From The Wharf:
You're in a good job at a Premier League club and all of a sudden a job comes up two leagues down. What do you do?
It may seem a no brainer but Alex Dyer, at the time respected reserve coach at top flight West Ham, decided his future lay across the river at struggling Charlton as manager Chris Powell's number two.
Although West Ham have troubles of their own, they pale into comparison to a club on stuck on a steep slide for the past five years.
But Dyer said it was down to his desire to help the club he played for in the 90s return to former glories.
"I had around three seasons here and they were good times," said Dyer, in his day a tough striker turned defender. "I loved the club and the people, so when I got the call from the gaffer I couldn't say no.
"Even though it's slipped down the table it's still a good club with a good support base, getting in 13-14,000 people a week.
"If we were pushing higher we could be getting in 20-25,000 and that's what we are going for.
"I was at the club when we went back to The Valley so I got to see the club coming back home. Now the club's big, the stadium's lovely and we want to give the fans back that level of football."
Dyer joined the Addicks in 1990 from rivals Crystal Palace. Playing up front or on the left wing he gradually won over the Addicks crowd.
However, it was a period of consolidation after relegation from the top flight, with the Addicks forced to sell in order to finance a return to The Valley.
Despite the struggles Dyer has good memories of the spell which included home games at Selhurst Park, Upton Park and finally The Valley.
"We had a great bunch of players," said Dyer. "Scott Minto, Carl Leaburn, John Bumstead, Bob Bolder. A lot of good honest pros who worked hard for the club.
"There was also a bit of flair there with Paul Mortimer and Curbs. And we had Keith Peacock at the club too.
"We put a shift in to get where we wanted to be. It's all reasons why I jumped at the chance to come back.
"It wasn't a step down, it was a step up because it was a great chance to be involved in the first team with Chris Powell."
It's a surprise to many Charlton fans that the forward soon moved to left-back.
But that's what happened and Dyer was even asked by a future top Premier League manager to line-up against strikers in his last few games in England.
"I was brought up to play football and as I got more experienced the manager saw more in me than I saw in myself," he said.
"When I moved to Oxford, I was signed by Brian Horton but when Denis Smith came in, we had an injury and he put me at left-back. I was there two seasons.
"If you've got a footballing brain you can play anywhere. At Notts County I was asked by Sam Allardyce to play at centre-half and I really enjoyed it. It was a nice way to finish my league career."
He ended up at Portuguese side Maia before moving on to coaching.
"I played in Portugal for seven or eight months, playing in their second division. It was a good education in their game, seeing how they do things," said the 45-year-old.
"Coming to the end of my career I always wanted to coach. I coached the 14 and 15 year-olds at Reading but wanted to work with the older teams and went to West Ham as a fitness coach.
"People realised coaching was my forte. I had seven good years at West Ham and I was in no rush at all to leave."
Two months into his post at The Valley, it's been a tough time with a run of disappointing results leaving the side inherited from the sacked Phil Parkinson looking doomed to another year of League One.
It's been a baptism of fire for the management team as they come to terms with the limitations of a side put together on a shoestring by Parkinson in the pre-season.
A Christmas takeover - which resulted in the end of Parkinson's tenure - offered more financial stability but Powell and Dyer have had a rush getting in the right players in mid-season.
"Pre-seasons are where you lay your foundations, physically, mentally and tactically but we've come in half way through the season and won the first four," said Dyer.
"The next seven hasn't gone too well but it's no excuse.
"Of course it's better to work with the team before the season starts but we can't go back to that. It's all about digging in now."
http://www.wharf.co.uk/2011/03/charlton-interview-alex-dyer.html
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Comments
you have to be kidding me curbs couldn't lace morts's boots
now we pull one off if one hits the chest of bwp and we nick a point against tranmere
agreed , we stuffed em 5-1 or something and his mazey run was proper footy wankbank stuff
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[/img]
1 - Everton at Goodison. We took about 100 up there on Weds night I think. The applause from the home fans was louder than our cheers.
2 - Chelsea at Selhurst when we did them 3-0. Absolute belter.
The Norwich one always looks a little bit skill\luck when I see it.
everton away in 3-2 defeat or chelsea at selhurst for me