Dunn believes he still has a lot to offer Blackburn Rovers
8:00am Saturday 13th October 2012 in Sport
Exclusive By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers reporter
DAVID Dunn believes he still has a lot to offer Blackburn Rovers’ Premier League promotion bid – after insisting he is ‘fit and raring to go’ after enduring his “worst pre-season ever”.
The Great Harwood-born Rovers midfielder has been left on the periphery of the club’s Championship campaign, having made just one start, but is desperate for a chance to show what he can still do. Dunn, who has been at his hometown club for a decade over two spells, has conceded if he continues on the sidelines he may have to look elsewhere to get first team action.
But, despite reports linking him with a loan move imminently, the 32-year-old is adamant his immediate priority remains on playing a role in helping Rovers back into the Premier League.
Dunn has revealed his summer frustration at a pre-season training schedule that he insists was not rigorous enough for him but is adamant he now feels ready to play a prominent role.
He said: “At my age I just want to play football, it isn’tabout anything else now. I know it sounds a bit corny but I do want to play for Blackburn Rovers and I always have done.
“It is difficult when you are not getting a chance to show what you can do and I haven’t had that this season.
“I can’t run like an 18-year-old but I certainly feel I can give the team something. With my experience, I would hope I could make the right decisions in the game.
“Ideally I would like to play for another 10 years at Blackburn Rovers. Realistically I know that is not going to happen. I am not even saying I should be starting but I certainly feel very strongly there are certain times where I would have been able to make an impact.
“Just the fact I am playing in front of my own fans gives people a lift. I could make an impact just by running at someone. Down the line if I am not playing here, I want to play football somewhere.
“My ego is not too big to drop down a level and play but I still feel I have a bit to give to Blackburn Rovers but that is out of my own hands.”
Dunn was an unused substitute for Kean’s last three games and has only featured in second half cameo’s under caretaker boss Eric Black since.
“I certainly thought I would have had at least a chance to prove my worth, but I have only played about 20 minutes in the last six or seven weeks,” he said.
“I feel very good in training now. I am pretty honest with myself. If I did not feel I was doing enough to earn a shot I would be the first to know. I certainly think I have done enough to at least get more than 20 minutes.
“It is important to say that was under the old regime. Eric Black has come in and I have a lot respect and time for him. I worked with him at Birmingham and he is an exceptional coach. I am sure he has been put in a very difficult position.”
He continued: “Pre-season was frustrating down to the fact I only ran a couple of times and played a few games. It was probably the worst pre-season I have ever had.
“For me personally, the only way to get fit is to run. If you are not running you are not going to get fit. That is surely pretty clear to most people.
“I know different sports science aspects have been brought into it but in my opinion it is pretty clear you only get out what you put in. To only do a couple of proper runs in a six week period and play a few games, I felt it was not great preparation for me.
“I played the Hull game and did okay but I didn’t feel sharp. I was disappointed I had not played much of a part in pre season games. I was made to feel I was not fancied.
“I went to see Steve Kean and said I wanted to get myself fit and so I took myself out of it for 10 days. I did my own training to get myself in good nick. Since then I have been waiting to get a chance.
“Our fitness coach left, Mark Howard, and I felt that was a big blow. We lost one of the top fitness coaches in the country and that is not easy. We have lost a lot of good people over the last few years.”
Comments(42)
azza234
says...
8:15am Sat 13 Oct 12
OnePostThenTheOther
says...
8:31am Sat 13 Oct 12
Harwoodstblue
says...
8:48am Sat 13 Oct 12
"The pre-season training schedule was not rigorous enough"
"we have lost one of the top fitness coaches in the country and that is not easy"
I think this answers a lot of questions, and certainly would not have happened under Allardyce or Hughes.
eddio
says...
8:50am Sat 13 Oct 12
The heart may be willing but the body is weak. In the best interests of the club you should perhaps consider a coaching role, starting NOW! You never know, you could be the manager soon if things don't improve dramatically under the next 'manager'?
French Rover
says...
