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Dyer, the perceived leader of Newcastle’s talented but wayward Brat Pack, was already Public Enemy No 1 at Newcastle United following his refusal to play on the right wing on the opening day of the season at Middlesbrough.
Everyone, from ex-players to supporters, had vehemently demanded his departure, and it was assumed that Souness, a manager who does not generally share his predecessor Sir Bobby Robson’s forgiving nature, would be the ideal man to send him on his way. Yet a relationship which began with a spot of quality time in an interview room with two uniformed officers as chaperones has proven to be an unlikely love story in a typically turbulent season on Tyneside.”When Alan was on the bench for Sir Bobby’s last game at Aston Villa, I wasn’t even a sub,” reflected Dyer as he prepared for this afternoon’s lunchtime Premiership meeting with Bolton Wanderers. “But we’re playing OK and if we continue to do that we’ve got a big chance of staying up.” As for Arsenal, too far adrift of Chelsea now, Wenger has admitted that this fortnight will determine the course of their season. Losing two points and Pires was not the brightest of starts..

As starts to a new relationship go, there were undoubtedly better ways for Kieron Dyer to introduce himself to Graeme Souness than a trip to the police station to receive a caution for urinating in the street. “I thought it was one of those finishes again,” said Redknapp, whose side have been regularly undone by late goals from his first game in charge against Middlesbrough.Unbeaten at home since mid-September, they are making much of a difficult run of home games – Chelsea and Manchester United have still to visit – but the key matches appear to be at home to Norwich and away to Crystal Palace.”When I came here and we drew 0-0 with Charlton, it was horrendous and I thought we’d got no chance,” Redknapp added. They dominated the rest of the game, but found Smith in outstanding form. He pushed Ljungberg’s header over, thwarted the excellent Ashley Cole and pushed Henry’s effort just wide of the onrushing Ljungberg.Then in added time, Henry fed the Swede for a cross that Cole anticipated too urgently, moving offside before diving to head in. Redknapp then sent Crouch away past Philippe Senderos, who had been preferred in defence to Lauren, but “the basketball player” miscued.Needing fresh impetus, Arsenal, with all their injuries and suspensions, could only turn to a bench comprising a goalkeeper, three full-backs and J?mie Aliadi?, who has not played since suffering ligament damage in the Community Shield last August. The second dismissal perked up the team and the crowd, and two of Paul Smith’s five fine saves kept his side hoping.In the 67th minute, Crouch “a basketball player who can play with his head”, according to Wenger, did so to good effect, nodding in Jamie Redknapp’s corner as Lehmann wandered vaguely off his line. In the period when each side had a full complement, the game was stodgy, the home side relied on long balls and long throws towards Crouch, and Arsenal lacked the final pass to finish off some neat build-up play.Van Persie missed two early chances before catching Delap to concede the free-kick that led to Southampton’s best chance of the first half.

Delap hoisted it, the 6ft 7in Crouch, inevitably, flicked on and Henri Camara forced a smart stop.Then came the two minutes of mayhem before the interval, with Prutton eventually dragged down the tunnel by two Southampton officials and Ljungberg left unmarked to turn in Thierry Henry’s clever square pass.While Wenger warned Van Persie, Redknapp tried to lift his dispirited players “They were on the floor,” he admitted. The midfielders Edu and Gilberto Silva are still out and, just as importantly, as recent lapses against the Sheffield side and Bayern Munich have shown, so is Sol Campbell. The one player grateful that Prutton and Van Persie commanded most attention was Arsenal’s goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, badly exposed by Peter Crouch’s headed equaliser from a corner.That said, 10-a-side football has much to commend it in opening up the game, and Redknapp was sufficiently emboldened by Southampton’s predicament to leave his two strikers on. In the second half, Spurs upped the tempo further and finally broke through once Reid’s influence grew and Kanout?rrived. “We were a lucky bunch,” admitted Jol, who has set a “top- eight finish”.