth of injured players - Julien Faubert, Freddie Ljungberg, Scott Parker and now Kieron Dyer - all on the sidelines."
Hammers captain Lucas Neill, reflecting on the game, stated: "We allowed them back into the game after executing a very good first half of total football, but when you don't score the third goal and you give them a sniff in front of their home crowd, they're going to raise their game. In the end I thought we were quite resilient but it was our mistake that allowed them back into the game and we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure. When you play in the Cup, it's not so much about the performance. It's being in the next round that's important. If you win five games ugly and get to the final, eventually you're going to play really well but no one remembers the performance, just the result up until that point. We're in the next round, we can stay positive and there's an opportunity to get into Europe if we're successful in this tournament so we'll be taking it seriously."
Taking much of the gloss off an important win was the injury sustained by Kieron Dyer after a late tackle six minutes into the match. "It wasn't an overly aggressive challenge or full of malice but it was a foul," said Neill. "Everyone is devastated that it has happened to the poor lad. We really feel for him. We're all going to go and visit him and hope that he as a speedy recovery. It's the scariest time for a footballer and no one likes to see it. He's only been here a couple of weeks and after all the activity that went on trying to get him as well. He was starting to look really good, he was hungry, he was determined to do well and he was looking sharp in training. He has great experience, both internationally and domestically and it's a big lost. But we've got players in the squad who now, through his unfortunate circumstances, will get an opportunity to replace him and hopefully push on."
Lee Bowyer was the first player to tend to Dyer as he went down following a late challenge by Joe Jacobson. "It was a nightmare," he recalls. "I was standing right there. Kieron came straight towards me and I thought he was going to pass me the ball because he took a touch and it came my way. But the fella went in after and it looked like a slash to me. I said that to the referee. I heard a crack but I was hoping it was just his shin pad. Obviously it wasn't and it's a big loss for us. We're just not having much luck at the moment with Julien and his Achilles and Kieron being another new signing with his leg, both on the right side. I've played with him before so I know how he plays and I thought he did well against Birmingham and again on Saturday against Wigan. Hopefully he gets better sooner rather than later."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment