Richard Dunne returns as Trapattoni names Ireland squad

Richard Dunne has been included in the provisional Ireland squad for the crucial World Cup double header with Sweden and Austria next month.

Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni watched yesterday as Dunne helped his new club QPR to a 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

Dunne, who enjoyed a solid pre-season, played the full 90 minutes for QPR and showed no sign of the groin problems that caused him to miss all of last season.

Former Bohemians striker Paddy Madden retains his place in the set-up after making his international debut in a friendly with Wales in Cardiff earlier in the month.

Paddy Madden, Robbie Keane, Conor Sammon, Jon Walters, Simon Cox and Shane Long are named in the squad up front.

Looking forward to the games, the Ireland manager said: "We have reached the most important part of our qualifying campaign. The team performed very well against both Sweden and Austria back in March. We will look to emulate both performances, and build towards producing two positive results."

He continued: "Sweden and Austria are two very strong teams, and the qualifying table proves this. However, I believe these players have the mentality, attitude and composure to work together and get the points we need in order to qualify. We will prepare for both games next week and focus on the task facing us."

Ireland World Cup qualifier squad: Forde, Westwood, Randolph, O’Shea, O’Brien, St Ledger, Wilson, Coleman, Kelly, O’Dea, Clark, Dunne, McShane, Whelan, McCarthy,Green, Hendrick, McGeady, Pilkington, McClean,Brady, Meyler, Hoolahan, Long, Keane, Sammon, Walters, Madden, Cox.

Richard Dunne considering Ireland international future

Ireland international defender Richard Dunne has consulted Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert for advice about whether to retire from international football to focus on his club career.


Asked if he'd considered retirement, Dunne, who is entering the final year of his Villa contract, replied: “Yes, it has a few times. It’s easy after a tournament, the way it’s gone, to make a rash decision and just say ‘that’s it’.“But I just have to think about things.

‘I was basically waiting to get back into training at Villa and then have a think and see how I feel, if I can go away again or not.

‘‘It’s a hard decision because it’s something I love doing.”

‘‘I’ve already spent four weeks thinking about it and I still can’t decide. When the time is right in my own head, I’ll know and then that will be the time.

“It’s such a massive decision because if we’ve qualified for one why can’t we qualify for the next one?

“If we were to qualify for Brazil it would be amazing.”

Dublin born Dunne made his debut for Ireland in April 2000 in a 1–0 loss against Greece in a friendly match and scored his first international goal just two months later against Mexico.

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Dunne can't wait for Euro's to begin

Richard Dunne has spoken of his excitement at making the trip to Poland for the Euro 2012 finals next month and going head to head against some of the world’s best teams.

Ireland kick-off their Euro 2012 campaign against Croatia on Sunday June 10th in Poznan.They will then meet Spain – the tournament favourites and reigning world and European champions - in Gdansk on June 14th before meeting Italy in Poznan on June 18th.

It’s brilliant, the excitement is the same for me and Shay & Robbie as it is for every child waiting to watch the games”

"It’s a hard group and we wanted to test ourselves against the best, and we’ve got certainly the best team in the world in our group and two other brilliant teams as well, so it’s exciting more than anything because you want to play against the best teams and have the chance to beat and upset them".

“We are going to have the opportunity this summer and for us, we know what we can do, we know we can upset teams and win games”

And Dunne never doubted that he would overcome a serious shoulder injury that at one point threatened his trip to the Euro finals in june.

He suffered a fracture to the right clavicle after falling heavily when challenging Manchester City keeper Joe Hart during a league game in February.

Speaking on Today FM Dunne Said “The shoulder is really good, I had the operation and done all the rehab and I’ve a metal plate in it so it’s stronger than before, so I’m raring to go now”

“The doctor told me straight away how long it would be and that I’d be back playing before the season ended, so I never really feared I’d miss out on the Euro’s, it was just a case of being patient”

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Trapattoni praise for Dunne and Given

Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni saluted Richard Dunne and Shay Given for their heroic performances in a precious 0-0 draw in Moscow.

Dunne produced two superb blocks and ended the game with four stitches in a head wound as Ireland managed to cling on for their first ever point in Russia.

