Dunne in bust up with Houllier & McAllister on Friday - NOTW

[supertom]

There's probably an element of truth, because lets face it, tactically we don't look very well organised. Granted injuries don't help. And some players don't seem to be putting in nearly the same level of effort, determination and concentration as they did under Martin O Neill. So I can see why a story like this breaks. True, false, or a mixture? Who knows.

As for Dunne, he's been woeful and needs to worry about his own game. If he fancies himself as a captain, and a leader in the ranks, then he needs to start leading by example, and he's certainly not doing that this season.

Houllier has a lot of sorting out to do. The worry is that he gets to put his stamp on things and buy and sell to shape the squad as he sees fit, but we don't make any headway. That's how I suspect things will turn out. To be honest, he'll get nowhere near achieving what O Neill did before he eventually moves, or is moved, on. I'd put my nuts on that.

But yeah, no matter who is running the club come next summer. I'd rather we didn't have Dunne, Ireland and Carew on the books still. There's a few others that need to pull their finger out too, but we could do with out the bad apples.

[Greg N'Ash]

Just doesn't ring true to me especially "had the whole support of the squad" bit. Did they conduct a quick pole after to see if they all agreed with him or are they saying Dunne got together with the players and planned to bawl out the management in training. Sounds like wishful thinking from one player or maybe his agent........

[frank black]

Check our goals conceded column last year as opposed to any other season in the last 10 years and get back to me. Mellberg was pretty ordinary. Laursen was superb in the air but couldnt turn and spent far too much time on the ground. Ugo was a solid defender for us, Southgate a classier player but Id argue Dunne last season was more effective than any of them and the stats back it up.

Dunne has the turning circle of a HGV. Beep Beep this vehicle is reversing!!! Needs some time off to get back in shape. However Christmas can't be the easiest time to do this, what with all those mince pies, choccies etc......

[TheSandman]

I don't believe this for one second because of the source.

Dunne has been a total disgrace all season. Never mind comparing him to great or half decent players like Laursen, Ugo, Southgate and Olof I'd sooner have Zat Knight, Curtis Davies or even Liam Ridgewell. He has been in horrific shape from day one of this season be it under Mon, KMac or Hotlips and has been making terrible mistakes most games. For these reasons I believe that anything that keeps this clown out of the team is a force for good.

Just think about it... Why would one of the most terribly out of condition ''professional'' in the premier league be having a go about training? Look at the fucker I'd think he'd be the last player to complain about a training system being unprofessional. Even pundits and journalists have cottoned on to it and have pointed out that he was deservedly dropped.

[martin]

Always thought Dunne a decent enough fella and a goodish centre-half but when a fat sod starts going off on one about a lack of professionalism, one really has to be looking at under-ripe fruit of the vine as source of motivation, especially when said fat sod gets paid thousands of pounds a week to eschew pies.

[Matt Collins]

I agree with some that people have short memories. From August to March he was absolutely sensational, and definitely better than Laursen. I loved Laursen, but people have over-estimated quite how good he was. He used to get caught out positionally quite a lot, and we never had a great defensive record with him in the side.

Dunne has always had downturns in form like this. I agree it's not acceptable, but if we can kick him up the arse and get him playing like last season we'll be much better off.

[Des Little]

Dunne's way off form.  I would hope that Carlos now keeps his place and that Dunne will have to fight his way back or step aside for Clark, who surely is our future centre half or even captain.

[not3bad]

Much as I admired Dunne's play last season I think on current form he has to be 4th choice behind Cuellar, Collins and Clarke. However a good defence does not go bad in the way this one did without their being a spark of truth in this report.

[phantom limb]

Maybe Man City is good at spotting bad apples now.

I wouldn't go that far, they did sign Balotelli after all. Maybe when Tevez leaves they could bring in Cassano as a replacement! I think he's without a club now.

[TheSandman]

Much as I admired Dunne's play last season I think on current form he has to be 4th choice behind Cuellar, Collins and Clarke. However a good defence does not go bad in the way this one did without their being a spark of truth in this report.

Then why did he have no such problem under MoN at the start of the season when he first looked so ridiculously unfit.

I also don't think that Mark Hughes and Stuart Pearce who managed him at City were brilliantly technical coaches.

[Richie]

Did we look better defensively with Carlos ? I thought so.

I thought Lichaj did a better job than Luke Young has recently as well.

If you're not performing, you shouldn't be in the team - and Dunne definitely hasn't been

[KevinGage]

As others have said, it's a bit of a coincidence that one of our worst players this season has a problem with the management.

I don't think it's entirely out of the question that they were perhaps working on things in training to counteract his lack of mobility or somehow made it clear that his performances to date were unacceptable. He got the huff, stormed off and dished out a verbal spray.

He is one of the more senior players in the side as well so if he asked some of the younger players are they with him, I'm sure they'd have agreed.

Either way, we'll see by the next set of performances whether GH has 'lost the dressing room' and all that bobbins. But our chances of actually winning football matches have probably increased tenfold with Podge benched. However we've arrived at that scenario, if that's the end result it can only be a positive.

[Toronto Villa]

Dunne was superb last season, good few seem to have forgotten that. His performances last season were better than any central defender at Villa Park since Paul McGrath. Yes better than Southgate, Alpay (who was class for a year), Mellberg, Laursen etc A bit unlucky to lose out to Collins who imo has been worse than him this season. Hopefully the stint on the bench will have given him a good kick up the arse, the conditioning he came back from pre season with was unacceptable, knee problem or not.

Yes it is the NOTW but probably a hint of truth in it. Rows are part and parcel of the game. I look forward to him getting back into the side and proving his many doubters on here wrong.

I think our change in formation has now exposed him for being just an average defender, and his fitness level or lack of, makes it even harder for him to make a positive impact on the team. Last season, playing counter attack, we defended with more bodies, deeper, and the objective was almost to block and clear. This year in a more open formation, the players have been asked to be far more mobile, and Dunne just doesn't cut it I'm afraid. Add to that, if you're not in shape, you're going to make mental errors too which we've seen him make several times.

Whether the story is fact or mostly fiction with a hint of fact, we won't miss him if he moves on. Along with one or two others his style of play represents the old system, and I think that GH is looking for different players going forward.

[pauliewalnuts]

I agree with some that people have short memories. From August to March he was absolutely sensational, and definitely better than Laursen. I loved Laursen, but people have over-estimated quite how good he was. He used to get caught out positionally quite a lot, and we never had a great defensive record with him in the side.

Dunne has always had downturns in form like this. I agree it's not acceptable, but if we can kick him up the arse and get him playing like last season we'll be much better off.

A downturn in form is one thing, but look at the size of him, he's quite clearly very out of shape.

He's also the prime culprit in the group of experienced players who have let us down badly this season. I appreciate he was very good last season, but that's been and gone, we need him to perform for more than one year. For a footballer to return from the summer break as clearly overweight as he was is nothing short of a disgrace. For him to still be overweight four months later is not on.

His calorific intake must be enormous to train and still be that size. I don't know how he manages it.

[villa `cross the mersey]

His calorific intake must be enormous to train and still be that size. I don't know how he manages it.

If its anything like his time socialising here in Formby when he played at Everton it involves lots of black liquid, favoured, I believe in the land of his birth