Toon Defender Admits 'I Had A Nast Shock'!

Last updated : 03 May 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor

Beye: "I like the physical side, but I have worked very hard with Lamby (Adrian Lamb), the fitness coach, to make sure I am able to deal with it in England.

"When you come to England you need to have good body fitness. You need to be strong. You think you are strong when you come to England, but you need to work. I work on it all the time to get stronger and that has helped it become easier for me.

"It is rougher here than in France. If you see the games in the Champions League between Chelsea and Liverpool you see how tough it is. People in France talk about the game, about why English teams are doing so well in Europe. It is about intensity.

"I have enjoyed myself here. In France it is more tactical - 1-1, 0-1 results, etc. It is not very exciting for the fans but when you come to England you see 4-4, 5-4. Even last Saturday to come back from two down to draw 2-2. For me it is very spectacular and I am enjoying myself.

"Of course, the most important thing is how the team performs and not myself, but the defence has been good and we are playing well. We showed great character at West Ham. To come back from two down was great. It is important to finish strongly and not lose any games at the end of the season.

"Kevin Keegan has inspired character. We would have lost the West Ham game a few months ago. We would have lost by four or five, now it is different.

"That says everything about Kevin's team. We didn't play well against Sunderland and still won, and it was the same against West Ham. The first 20 minutes wasn't great but then we responded. It was great to get a good result at West Ham because it sets us up for a massive game against Chelsea. You need plenty of character for big games like Chelsea."