Given was equally resilient as the Donegal man pulled off a string of fine saves, including a vital late stop from Konstantin Zyryanov, to claim a seventh successive clean sheet for his team which kept them firmly in he race for Euro 2012 qualification.

Trapattoni said of Dunne's performance: "He was fantastic. I thank God that we had Richard in this game.

"He sacrificed himself because he went back on to the pitch with four stitches. He understood the need to stay on the pitch.

"Shay Given also saved two or three goals. They were fantastic saves."

Dunne had to have stitches after suffering a head wound in a challenge on Yuri Zhirkov which cost him a second booking in as many games which will rule him out of next month's trip to Andorra.

He was made to change his shirt, but with no number five replacement on the sidelines, goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly had to write the number on a plain shirt in felt-tipped pen.

Trapattoni said: "In life, these things happen. We forgot the reserve shirt. We wrote the number five and thank God, he went back on to the pitch immediately."

Ireland were under the cosh almost from the off as Russia set about the task of easing their way further clear in the race for automatic qualification from Group B.

Trapattoni was quick to admit that his team had ridden its luck on the night.

He said: "It is impossible not to recognise that we have been lucky in this 90 minutes.

"The determination and the application on the pitch of the team, particularly of the senior players like Richard Dunne, Shay Given, Keith Andrews, Aiden McGeady was the pull for the younger players who gained confidence from them.

"That balance allowed us to achieve what I call a golden point.

"With this result, we can look to the future because we have cleared a big obstacle tonight.

"I told the players St Patrick was looking down on us tonight."

Speaking after the game Irish hero Dunne said :

"We probably weren't fancied to get anything here, everyone from front to back did a job. It gives us something to build on and hopefully keeps us in the competition."

Dunne added: "It was a tough game. We knew we had to come here and try and put in something similar to what we did in Paris [in the World Cup play-off against France].

"The second half was quite tough. The pitch is so fast and you have to be on your toes.

"But we knuckled down and put in a performance we can be proud of."


Meanwhile in the other group two game Armenia scored four second-half goals to crush Slovakia and keep alive their hopes of reaching the Euro 2012 finals.

The result means Armenia move up to third in the table, one point behind Ireland and three points behind Russia.


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Ciarán Clark gets Ireland call

Ciarán Clark has been called into the Ireland squad for next week's friendly game against Norway at Lansdowne Road. His call up to Trapattoni's senior squad follows a report from FIFA this morning indicating that there is still a chance they may be in a position to consider his application to play for Ireland in time for the match.

Clark, who qualifies for Ireland through his mother and grandparents, opted to play for the 'The Boys In Green' at senior level after talking to club-mate Richard Dunne, who is in line to win his 64th cap against the Norwegians.

The 21 year old Central defender recently agreed a new three-and-a-half year deal with Aston Villa and has put in some impressive performances for Gerard Houllier's side at central defence and also filling in at central midfield.

Robbie Keane, Paul Mc Shane and Caleb Folan are out of the Ireland squad to face Norway on Wednesday in the Aviva Stadium.

Everton's Seamus Coleman has kept his place in the panel and could be set to make his debut with McShane ruled out.

Ireland squad to face Norway:

Shay Given, Keiren Westwood, John O'Shea, Seamus Coleman, Richard Dunne, Sean St. Ledger, Greg Cunningham, Kevin Foley, Kevin Kilbane, Stephen Kelly, Darren O'Dea, Marc Wilson, Darron Gibson, Ciaran Clark, Glenn Whelan, Paul Green, Liam Lawrence, Stephen Hunt, Aiden McGeady, Keith Treacy, Damien Duff, Keith Fahey, Jonathan Walters, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long.


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Dunne fitness boost for Ireland

Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has been handed a welcome fitness boost with the news that Richard Dunne is expected to be fit to face Russia in the side's European championship qualifier on Friday evening at Lansdowne Road.

The Aston Villa defender has been forced to sit out training with the Ireland squad this week, however a scan today revealed no major injury and the Dublin born centreback is expected to return to training on Thursday morning

Dunne has been an integral part of Trapattoni's squad and has played a central role in a solid defence that have conceded just seven goals in their last eight games.

