Richard Dunne

[eamonn]

Dunne has underperformed for us, IMHO. And this last 12 months has been a total enigma: what the hell was going on there?!

Happy Gilmore's Groin made contact with Richard Dunne's and they had little baby groins. He's been busy rearing them.

[Tom_Mc9?]

He was missed last season. 69 league goals conceded proves that.

I'm not sure that proves it at all. An in-form Dunne was missed, but a half-arsed one we saw later on in his career (excluding last season - that'd be harsh) was a liability.

[PeterWithesShin]

Dunne's Villa career: Good first season albeit giving away goal in most important game of the season. Two seasons of in and out performances punctuated by bouts of unprofessional behaviour then one season where he completely disappeared. He won't be missed.

He was missed last season. 69 league goals conceded proves that.

We were hardly watertight the previous 2 seasons he was in the side. Something like 55 and 59 conceded, better than 69 yes, but still nothing to write home about. He was also part of the defence that conceded 6 at Newcastle and 7 at Chavski. And that was when he was younger and fitter.

[villa kicks]

So dunne its confirmed you're leaving us. I can only imagine this year has been really difficult to deal with personally for him. The frustration in staying fit and the years of battle have taken its toll. I wish him all the best and fair play for the effort put in over the  seasons he's had. Offered vital experience and leadership at times so acknowledge that! The changes experienced within the club difficult for all. I hope he can stay fit and have a world cup at the end of season. Thanks dunne goodbye and good luck

[LeeB]

So dunne its confirmed you're leaving us. I can only imagine this year has been really difficult to deal with personally for him. The frustration in staying fit and the years of battle have taken its toll. I wish him all the best and fair play for the effort put in over the  seasons he's had. Offered vital experience and leadership at times so acknowledge that! The changes experienced within the club difficult for all. I hope he can stay fit and have a world cup at the end of season. Thanks dunne goodbye and good luck

It must have been a bollocks not having to work for your £60k a week.

[Mister E]

So dunne its confirmed you're leaving us. I can only imagine this year has been really difficult to deal with personally for him. The frustration in staying fit and the years of battle have taken its toll. I wish him all the best and fair play for the effort put in over the  seasons he's had. Offered vital experience and leadership at times so acknowledge that! The changes experienced within the club difficult for all. I hope he can stay fit and have a world cup at the end of season. Thanks dunne goodbye and good luck

Very charitable.

[Irish villain]

We don't know what was going on behind the scenes and I think there's something very telling about a player having to go for surgery so many times in a year. If people want to believe he was taking the piss that's their choice but I'm standing by my original claim that Dunne has been the 'villain' of the squad for a long time.

When we bought him he was a top Premier League defender playing for Moneybags FC. Back then, such players came with such wages. What would any of you done differently if you spend your last season injured? Volunteered half your salary? I can understand Dunne not being everybody's favourite. What I have found harder to understand is the hatred for him. It's not as though many of our squad from 2009/10 covered themselves in glory under GH or TSM yet Dunne has been the focus of the anger.

[LeeB]

We don't know what was going on behind the scenes and I think there's something very telling about a player having to go for surgery so many times in a year. If people want to believe he was taking the piss that's their choice but I'm standing by my original claim that Dunne has been the 'villain' of the squad for a long time.

When we bought him he was a top Premier League defender playing for Moneybags FC. Back then, such players came with such wages. What would any of you done differently if you spend your last season injured? Volunteered half your salary? I can understand Dunne not being everybody's favourite. What I have found harder to understand is the hatred for him. It's not as though many of our squad from 2009/10 covered themselves in glory under GH or TSM yet Dunne has been the focus of the anger.

It's not hatred, it's just that I can spot a pisstaker a mile off.

[Meanwood Villa]

We don't know what was going on behind the scenes and I think there's something very telling about a player having to go for surgery so many times in a year. If people want to believe he was taking the piss that's their choice but I'm standing by my original claim that Dunne has been the 'villain' of the squad for a long time.

