This morning, JOE looks at how Ireland defender Richard Dunne has managed to achieve so much yet still be seen by many as nothing more than a liability.
As Richard Dunne looks set to win his race to be fit for Saturday’s Macedonian clash, news linking him with a possible move to both Man Utd and Liverpool has created something of a stir across the pond.
It all started yesterday morning when cult football site Football365 posted a slightly critical comment about the prospect of either United or Liverpool having any serious interest in Dunne, who they labelled ‘fat’ and ‘boozy’.
The anonymous writer of the piece seemed perplexed as to why two of the top clubs in the country would possibly want Dunne after his latest ‘piss-up’ proved to be the last straw for Gerard Houllier.
Six hours later, the flood of comments that had poured in had some followers of the site claiming it to be ‘the best thread of comments’ in ages. Numerous Irish fans had registered to vent their anger at the piece, while others poked fun at how sensitive Republic fans were being, given the fact that the very premise of the site is to take the piss at any available chance.
What got most Dunne fans’ blood boiling was the fact the site temporarily used an extract from one poster’s comment, which went further that the original assessment of the Villa defender by calling him a ‘boozy fat knacker’.
On several Aston Villa fans’ forums (the same ones that hailed Dunne as a ‘man mountain’ last season), the consensus now appears to be that he is past it and should be moved on.
This caption was removed after it became clear that perhaps a line had been crossed, but the very fact that Dunne’s ability seems to be so diversely regarded is an extremely peculiar point of interest.
The facts speak for themselves. He shrugged off obvious doubts over his weight and fitness to pick up Man City’s ‘Player of the Year’ award for four consecutive years from 2004 to 2008, an unprecedented achievement in the club’s history, although maybe there might be a touch of a poisoned chalice around that award – Stephen Ireland took Dunne’s crown off him in 2009, and he’s not held in too high a regard by the City fans (or any others for that matter).
Richard Dunne doesn't roll off the tongue in Beijing
Despite Dunne’s popularity amongst both teammates and fans alike, when City became filthy rich their new-found financial clout clouded their judgement to such a mind-boggling extent that Dunne was deemed excess to requirements and shipped off to Villa for £5m, while they gathered those proceeds and slapped another £19m on top to secure the services of Joleon Lescott.
That piece of business, orchestrated between Gary Cooke and Mark Hughes, will go down as one of the worst transfer deals in English football, but the ‘Honey Monster’ settled in well at Villa Park and maintained his reputation as one of the league’s toughest opponents.
Under Martin O’Neill, Dunne continued to grow in stature in a very well-organised Villa defence, while also excelling in the green of the Republic. The extent of his efforts culminated in his selection on last season’s PFA Premier League Team of the Year, where he was paired at centre-half with Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen.
What a difference a year can make. While Vermaelen has spent practically the entire season in Arsenal’s over-crowded physio room, Dunne has endured a torrid time under new boss Gerard Houllier.
Those who agreed with the ‘fat boozy’ jibes yesterday pointed to his poor disciplinary record and his amazing penchant for own goals (his eight red cards and eight own goals are both Premier League records!), with others questioning his physical condition and another who claimed that he had ‘the turning ability of a tractor’.
His experience and availability at a cut-price fee is probably what has attracted the top clubs, along with the fact that all of them have defensive players who wouldn’t be fit to tie Dunne’s boots.
There’s no question that his off-the-field antics of late are a little worrying. It has been suggested that he has fallen back into his old, less-than-professional ways, and if those reports are true then it would be a real blow to the Republic’s cause.
I wouldn’t be too concerned. Houllier has always had a reputation as a manager who has the tendency to alienate certain top players with his man-management style, and a move to a top side certainly isn’t out of the question.
I’d take him any day over Squillaci, Brown, Kyrgiakos, Lescott, Ferreira or Bassong, and I’m sure their respective managers would too.
Need a reminder? Okay, so the music’s dodgy and it’s two years old, but the clip of Richie in action below should serve as a reminder that he’s more mountain that molehill. He even manages to catch up with Carlos Tevez, which very few tractors could do.