Ireland have six points from their opening two qualifying games and victory against Russia and Slovakia would give 'The Boys In Green' control of Group B at this early stage of the campaign.

Dunne misses training but 100% ready for Russians

Richard Dunne took no part in Ireland’s training session this morning in Malahide but Marco Tardelli is “100 per cent” certain the defender will be fit for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Russia at home and Slovakia away.


Dunne made his comeback from injury for Aston Villa at the weekend and while assistant manager Tardelli admitted he was still slightly niggled by the injury, he insisted today’s absence was purely precautionary.

“He feels well but it is better for him to have the rest for one day,” Tardelli told reporters at the end of training in Malahide. “It is a precaution and there is no problem.”

Dunne is due to train with the rest of the squad tomorrow and Tardelli has no concerns over his availability to start on Friday when Russia come to Lansdowne Road.

Tardelli hopes to gain at least four points from the double-header, a tally that would put Ireland in a position of real strength at the top of Group B, but is under no illusions just how difficult a task lies ahead.

After a shaky start, Russia will arrive in Dublin desperately needing a win to get their campaign back on track and despite their defeat at home to Slovakia, Advocaat’s squad have real strength in depth.

“The Russian team are a very good team with good qualities and they have important players, some who play in England and Germany,” Tardelli cautioned. “The Russian team maybe has better quality than Slovakia but Slovakia are very tough. They are two different teams

“All the players must do their best. Like the other matches . . . we need to press the Russian team because they can play well in the midfield.

“They are a quality teams with many quality players. Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko and other players with Zenit. They are very good technically but with pressure in midfield it is possible for us to attack and it’s possible for us to play well.”

Good and bad news for Trapattoni ahead of crucial Euro qualifiers

Less than six days before Ireland’s crucial Euro 2012 qualifier against Russia, Richard Dunne has provided a welcome boost for manager Giovanni Trapattoni after playing the full 90 minutes for Aston Villa against Spurs today.

But there may well be concern among Trapattoni's management team over Damien Duff, who picked up an injury during Fulham’s 1-1 draw at West Ham. Duff limped off 20 minutes from time holding his left calf. The winger missed the wins over Armenia and Andorra last month with a calf injury.

Dunne, who missed the last two Villa matches with a knee injury, was restored to the heart of Villa’s defence but was unable to prevent his side losing 2-1 at White Hart Lane this afternoon.

Dunne was up against Roman Pavlyuchenko, who he is likely to face in Dublin next Friday, and was fortunate not to concede an early penalty when the Russian’s shot hit his hand, the referee deciding it was unintentional.

Marco Tardelli’s recce to the Britannia Stadium, where Stoke faced Blackburn, turned out to be a wasted trip.

The Irish midfield partnership of Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews had been due to go head-to-head but Andrews was an unused substitute while Whelan was only introduced in the 90th minute as Stoke won 1-0.

Elsewhere, Keith Fahey made a rare start for Birmingham against an Everton side with Seamus Coleman in their ranks. And it was the defender who will enjoy the bragging rights when the squad assembles in Malahide tomorrow night as the Toffees recorded their first win of the season, ending Birmingham’s 18-month home unbeaten run.

Kevin Doyle will have to wait for his first league goal of the season after Wolves were beaten 2-0 at Wigan. James McCarthy, overlooked by Trapattoni for the qualifying double-header, started for Wigan.

In the Championship, Keith Treacy opened the scoring for Preston against Reading but the Royals earned a point when Ian Harte's corner was only half cleared and Jem Karacan fired home. Liam Lawrence was also on the scoresheet, his late penalty enough to grab Portsmouth a point against Middlesbrough.

Darren O’Dea, who has already been ruled out of the Ireland squad, was in line to make a surprise appearance for Ipswich but suffered a recurrence of the knee injury he picked up during training with Ireland last month in the warm-up at Portman Road.

“Darren has been struggling with a knee problem since he went away with the last international squad,” explained Ipswich manager Roy Keane after the 2-1 win over Leeds. “We thought we’d take a chance but as soon as he went out for the warm-up he said he was struggling.”

Ireland, who top Group B with a maximum six points, meet Russia at the Aviva Stadium next Friday before facing Slovakia in Zilina the following Tuesday.

