Richard Dunne

[brontebilly]

Dunne is one of the best defenders in the league at the moment. true he acted the prick last season but so did gabby but he gets nothing like the stick. Dunne's form after Jan even last season was one of the main reasons we stayed up. He is by a distance our best defender and to honest Kompany aside would you swap him for anyone else in the league? Given, Gabby and himself are the only three players that we have that can hold their own in any company in the league. I dont mind Collins but he is just too rash at times. He always wants to dive in. If he just kept his position he would be far better. Collins is good in the physical exchanges, good at blocking and in the air but Id echo the many suggestions here and bring Clark in for him. What we lose in the physical exchanges we would probably gain keeping possession. Dont think Cuellar is any improvement on Collins really.

The thing about Dunne is that he needs strong management and to be focused. Too many times in his career he has gone off the rails. That's what separates him from being top class imo. Before Trap took charge he was a bit of a joke at international level too.

[Toronto Villa]

Richard Dunne has been very good this year. He came back in really good shape and aside from one or two slip ups, which all defenders are prone to, he's done everything asked of him. We're getting better as a defence and it would help a lot more if our tactics were more positive and the ball was up the other end of the pitch more often. I think most, if not all of us feel the same way about last season's antics, and off the field it was a disaster in so many ways. In all likelihood GH would have turfed Dunne and a few others. But he's still here, and credit to him for turning his career around for club and country.

[Toronto Villa]

ps. I hope on Sunday he decides that a yellow card is well worth seeing with Downing planted firmly into the upper tier of the Trinity Road.

[SheffieldVillain]

Dunne is one of the best defenders in the league at the moment. true he acted the prick last season but so did gabby but he gets nothing like the stick.

He is by a distance our best defender and to honest Kompany aside would you swap him for anyone else in the league?

Gabby might not have had a good season last year but I don't remember him doing anything that could be classed as 'acting the prick'. Remind me? I certainly don't remember him turning up at the start of the season well out of condition and compounding that by (allegedly) getting hammered and attacking a club coach who did more for this club than he'll ever do?

As for the second part, yes I would - Jones, Vidic, Agger, Vermaelan, King (when fit), Shawcross, Cahill, Samba to name but a few.

[Dave]

I'm still a fan.

He still makes some silly errors and his distribution is awful - but considering how good he is at everything else, if he didn't have those flaws in his game he wouldn't be playing for us at the moment.

[KevinGage]

Not sure about this idea that  he reads the game well either.  That's probably his biggest flaw TBH (well that and his fitness).    He's brave enough, but the reason he has to throw himself around is because he misjudges the play all to often.

I think back to our form even in the second half of last season and I don't recall a Richard Dunne being head and shoulders above everyone else in our defence. As late into the season as Wigan at home he was turned inside out and generally made to look third rate.

Our crapness defending set pieces -which we've continued into this season also seems at odds with that idea.

In the past, we've been relatively blessed with good CB's and a good defence in general.  Certainly for a big chunk of the Prem years post 1992.  Our problems have generally been  creativity and effectiveness in the final third.  Since the start of last season, when we  actually should be OK in the latter dept, suddenly we're extremely suspect at the back.  The Dunner is an equal partner in that as far as I can see, not a shining beacon trying to lead the way, as all around him let him down.

Like others have said, concentration and motivation seem to be an issue with him.  That's not likely to be something that improves for him now, at the age of 32.

[TheSandman]

His move to Rangers fell through due to his injury rather than anything else IIRC.

I thought it was more to do with the fact Rangers couldn't get anywhere near the money he's on here.

Which brings us nicely back to Dave's point.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14507726.stm

[Exeter 77]

His move to Rangers fell through due to his injury rather than anything else IIRC.

I thought it was more to do with the fact Rangers couldn't get anywhere near the money he's on here.

Which brings us nicely back to Dave's point.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14507726.stm

I think it also had something to do with Rangers' Champions League exit as they wouldn't be able to generate additional income either.

[JJ-AV]

On his day he's a top defender, but he's a liability and we can and should be doing better.

[SamTheMouse]

Jesus, is he only 32? That's younger than me! He looks about 45!

[Aston Manor]

Dunne's been one of the better players this season although he can lose concentration in every game which can be a problem. He's certainly good enough for our level at the moment. He and Petrov have been our best players this far (And Gabby and Given).

As for Collins I'd disagree with the original post. he's been poor. Nothing but a hoof - although as it happens in every game every time he has the ball it appears that it is the tactics inviting his lack of imagination. His defending though has been nothing more than average.

Cuellar? better in the air but no better on the deck and does tend to slide in a bit too much. I'd like one new centre-half. Hopefully it'll be Dann when Blackburn go down. if he really is any good. Samba may be a better option.

[WA Villan]

I'm still a fan.

He still makes some silly errors and his distribution is awful - but considering how good he is at everything else, if he didn't have those flaws in his game he wouldn't be playing for us at the moment.

Thank god for those flaws ay.

[Matt Collins]

I don't agree that Dunne's one of the best defenders in the league, although he was 2 years ago. But I do agree we're unlikely to get anyone better, especially given the financial situation. The other centre back position, right back and sorting the midfield out are far greater priorities.

I would like to see Clark get a chance but am still unsure he's strong enough. I think Dunne could play right side centre half - presumably that's where he played at Citeh when Distin was there too?

Collins is pretty reliable 80% of the time, but he has this awful habit of diving in and getting turned, and he seems to think he's Ronald Koeman with the ball at his feet.

[KevinGage]

I'd like to see a pacy CB alongside either Dunne or Collins.   I'm not sold on either as long term options for us.  Even if money needs to be watched, we can still scout for better alternatives.

I do think the changing both might be a risk though, the defence -and particularly CB- relies on a degree of stability and understanding.   Sometimes two new players in that position might just click, but if they don't it's problematic.

Maybe genuine competition would get the best out of Dunne for an extended period. If motivation is/was an issue, the prospect of losing his place might take care of that.

So in the short term we could look at a right sided CB, with a view to bringing Clark through gradually.  If Clark doesn't do himself justice, or Dunne is so good that he can't be left out, so be it. Go with form.

[Archie]

Dunney comes in for a lot of stick on here. I think we would be in trouble without him. Ken McNaught described his performance at Bolton as a Colossus. Maybe people want fancy centre halves. I prefer them to be stoppers in the first instance. James Collins also has my approval.

Sorry Dave, I met you in Wien last season and I know that you are a Villa legend whereas I'm nobody.
But the idea that without Dunne we'd be in trouble is quite bizarre  for me.
We have been without Dunne for more than a century and we won what we have won.

Ok, Dunne has been the Manchester  United player of the year in 2009-2010 season for his Wembley perfiormance. But apart from this I think that he's the worst CB in the world that earns about 130.000 pounds every two weeks (www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/ma...e-collins-fined).
For these wages I'd expect to see the likes of Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva, or players of that level.
Not Richard Dunne.

He absolutely can't play football as he has irons for feet, he doesn't find  a passage even by mistake, all he can do is to  belt the ball clear (a style of football that was played in 1930), he's one of the most error prone players in the PL together with Titus Bramble, and he's a leader only in the table of the owngoals (www.soccer-facebook.com/blog/?p=447).




The Italian Sky TV commentator Massimo Marianella, that is friend of Ancelotti and Mancini, and is taken everywhere in high esteem for his knowledge of the game,  always says that the Irish billionaire is  a pub player. 

I'm looking forward to getting rid of him.