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Author Topic: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?  (Read 13405 times)

Offline Eigentor

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #30 on: July 16, 2013, 06:39:57 AM »
Excellent first season. Showed up overweight and unfit the second season; was largely shit and thus dropped, managed to play his way back into the side and was competent in second half of that season. Third season he was ok (on average), but inconsistent, and showed increasing evidence that his positioning (which could range from quite good to very poor) couldn't make up for his slowness. Fourth season nowhere to be seen (excluding jokes about pastry shops).

Even though he probably had some mental issues, you could probably argue that he responded well to a challenge: coming here after being rejected by Man City; getting back into the team after being dropped by GH; helping the team in TSM's relegation battle.

Maybe not really all that bad, but clearly not the kind of player we should have been signing to break into the top four. 

Offline Merv

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #31 on: July 16, 2013, 06:56:35 AM »
I'd love to know what really went on last season.

Offline PaulTheVillan

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #32 on: July 16, 2013, 08:39:55 AM »
I thought he was superb in his first season for us & when he came back for the last few games under McLeish.

Offline paul_e

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #33 on: July 16, 2013, 08:46:24 AM »
In patches he was good but over the course of his time with us he was overweight, unprofessional, disrespectful and full of errors.  Very average defender who should never have been given such a stupid contract by us.

Online Clampy

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #34 on: July 16, 2013, 09:08:00 AM »
I thought he was superb in his first season for us & when he came back for the last few games under McLeish.

Pretty much what i was going to put.

Offline MoetVillan

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #35 on: July 16, 2013, 09:19:43 AM »
Great first season, despite still having a couple of ricks/own goals.  That is all

Offline ktvillan

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #36 on: July 16, 2013, 09:20:57 AM »
I thought he was a decent PL player prone to a few too many gaffes, but not top 4 standard which is where we were, at the time of signing him,  aiming to be.  I think he was a bit too "old school" in terms of "diet" for that level although I'm not sure he was actually fat, just sturdy and not especially nimble or quick.

Offline Fin Feds Dad

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #37 on: July 16, 2013, 09:25:49 AM »
I've never particularly liked the fat fuck. Was okay for a while the first season, helped cost us the 2010 final, always looked capable of majorly fucking up in a game. The disgraceful way he acted towards Sid, which as far as I was concerned should have seen sacked on the spot. And 'earnt' more money last year than most of us will see in our lifetimes while contributing fuck all because he was too busy yamming down cream buns in Greggs.

Nail. On. Head .

Offline Villadroid

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #38 on: July 16, 2013, 09:35:49 AM »
I will always associate Dunne with the club's high point when Villa got to Wembley where they lost narrowly to Man United in the League Cup final (2010).

I often wonder whether Villa's recent history would have been significantly different had referee Dowd  followed the rule book, when Gabby was tripped in the penalty box.

I never thought Dunne was a defender of the very best quality, and obviously Man City didn't either, but the £5m fee reflected that at the time, and for an ambitious club, which Villa were back then, his contract did not seem extravagant, for a rich club which was trying to achieve the same as Man City, but as we now know, for a lot less.

When he played for Villa he was a lot better than I expected and just as at Man City or playing for the Republic, he more than made up for his lack of finesse by his bravery and commitment.

Sadly, his reputation has suffered during the process of historical revision which has been required during the fans' adjustment to Villa's substantial reduction in ambition.

Offline Sexual Ealing

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #39 on: July 16, 2013, 10:09:16 AM »
You must be very young if you think losing a league cup final was the club's high point.

Offline Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #40 on: July 16, 2013, 10:14:11 AM »
No. He just had a bad mistake waiting to happen in him. He was a lot like David James. Could be really, really good, but prone to errors.

Was he at fault for Stoke getting those two late goals (or maybe just one of them?)?

Offline paul_e

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #41 on: July 16, 2013, 10:21:26 AM »
I will always associate Dunne with the club's high point when Villa got to Wembley where they lost narrowly to Man United in the League Cup final (2010).

I often wonder whether Villa's recent history would have been significantly different had referee Dowd  followed the rule book, when Gabby was tripped in the penalty box.

I never thought Dunne was a defender of the very best quality, and obviously Man City didn't either, but the £5m fee reflected that at the time, and for an ambitious club, which Villa were back then, his contract did not seem extravagant, for a rich club which was trying to achieve the same as Man City, but as we now know, for a lot less.

When he played for Villa he was a lot better than I expected and just as at Man City or playing for the Republic, he more than made up for his lack of finesse by his bravery and commitment.

Sadly, his reputation has suffered during the process of historical revision which has been required during the fans' adjustment to Villa's substantial reduction in ambition.


There's no historical revision, most people with anything negative to say have stated he had a good first season, but after that he was largely unprofessional and average.  Add in that he always had a mistake in him and he can only be viewed as a bad buy for the club.

His reputation has suffered because he came back for preseason overweight after 1 good year and then spent the next year bitching about being made to put effort in to training before topping it off by going on a 'clear the air' retreat with the team, getting pissed and attacking a club legend.  The Houllier season showed up everything that is wrong with Dunne, 20 years ago he'd have been fine but football has moved on, fitness is taken seriously now and he wasn't willing to focus on it.

Offline Meanwood Villa

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #42 on: July 16, 2013, 10:21:50 AM »
No. He just had a bad mistake waiting to happen in him. He was a lot like David James. Could be really, really good, but prone to errors.

Was he at fault for Stoke getting those two late goals (or maybe just one of them?)?

He wasn't playing for us then so can't pin that on him. For me his whole career will be overshadowed by his complete absence last season. What was going on there?

Offline Meanwood Villa

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #43 on: July 16, 2013, 10:24:05 AM »
I will always associate Dunne with the club's high point when Villa got to Wembley where they lost narrowly to Man United in the League Cup final (2010).


Ah yes, the game when his mistake led to the crucial equaliser. And that was when he was good.

Offline mr woo

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Re: Richard Dunne was he really that bad?
« Reply #44 on: July 16, 2013, 10:38:46 AM »
I think Eigentors post just about sums Dunne up for me. I can see why he would divide opinion to be fair, very much a love him or hate him type.

Wasnt he part of the best Premier League defence that year under MON? And yet he holds the record for Premier League own goals.....

Throwing one thought out there, I reckon if he was fit last season to partner Vlaar, we'd have finished comfortably mid-table. How many would agree?

 


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