Nice interview with LKD in today's Ronnie...interesting comments :-)

KIERON DYER set the mood for tonight's home opener with Derby County at St James's Park when he declared : "I'm here to stay."

And after reports that Arsenal want to take him to Highbury Dyer insisted:

"I love it here - and I want to go on to become one of the Newcastle United legends I keep reading and hearing about."

Bobby Robson has ordered Dyer to keep a low profile following his off-the- field problems in the close season and told his #7 million to do his talking on the pitch.

But Robson has allowed Dyer to talk to The Chronicle - and in an exclusive interview the little midfielder told me: "I have heard nothing at all about Arsenal.

Devastated

"But I am not interested in going to Arsenal, or anywhere else for that matter. I am very happy at Newcastle United.

"I have signed a four-year contract at the club and I look forward to the day when I sign another one."

Dyer will be in United's starting line-up tonight after being left on the bench in Sunday's defeat at Old Trafford and his mother and father and younger sister are travelling to Tyneside from Ipswich to take in tonight's match.

The England international admitted: "I was devastated at not starting against Manchester United on Sunday but the manager has explained that it's a squad game these days and I now respect his decision.

"But sitting on the bench I felt that with over 67,000 in the ground the atmosphere could have been better.

"I know that if there had been 67,000 Geordies at Old Trafford the atmosphere would have been 10 times better.

"The atmosphere was incredible last season with 38,000 in St James's Park and no roof.

"Tonight with over 52,000 in the ground under that roof it's going to be phenomenal."

It's almost 12 months to the day since Dyer opened his scoring account for United in that night against Sunderland but he felt he should have scored more.

And he added: "Really the only downer I had last season was that I did not score enough goals.

"Gary Speed got into double figures and I have had a little wager with him that I will get more than him.

"But as he is a 10-goals-a-season man I know I have got to get cracking."

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Answers

We only get it up for the big games.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

HeeHee!! Just addicted to it aren't you :-)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000