Ireland team named for Euro qualifier

Ireland captain Robbie Keane and central defender Richard Dunne have both been named in the team to face Armenia in tomorrow's Euro 2012 qualifier in Yerevan.

Keane is battling a knee problem while Dunne has missed several days' training this week with a muscle problem.

However, both were expected to take part in the session at the Yerevan Republican Stadium this evening and be available for the game.

Dunne will line up in a back four alongside Sean St Ledger with John O'Shea and Kevin Kilbane as the full-backs, while the midfield will comprise Liam Lawrence, Paul Green, Glenn Whelan and Aiden McGeady.

Keane, who will win his 101st senior international cap, will partner Kevin Doyle in attack.

Ireland team to face Armenia in Yerevan tomorrow

Shay Given, John O'Shea, Sean Saint Ledger, Richard Dunne, Kevin Kilbane, Liam Lawrence, Glenn Whelan, Paul Green, Aiden McGeady, Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle.

Richard Dunne tells FIFA to shove their award

Ireland defender Richard Dunne said talk of Fifa giving his side a special award following their World Cup exit was "taking the mickey".

Ireland were controversially eliminated by France in the play-offs when Thierry Henry's handball set up the winning goal for William Gallas.

Didcredited Fifa president Sepp Blatter said the Ireland may get "moral compensation".

But Dunne said: "It's taking the mickey - give the Irish a plaque instead of going to the World Cup. It's a sop."

Blatter has said Fifa's disciplinary committee will look into Henry's handball incident incident in the crucial second-leg play-off match last month.

But Dunne said any gesture would not make up for the fact he would not be participating in next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

"It doesn't affect me one little bit what Fifa will do with Thierry Henry," Dunne said.

"Whether he plays in the World Cup or not, I won't be. Whatever Fifa do will probably be wrong anyway.

"From the moment the rules were changed for the play-offs, when the seedings were brought in, it was decided they wanted France through.

"It's always the same way Fifa think about Irish football. Unless you are a massive country or have massive sponsorship you're not going to be welcome."

And the Aston Villa centre-half said the Republic had no interest in getting an award from Fifa: "They can keep it.

"I would be very surprised if Robbie Keane, our captain, was going over to collect it."

Ireland squad announced for Australia game

Ireland manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, has named a 24- man squad to face Australia in Thomond Park on Wednesday, 12 August

Goalkeepers

Shay Given Manchester City
Kieren Westwood Coventry City
Joe Murphy Scunthorpe United

Defenders

John O'Shea Manchester United
Kevin Foley Wolves
Richard Dunne Manchester City
Stephen Kelly Fullham
Kevin Kilbane Hull City
Eddie Nolan Preston North End
Sean St. Ledger Preston North End

Midfielders

Aiden McGeady Celtic
Damien Duff Newcastle United
Darron Gibson Manchester United
Glenn Whelan Stoke City
Keith Andrews Blackburn Rovers
Liam Miller Unattached
Stephen Hunt Reading
Andy Keogh Wolves
Liam Lawrence Stoke City

Forwards

Caleb Folan Hull City
Kevin Doyle Wolves
Robbie Keane Tottenham Hotspur
Shane Long Reading
Leon Best Coventry City

Dunne a Sunderland target

Sunderland face an anxious wait to see if they can attract defender Richard Dunne away from Manchester City.

New Black Cats boss Steve Bruce has been heavily linked with a £5million move for the 29-year-old Ireland international since his unveiling as Ricky Sbragia's replacement.

Dunne has emerged as a target amid speculation big-spending City are eyeing Everton's Joleon Lescott and Arsenal's Kolo Toure this summer, but the Black Cats still do not know whether City manager Mark Hughes will be prepared to let the Dubliner leave Eastlands even if he does land his defensive targets.

And even if he is allowed to go, Sunderland are certain to face competition for a player who starred in his country's 1-1 draw in Bulgaria at the start of this month as they edged closer to next summer's World Cup finals.

In the circumstances, they are adopting a measured approach to their summer recruitment programme, which has already seen them touted as potential purchasers for a series of players in a variety of positions.