9:00am Sat 13 Oct 12
Sherwood will soon sort em out.....
Rovers 1495
says...
9:10am Sat 13 Oct 12
French Rover wrote:Le vin français must be clouding your judgement, FR
Dunny is still key off the field and maybe on the field for his experience and skills. If he is fit he is a decent player, give him a shot at Derby instead of Murphy as Danny Boy - good player that he is - seems to have lost the will to live - never mind the will to play!
Sherwood will soon sort em out.....
katrew
says...
9:14am Sat 13 Oct 12
tugay 4 ever
says...
9:19am Sat 13 Oct 12
David Dunn backed Kean and co for far too long .....and
maybe now his chickens have come home to roost.
I agree that Murphy is not fit (in any way) to wear our shirt but David Dunn is now reaping the reward of years of unprofessionalism (remember the advice of Souness!) and months of watching our club die.
Go out on loan David, it would be the best answer all round.
Bangkok Rover
says...
9:26am Sat 13 Oct 12
Harwoodstblue
says...
9:36am Sat 13 Oct 12
Bangkok Rover wrote:More evidence of the dismantling of the club. All this is going to have to be rebuilt if the owners have any ambition to take the club forward.
Very worrying that he had to do his own fitness programme. Seems like we need a good fitness coach installed with the new management team. Man, am I looking forward to this current shambles being history!
basherb
says...
10:11am Sat 13 Oct 12
dangerous dave
says...
10:30am Sat 13 Oct 12
And anyone supporting Black/Hendry as next Management Team must be mad - the attendances will drop again should this happen - we need an experienced Manager, fresh back room staff and new approach - if not then I think the Championship or below is where we'll stay!!
OUT WITH SHAW AGNEW BLACK HENDRY VENKYS
bluebud
says...
10:30am Sat 13 Oct 12
Harwoodstblue wrote:How come Dunny says this now??
Thanks for 'spilling the beans' Dunny. How many times on here have posters remarked how unfit the squad looks.
"The pre-season training schedule was not rigorous enough"
"we have lost one of the top fitness coaches in the country and that is not easy"
I think this answers a lot of questions, and certainly would not have happened under Allardyce or Hughes.
RUinsane
says...
10:37am Sat 13 Oct 12
RUinsane
says...
10:44am Sat 13 Oct 12
noirbrook
says...
11:11am Sat 13 Oct 12
basherb wrote:You mean the machine that is now Queens Park Rangers
I agree I went to my first match last week against Wolves and was shocked at how unfit and off the pace we looked. Under Mark Hughes we just looked like a machine that never stopped. Also the match was crying out for Dunny ( Unless he has totally lost it ), someone get the ball down, beat a man and initiate intelligent passing.
bluerob
says...
11:19am Sat 13 Oct 12
Shebby has been quoted as saying it was like a holiday camp when he arrived, its time for a big clear out from top to bottom.
French Rover
says...
11:24am Sat 13 Oct 12
Rovers 1495 wrote:been on le wagon all season since we got relegated 1495....not having another drink until I can crack the champagne open at the end of the season when we get promoted :)
French Rover wrote:Le vin français must be clouding your judgement, FR
Dunny is still key off the field and maybe on the field for his experience and skills. If he is fit he is a decent player, give him a shot at Derby instead of Murphy as Danny Boy - good player that he is - seems to have lost the will to live - never mind the will to play!
Sherwood will soon sort em out.....
juanbbien
says...
11:30am Sat 13 Oct 12
Mr Purple
says...
11:44am Sat 13 Oct 12
Is this the same David Dunn that now openly criticises the Kean era? Long overdue my friend, long over due. You have watched this club tear itself apart over the last 18 months and you picked your side at the time backing Kean all the way. You should have kept your gob shut then and you should keep your gob shut now. You're no N'zonzi my boy, now either start earning your over inflated salary or retire.
makaveli96
says...
11:53am Sat 13 Oct 12
Can Great Harwood be classed as Blackburn?
Discuss living in the town your born, and supporting that team.....
flowersorseaman?
says...
