KIERON DYER has revealed how he pleaded with Craig Bellamy not to throw away his Newcastle United career.

The Magpies' midfielder, no stranger to controversy himself, says he phoned the striker and begged him to not wash his dirty laundry in public.

But Dyer's warnings went unheeded and Bellamy appears to have kicked his last ball for the club.

The Wales' international could still have had a future at the club, despite his outburst after the televised game at Arsenal last week, when chairman Freddie Shepherd initially attempted to smooth over the cracks.

But his subsequent volley of vitriol towards Graeme Souness culminating with him accusing his manager of being 'a liar', has all but ended his three-and-a-half year stay on Tyneside.

"When I heard about it I was on the phone to him saying Craig don't do it, and keep it to yourself, but obviously he had his reasons," said Dyer.

"He is opinionated and he thought the club were going against him and did not want him, and the gaffer was thinking he didn't want to play for us.

"Craig is probably my best friend at the club and I tried to convince him not to go on TV and do that interview, but he's got his beliefs.

"The way he plays on the pitch is how he is off the pitch. He thinks he's right and he's stuck to his guns and the club think they're right and they've stuck to their guns. The big loser in the end is Newcastle United Football Club.

"Craig Bellamy, when he is fit, will be in the starting XI, it's as simple as that. He loves Newcastle United and he knows it is a massive club and when he played he gave his all."

Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers have both made bids for the £6m-rated striker, but Dyer says it would not surprise him in the least if he was still at St James' Park tomorrow morning after the transfer window has shut.

"I wish him all the best but he has not signed yet, and you never know, he still might be a Newcastle United player come Tuesday, we'll just have to wait and see," admitted the England international.

Dyer found himself in a similar situation at the beginning of the season after he refused to play on the right side of midfield for former boss Sir Bobby Robson - resulting in him losing favour with the Newcastle fans.

But, unlike his team-mate, Dyer had the dignity to keep quiet and attempt to win back the respect of both the manager and the fans.

Dyer understands the manager and the chairman were left with little alternative but to let the Welshman leave after last week's events, but can understand his frustration of being played out of position.

He said: "The chairman says it best when he says no one player bigger is than the club and you have to realise that. I can see why Craig is frustrated playing wide right because it is not his best position, but you're playing for the club.

"I played there a number of games last season. You try and help out the club and then your own form is dropping. Then you read the papers and you're getting slaughtered by fans and journalists, and you're thinking, that all I'm doing is playing out of position to try and help the club.

"It gets frustrating. But the club pays your wages and you can't be selfish and that is the biggest thing I've learned.

"But it is just a shame that Craig will never play for the club again."

The former Ipswich player was happy to set the record straight regarding the players' relationship with Bellamy and says no one had fallen out with either player or manager over the incident.

"We're all his friends," added Dyer. "When I was reading some of the stuff in the press saying he had lost all the confidence of the players, it wasn't the case.

"We were just trying to be open minded and neutral. Probably both parties are right in their own ways.

"The manager said he can't play Craig because he called him a liar, and Craig thinks the manager does not want him. So not once did we side against the manager or Craig. We had confidence in both and just hoped it was sorted out. That wasn't the case."

In recent weeks Newcastle's midfield dynamo has rediscovered his best form and confesses he is happy to have been given a second chance at the club after going through six months of hell.

"Obviously when the new manager came in, you read that you are one of the first players to be kicked out but he has given me a great chance," said a relieved Dyer.

"There was a lot of fans who were saying they didn't want me back in the team.

"But he was brave enough to play me and I will always be grateful for that.

"I was coming on and getting booed, I tried to ignore it but I'm a confidence player and that goes for anyone.

"Things were going against me at the start (of the season) when I did wrong, and when I was playing it was torturous at times.

"I was low on confidence and I was getting booed left right and centre. But the majority of the fans have given me a second chance, which is wonderful, and I'm slowly getting my confidence back and showing some of the football I like to play."

Read more about Newcastle United FC here.