When we bought him he was a top Premier League defender playing for Moneybags FC. Back then, such players came with such wages. What would any of you done differently if you spend your last season injured? Volunteered half your salary? I can understand Dunne not being everybody's favourite. What I have found harder to understand is the hatred for him. It's not as though many of our squad from 2009/10 covered themselves in glory under GH or TSM yet Dunne has been the focus of the anger.

As you say we don't know what went on behind the scenes so this may be incredibly harsh on him but when someone completely disappears for an entire season without an adequate explanation for the severity of injury then I begin to think there is something wrong beyond said player just being unlucky. I don't hate him, I'm just suspicious of his actions, or lack of them, for the last year (at least) and don't think he particularly merits being defended.

[dave shelley]

My take on the Richard Dunne thing is very simplistic and has been mentioned before, he, along with Stephen Ireland didn't want to be here; but other clubs were'nt actually falling over themselves to sign them were they?  The lesser of the two evils was a well paid long term contract with us as opposed to bench warming at Citeh, no difference as far as Ireland is concerned.

I was never a big fan of Dunne even less so of Ireland; but I'm not entirely satisfied that Dunne was as consistently bad as some on here make out.

Notwithstanding the above I am not a regular attender at VP so am not seeing what the regulars are, these are just my observations.

[tomd2103]

My take on the Richard Dunne thing is very simplistic and has been mentioned before, he, along with Stephen Ireland didn't want to be here; but other clubs were'nt actually falling over themselves to sign them were they?  The lesser of the two evils was a well paid long term contract with us as opposed to bench warming at Citeh, no difference as far as Ireland is concerned.

I was never a big fan of Dunne even less so of Ireland; but I'm not entirely satisfied that Dunne was as consistently bad as some on here make out.

Notwithstanding the above I am not a regular attender at VP so am not seeing what the regulars are, these are just my observations.

For me, Dunne lost interest in playing for us when O'Neill walked out.  Although he was prone to the odd error under O'Neill, his performances were pretty decent on the whole.  As soon as O'Neill went he just seemed to lose interest, with the 6-0 debacle at Newcastle being a sign of things to come.

[Merv]

All things considered, he's been a decent signing for us.

I found last season very strange, however. Something clearly not right, and my feeling that there was something else besides a short to mid term injury that then became a season-long problem has intensified as he was then, within a couple of weeks of the season ending, fit enough not only to be named in the Ireland squad but also to play in recent friendlies.

Still, he's gone now and we move on.

[PGW]

When Mr Dunne played against Citeh here at Villa Park he was treated with god like status by the travelling citeh fans.

I somehow dont see that happening if he were to come back to Villa Park in another teams colours to play against us!!

[johnc]

When Mr Dunne played against Citeh here at Villa Park he was treated with god like status by the travelling citeh fans.

I somehow dont see that happening if he were to come back to Villa Park in another teams colours to play against us!!

I would be hard pushed to think of many players who have been well received on their return to VP. Dwight Yorke was given dogs abuse when he came on a few years ago for Sunderland. I wonder if Ireland will ever leave to come back to us...........As for Dunne coming back he may get a break with Hull or SUnderland. Cant see him making much further up the table. Overall I think he did a job for us under O'Neill. Had a few decisively good games for us last season. WBA springs to mind. The revolving doors of GH and TSM left very few players in a good light. Obviously his "spa day" was a low point.
 The recent inclusion iin the Irish Team is fairly bizarre after being out for a season. I am not sure what sort of a "shop window"  a cameo appearance against the Faeroes will be for a central defender. I reckon I could put in a shift against them.
Maybe he could have come back fro us april/may time but Lambert figured that the defence were finally finding their feet and was proved right if that was his decision. Anyway he has gone. Good luck to him

[pauliewalnuts]

We don't know what went on during the season, no, but the last three years, first game of the season, it has been pretty clear what was going on during the close-season.