Kieron Dyer Sneaks Six Michael Jackson Song Titles Into Press Conference Unnoticed
Southend United manager Kieron Dyer successfully inserted six Michael Jackson song titles into a press conference without any of the attending journalists noticing.
The former England midfielder accepted a challenge from his players to include as many references as possible during his media duties, with money being raised for charity if he completed the task.
Dyer began by discussing Southend’s recruitment and saying the club wanted to be startin’ somethin’ good. He then predicted a thriller against Yeovil Town before explaining the importance of looking at the man in the mirror when assessing performances.
At this stage, the press conference had already covered three Michael Jackson songs while remaining entirely within the recognised boundaries of football management.
Dyer continued by observing that football is not black or white and will always contain both the good and the bad, collecting two further titles through an analysis applicable to almost every match ever played.
The sixth reference arrived during a discussion about potential signings.
Dyer said Southend had targets in mind but could not reveal any names, adding that the player could be a random Joe Bloggs or “a random Billie Jean.”
No journalist requested further information about Billie Jean’s position, availability or previous club.
Dyer maintained a straight face throughout before revealing the challenge at the end of the interview. He expressed particular surprise that his final reference had not exposed the entire exercise.
The six songs were Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, Thriller, Man in the Mirror, Black or White, Bad and Billie Jean.
Each passed without interruption because the titles covered recruitment, an upcoming fixture, personal reflection, tactical uncertainty, performance levels and an unnamed transfer target—the essential components of the modern football press conference.
Southend entered the weekend seventh in the National League after collecting 10 points from their opening five matches under Dyer.
The journalists left with sufficient material to preview the Yeovil game and later discovered they had also attended a six-song Michael Jackson tribute set.
