dont confuse "disinterested" with "not fit enough"
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If we had a good tournament he wouldnt even be thinking about it. Its understandable, I imagine he's just still depressed at how badly it went. Once the season starts with Villa and he has the games against Kazak, Faroes and Germany coming up - I think he'll be well up for it!!!
I think it's fair enough for him to be considering his international future. He gave his all for both of Trap's qualifying campaigns and eventually achieved his first target - to get to a Finals. You'd have a sense that the Euro Finals experience would not have increased his hunger for going through another full campaign.
I think he can do what all old war horses should do, step back from the frontline and should a need arise, be available for selection.
I think he is the one of Duff, Keane, Given and himself that we still need in the team the most. In Long, McClean and Westwood the other three will have at least one credible emerging player pushing them for their spots in the near future hopefully. Even if Duffy makes 20 league appearances for Everton this season and Pearce takes to the Prem like a duck to water, both significant iffs, we would be weaker by a fully fit Dunne not being around and the experience at CB that he has is vital for a while yet.
You would hope the flip side of Trap's slow to change ways would benefit us here and he would see it this way and press Dunne to give another campaign.
I would prefer him to stick around. JOS would have to step up as I think it's patently obvious he's not a top quality full back. Duffy would need to be phased in rather than thrown in so Dunne sticking around would be valuable in that regard.
I think Trap could excuse him from friendlies and I doubt there'd be any dissent from anyone in the squad if an exception was made for some of the old brigade. That'd mean it'd only be a few extra games a year for him. I still can't see Villa having many games as meaningful even for a senior pro as Ireland v Sweden or Germany. He'd love those games.
Hope he stays. He had a bad season with injuries, he is due a good one this season.
Hope he stays, we need him, that's for sure, also I do not think it would be a good time for him to go
after the disappointing Euro's I think he should definitely play a few more games before making a decision
he may well see things in a different light then, but if he does decide to go I think he should after a decent result
otherwise his last memories of playing for Ireland will be disappointing ones. Go out on a high rather than low,
I think that is the best way to do it.
As some have said above he is the one out of the potential retirees who we need the most. Really hope he stays one more campaign.
You can be sure Lambert is going to be encouraging Dunne to give up international football. Agree a gentlemans agreement could be made with Dunne whereby he wouldnt be called up to the majority of the friendlies, giving him more recovery time etc. To me, didnt look fit or free from some injury last season - but then again he has that sort of style about him.
Will the headline in the morning papers be
"Richard Dunne" when he quits Ireland?
Dunne And Dusted.
I can't see it to be honest, too many on here banging the Dunne- Drum....
JOS is not a top quality full back as you correctly point out. He's a complete waste of time, or to be more accurate he's taking up a place which some younger player like Duffy or Clark could fill. Whereas others tried and failed in Polsand, JOS couldn't even be accused of trying.
As far as Dunne goes, I won't be too bothered if he leaves. Top marks to him for his contribution over the years - he gave his heart and soul for the cause. Top lad in that respect. But as one article on bleacher report pointed out the other day, he is nowhere near the level of the top center backs in the game - Pique, Ramos, Vermealen. And we need to start blooding our defenders as players who can play a bit rather than just hoofing the ball away at every opportunity.
True, but that's a total red herring. He's our best CB so we'd be weaker without him. And he's a leader which every team needs. We're back to a qualifying campaign again and it's about being better than the teams we're up against. If we get to Brazil then we can worry about whther Dunne or whoever is good enough to face the opposition we're drawn against.
Also, as a team we need to be greater than the sum of its parts which we have been before and can be again. Comparisons with Spanish CBs are pointless. We haven't got one player who'd get near the Spanish squad.
Funnily enough, one of the first things Trap did on taking over was to get Dunne to carry the ball forward before passing. That was really noticable in the first game against Serbia. I don't know when that disappeared (when Steven Reid got injured?) but it certainly hasn't been the case for at least 2 years now. I think teaching CBs to play the ball starts at a young age. I suspect that's recognised but whether it's being acted upon is anyone's guess.
A CB needs a midfielder keen to be on the ball to play it to. Do we have one? It's not always about the centre-back. Passing the ball from the back is easy. Receiving it and developing play from that point on is the hard part.