Kieron Dyer's Ambitious Start at Southend United
Kieron Dyer is enjoying the start. He just refuses to indulge it.
Southend United sit fifth in the National League table, three points off early leaders Boreham Wood, with four wins from seven under their new manager. Roots Hall has a buzz back, the football is front-foot, and the goals are flowing.
Dyer’s message? Enjoy it, but don’t lose your head.
Dyer’s reality check
"In the worst possible way, winning three games to start off was a bad kind of thing because everybody gets a bit giddy and 'we're going to win the league'," the 47-year-old told BBC Radio Essex.
It was classic Dyer: honest, sharp, and unafraid to puncture the hype. He wants ambition, not delusion.
"I want everyone to think we have a great chance to win the league, but you've got to remember we are a really new team, with new coaching staff and new ways of playing.
"We've got to be really happy with our players and how quickly they've adjusted and got points on the board."
This is his first managerial job after a glittering playing career with Ipswich Town, Newcastle United and England. He is treating it like he played – aggressively, on the front foot, with risk built into the design.
Roots Hall as a fortress
Southend, beaten in the play-offs in 2025-2026, have not tiptoed into this campaign. They have scored 14 goals in seven league matches and taken six points from a possible nine at Roots Hall.
The intent is obvious.
"We have to make this place a fortress," Dyer said. "We had the set-back against Kidderminster, but our three performances at home have been of a good, high quality - with control and exciting football."
He is not hiding what he wants this team to be.
"Again, I want us to be really positive. I'm going to put as many flair players on the pitch as possible and feed them and let them cause havoc. So buckle in, and hopefully we give the fans something to sing about."
It is not the language of a coach trying to grind his way through a long season. It is the language of a man who believes the best way to survive this division is to attack it.
Chaos coming to town
Next up at Roots Hall are Tamworth on Tuesday night. On paper, it is a mismatch.
Tamworth have won just one of their opening seven games. They sit 22nd, with 19 goals conceded already. The numbers scream vulnerability.
Dyer, though, knows they bring their own brand of danger.
"They're very good at what they do. They play two up. They try to bring chaos to a game, and they want it to be transitional," he said.
"That's why they've scored a lot of goals (13), but I think it's also why they've conceded a lot of goals, too (19). We feel we can really expose their weaknesses."
He is not planning to stand still either.
"We'll make a few changes and try to get some real freshness. They pose a threat, but if we do what we want to do I think this game should be ok for us."
So the tone is set. A manager who wants chaos on his own terms, a team already buying into his attacking creed, and a home crowd being urged to buckle in.
If this is what Southend look like in the opening weeks of a “really new team”, what happens when they truly click?