The acquisition of an experienced central defender to partner £8million signing Anton Ferdinand is a priority, with the former West Ham man having been made to pay for a series of lapses in concentration during his first season on Wearside.

St Ledger hails Dunne influence

Preston and Ireland defender Sean St Ledger has paid tribute to Richard Dunne following his Ireland debut against Bulgaria on Saturday.

Highly-rated St Ledger marked his international bow with an assured display alongside Manchester City centre-back Dunne in the 1-1 draw in Sofia.

Giovanni Trapattoni's side remain well placed to qualify for next summer's World Cup finals, as St Ledger and Dunne restricted Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov and City forward Valeri Bojinov to just a handful of chances.

St Ledger told the Preston North End's official website: "I think we complement each other quite well. You look at his performance on Saturday and he was magnificent, in their box and in ours.

"He made it easy for me, his talking was good. It is easy to play in that back four, the experience that they have all got, they've all played in the Premiership and Richard Dunne is a great, great player."

Dunne delighted with Irish point against Bulgaria

Richard Dunne believes Ireland are on course to qualify for the World Cup finals after a deserved draw in Sofia against Bulgaria last night.

Dunne was on target against Bulgaria for the second time in the campaign to keep them unbeaten in competitive matches under Giovanni Trapattoni.

"The main aim was not to lose so we are pleased with the point," said Dunne.


"It was a good way to end the season and we can go into the new one full of hope about making it to the finals."

Defender Dunne's header had Ireland ahead for five minutes in the first half before Bulgarian midfielder Dimitar Telkiyski equalised.

"Unfortunately, when we scored we sat back a bit and they got the goal quickly enough," said Dunne.

"They really needed to win so they were always going to come at us and everyone just dug in a defended really well.

"I was delighted to get the goal. John O'Shea blocked Berbatov and it was a free header."

Trapattoni was encouraged by the contributions from his emerging players.

"Tonight we saw Folan, Best and St Ledger and slowly I think we are building a great team," said the Ireland manager.

Dunne upbeat despite disappointing draw

Ireland defender Richard Dunne admitted to some "disappointment" after yesterday evenings draw at home to Bulgaria - but is still confident of progression from World Cup Qualifying Group Eight.

Ireland scored via Dunne after only 40 seconds at Croke Park but were pegged back by a Kevin Kilbane own goal in the second half.

It was an outcome which, along with Italy's 2-0 win at Montenegro, means Giovanni Trapattoni's team will head to his homeland this week three points adrift of their table-topping opponents.

Bulgaria remain a further seven points behind the Republic, and Dunne told Sky Sports 1: "They are a good side. They knew how bad a situation it would be for them if they lost - and they made it difficult for us.

"We started really well and really should have been pushing on."

The eventual draw left Dunne equivocal - but still believing Ireland can put Italy in the shade.

"I think for us, we had to keep the seven-point gap - minimum," he said.

"It is a disappointing result - we are disappointed not to get the points - but we are still in a good position.

"We've said all along we don't fear Italy, so we feel we can go there on Wednesday and get a result."

Richard Dunne - we hold no fear

Its an indicator of how far Ireland have come since the dreary days of late 2007 that Richard Dunne can talk with confidence about winning games of such consequence as those rapidly approaching against Bulgaria and Italy.

The blizzard of confetti surrounding the weekend just gone is still blowing in the wind but Dunne's belief is based on foundations built over the past year and not the wave of expectation building from a nation ready to embrace any kind of success with hysterical yearning.

The qualities on show in the Millennium Stadium, the O2 Arena and, hopefully, Croker on Saturday carry a particular resonance at a time when everything else is falling apart and a hard core of morally and financially bankrupt businessmen, developers and politicians fight like wolverines to hold what they have, no matter what the consequences.

Honesty of effort, integrity, togetherness, respect and dignity are the currency of sport once the whistle blows and the agents and fixers melt away.

Such qualities shine brightly when placed beside the dry rot of selfishness that has been exposed by the global meltdown and it is ironic that many of the pillars of society outed on a daily basis in the media as hollow men are the very lads that celebrate sport most and would shout loudest if they saw a cheat on a football pitch or a choker in the ring.

