Robson sends home disgraced Dyer

As England's World Cup hopefuls gathered in Manchester, Kieron Dyer, the one player Sven Goran Eriksson is most keen to see in action before selecting his squad for Japan and South Korea, was returning to Tyneside in disgrace.

Dyer was one of four Newcastle United players sent home from their Spanish training camp after failing to attend a dinner in honour of Sir John Hall, the club's president and former chairman who now lives in Marbella.

The others are Carl Cort, who like Dyer has not pulled on a black-and-white shirt all season because of injury, Craig Bellamy, on current form Newcastle's leading striker, and the defender Andy Griffin, who was recently involved in a training-ground punch-up with the French winger Laurent Robert. Despite finding the net 10 times this season, Bellamy has been criticised by his manager, Bobby Robson, for the dissent which has earned him four bookings.

Although all four have been fined, a source close to the players denied there had been a stand-up row with Robson, who had taken the squad to Spain for a friendly against Huelva to mark the opening of the Second Division club's new ground.

"The players were unaware that they were under orders to attend the meal on Monday night," said the source. "They went to a local restaurant for a meal on the quayside. There was no alcohol ban on the trip and they enjoyed a few quiet drinks before returning to the hotel later that evening.

"The first they knew of the trouble was when they got their itinerary on Tuesday and their names were down for the first flight home. There was no big bust-up with Bobby Robson, but they are devastated."

This is not the first time that Newcastle's decision to take their players off for a mid-season break has led to unexpected headlines – a trip to Ireland under Kenny Dalglish finished with Alan Shearer having an altercation with Keith Gillespie outside a Dublin bar. However, Dyer's involvement will simply add to speculation that his long-term future on Tyneside is open to question.

Despite his considerable ability, the 22-year-old has not shown the same maturity off the field that he displays on it. He is not close to the men Robson calls his "blue chip players", such as Shearer and Rob Lee, who form the core of the playing staff. After his first season with Newcastle following his £6m transfer from Ipswich, Dyer suffered the indignity of seeing the News of the World publish allegations of videotaped sex sessions in a Cyprus hotel bedroom.

Robson subsequently advised him to "duck and dive and keep a low profile", something Dyer has found hard to do; the bars and clubs of Newcastle's famed Quayside have provided too much temptation.

In the summer, both Leeds and Manchester United asked about Dyer's availability and his friends feared he was being touted around as the club's single most saleable asset.

Dyer, who has not played competitively in nine months after complications with a shin splints injury, remained, but with Feyenoord asking £15m for Robson's leading transfer target, Brett Emerton, yesterday's developments will merely fuel speculation over the man his manager calls "my little gem".