Southend United manager Kieron Dyer revealed he successfully slipped several Michael Jackson song titles into his pre-match press conference for a squad charity challenge.
The former Newcastle United and England midfielder came clean to journalists at the end of media duties ahead of his side's fifth-tier match against Yeovil Town.
Dyer stopped reporters as they prepared to leave the room to explain that members of his squad had challenged him to complete the secret task to raise money for charity.
"Sorry, sorry, just to say..." Dyer began. "I was challenged by the lads to see how many Michael Jackson songs I could get into my press conference. The money will be donated to charity, but I got quite a few in, I think."
Reporters in the room were left stunned before playfully questioning how the 33-cap former England star had managed to pull off the feat.
Southend United later shared a video clip of all of Dyer's references to their social media pages.
Hidden song references
Some of the references were integrated more smoothly into football answers than others, starting with a nod to Jackson's 1983 hit Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'.
"Obviously at the club we want to be starting something really good, and recruitment is a massive part of that," Dyer said in reference to the track.
Other song titles felt more forced during the briefing. Dyer added: "I expect a real thriller of a game on Saturday," referencing Jackson's famous hit Thriller.
He also included a reference to another well-known track, stating: "It's always good to reflect and look at the man in the mirror."
The Southend boss delivered his most impressive phrase when he managed to work two Jackson songs into a single sentence.
"Football is never going to be black or white, there's going to be the good and the bad," Dyer said, incorporating both Black or White from 1991 and Bad from 1987.
Later in the conference, while discussing potential transfer activity, he continued his streak of pop culture references.
"We have targets in mind. I can't name names, but it could be a random Joe Bloggs or a random Billie Jean," he told reporters.
None of the journalists present in the room appeared to pick up on the song titles while the press conference was underway.
"I can't believe you didn't clock that. Especially when I said Billie Jean," a laughing Dyer said after the media session concluded. "Sorry about that, but I got challenged and hopefully I've raised some money for charity."
Background on Dyer and Southend
Dyer enjoyed a long career in English football as a midfielder, making over 400 professional appearances for clubs including Ipswich Town, Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Queens Park Rangers. He earned 33 caps for the England national team between 1999 and 2007.
Southend United, an Essex-based club founded in 1906, currently competes in the National League, which forms the fifth tier of the English football league system.
Referee minigames controversy
Dyer's light-hearted stunt came just hours after former Premier League official Mike Dean came under fire for admitting to playing his own minigames while refereeing top-flight matches.
Dean, 58, retired from refereeing in 2023 after spending more than 20 years officiating at the highest level in English football.
Now that his professional career has concluded, Dean admitted to attempting to see how long he could go without blowing his whistle during Premier League games.
"There used to be games we would have for a laugh," Dean revealed during an appearance on Jamie Vardy's Having a Party podcast. "It would kick-off, right; see how long we could go without blowing a whistle. I done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR, obviously. Went 20, 25 minutes without blowing the whistle."
The former official also disclosed that he tried to remain inside the centre circle for as long as possible during certain top-flight fixtures.
"I used to do another one in the Premier League, I used to stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave," Dean said. "That was just me joking about. Got about 15 minutes once, in one game."
Reaction from refereeing authorities
Daily Mail Sport understands that Dean's comments have raised eyebrows within the refereeing community, with senior figures questioning the plausibility of his claims given the lack of specific details.
According to senior officials, Dean provided no indication of when the alleged minigames took place during his refereeing career.
Dean stated that the incidents occurred before Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology was introduced for the 2019-20 season, meaning any such events would have occurred under previous refereeing leadership.
Current refereeing chiefs remain insistent that integrity and impartiality are at the heart of decision-making for all match officials.
What comes next
Southend United return to fifth-tier action when they host Yeovil Town, with Dyer hoping his side can secure a victory following their pre-match media preparation.