It is, of course, unfair to Brian O'Driscoll, Bernard or Richard Dunne to add any more weight to the load and let's face it, many Irish sportsmen and women fold completely when they're supposed to win. But it won't stop us doing it anyway.

Fortunately, Dunne is a man who has seen enough of the world to understand the need to keep a balance in his life and while he enjoyed events in Cardiff and the O2 like the rest of us -- he doesn't quite see the connection.

"They're totally different things. We want to win and make the country proud but if we lose on Saturday, we still have games left. As great as it was for everyone watching the rugby, it's a completely different scenario for us on Saturday," said Dunne, pulling everything down to a calmer level.

Which isn't to say that he's anything less than positive about the job at hand. In fact, it is rare to see Irish players so comfortable discussing the possibility of travelling to play a major power and even taking points.

This is the Trapattoni dividend on show. His senior players have grown under his guidance and now believe in themselves.

"We've had bigger weeks, like when we qualified, but in recent times this is as close a chance as we've had to qualifying. If we can beat Bulgaria and get them out of the way we can fight for top spot with Italy."

Dunne agrees there's been a huge turnaround from the last campaign.

"We lost games early in the last group and it set the tone. There was never really a chance of qualifying from the second or third game in. As the games went on, the group petered out. I think the quality has been in the squad and maybe, at times, it hasn't been selected.

"This time the manager has been picking as strong a squad as he possibly can and once we're all fit and free of suspension, I think we've as good a chance as we've had for a long time.

"We've got to go to Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus and we've got tough games to go. But it would hit Bulgaria hard if they looked at the table and were 10 points behind us. Hopefully, it would put them out of it but never say never.

"It was the same last time we qualified -- we need to pick results up away and beat the big sides at home. We need to do that to give ourselves confidence and the fans confidence that maybe we have a side that can give them something to cheer about and give them hope of qualifying for the World Cup.

"This is the biggest game. This is the one we have to win. We have to make sure Bulgaria are 10 points behind us come Sunday morning. Then we can go to Italy with confidence. We believe, within our group, that we can go to Bari and take some points off Italy."

This is the new face of the Ireland senior team and Trapattoni takes great credit for it.

He has grafted a part of his own mentality onto any that needed it.

Dunne didn't need a whole lot. He has been, along with Shay Given, the most consistent of our Premier League players for the past five years and if his form dipped over the past six months, it was never a major cause for concern. Not for him either.

"I have had four, maybe five, really good seasons and I had a bad six months and suddenly everyone is saying you're finished.

"But I haven't changed anything. Over the last 10 games or so, I've been playing really well.

"I had a bad spell. Everyone seemed to have a bad spell at the same time. We've had a lot of young lads in the team who have never had a chance to take a break.

"They've been constantly playing football and that catches up with you when you have young lads in a team.

"We've had a big change in the whole club and I think it just unsettled everybody.

"But since the transfer window everything in the whole club seems to have gone quiet again and performances have picked up.

"Shay Given has done really well too and nobody is really surprised. He's a big loss for Newcastle and he's come in and carried on doing the exact same things for us.

"The way he walks around and gives confidence is important.

"Our defence has returned to form and we worked things out ourselves. We've been trying to build different relationships in training.

"As for the qualifiers, we've tried to prepare as normal, despite the fact we're facing the group's top seeds in our two toughest games."

Given glad to have Richard Dunne in front of him

Shay Given is pleased to have Ireland teammate Richard Dunne in front of him at Manchester City.

The keeper, signed from Newcastle United , has lined up with the Blues’ skipper on many occasions for Ireland and he is fulsome in his praise of his new City team mate.

“Dunnie is one of the best centre-halves I have ever played behind,” Given told City's website, “and it will be a bit strange to play with him at club level having only done so for Ireland before. He’s a fantastic player.

“He’s dropped me the odd text over the last few days, and it was good to hook up with him. We go back over a few years with the Irish squad and we know each other well.”

The relationship between keeper and central defender is a key one, as Given continues, “I’ll need to get to know the rest of the lads here and work with them as well, but the centre half and goalkeeper is quite an important partnership. Richard and I have played together a lot for Ireland, and hopefully we’ll improve on that as well.”