12:09pm Sat 13 Oct 12
tugay 4 ever wrote:****!
Well well well.........at last David Dunn feels like telling us he is unfit!! He's been unfit for years! I really hope he is feeling frustrated. I really hope he is finding it painful being a part of the shocking regime that now runs Ewood park and I really hope he lives to regret the part he played in bringing this club down.
David Dunn backed Kean and co for far too long .....and
maybe now his chickens have come home to roost.
I agree that Murphy is not fit (in any way) to wear our shirt but David Dunn is now reaping the reward of years of unprofessionalism (remember the advice of Souness!) and months of watching our club die.
Go out on loan David, it would be the best answer all round.
50rover
says...
12:29pm Sat 13 Oct 12
commitment or loyalty to our club; no wonder Fulham let him go !!
I would also like to see that idiot Shebby Singh kicked out and John Williams begged to return.Then we may start to get some professionalism back to run our club with proper football decisions being made i.e. a new manager, instead of the Indian propaganda - circus. You cant even buy a season ticket on line - no wonder we are a laughing stock!!
glp
says...
12:34pm Sat 13 Oct 12
RUinsane
says...
12:46pm Sat 13 Oct 12
noirbrook wrote:Cheap shot, one thing I will put money on. QPR will not go down. They are far too good. Christ even Hoilett is struggling to get on the pitch and he was our star player. They will click into gear soon and be half way up the table before you know it. One things for certain. Any slackers and players not good enough and they are out. Thats why we got Bradley Ordinary.
basherb wrote:You mean the machine that is now Queens Park Rangers
I agree I went to my first match last week against Wolves and was shocked at how unfit and off the pace we looked. Under Mark Hughes we just looked like a machine that never stopped. Also the match was crying out for Dunny ( Unless he has totally lost it ), someone get the ball down, beat a man and initiate intelligent passing.
pbirty
says...
2:46pm Sat 13 Oct 12
makaveli96 wrote:its got a bb post code
The real question is:
Can Great Harwood be classed as Blackburn?
Discuss living in the town your born, and supporting that team.....
trueblue72
says...
2:59pm Sat 13 Oct 12
You think we are entitled to get a top top manager because of the name Blackburn Rovers. Sorry but them days have gone.
Look at the way we are run from top to bottom, nobody with a decent pedigree would work for Venkys unless promises and demands were agreed beforehand.
You slag off Dunn for sticking up for his manager last year. He's blue n white through n through and did what he probably felt was the best at the time, probably the same thing that any if us would of done in his fortunate position playing for his hometown club.
Ok his legs and fitness are not what they were years ago but he'd show passion, fight, spirit and inventiveness given a good run out.
Why he wasn't given 30 mins against wolves i'll never quite understand.
He was everything we needed, the team needed, the club needed against wolves but the inept Black decided on putting Desperate Dann up front.
I won't lie, that was my first game for 18 months and as bad as it was I'll go to the next home game praying for a miracle.
Dunn should be left alone and not berated on here by people who see everything through blue n white we're a massive club spectacles.
Dunn is one of us who's got to look after his remaining career as well as watch his beloved club rot from the inside out.
As regards Sherwood, I personally don't think he's the right choice to take over because of the way his career ended with us.
He was the catalyst of a lot of dressing room unrest prior to him going.
I do think OGS would be a good gamble but don't think we ate a big enough draw for him anymore.
We could do far worse than giving Curbishley a call, but again, that's only my personal opinion.
trueblue72
says...
3:02pm Sat 13 Oct 12
MatthewCA
says...
3:16pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Dunnie is still a good player and experience is so good to control the game. IF he fails , he is over in football with blackburn. playing one level down is bit difficult, but at the age of 32, he have to accept the call.
merlinrabbit
says...
4:44pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Mr Purple wrote:As an employee, its extremely difficult to publically criticise your employer/manager. I'm in the same position and they make your life miserable if you don't go along with it. Dunny must only now feel he can infer that it was c#### under Kean. I agree he didn't need to openly support him and should have minded his phrasing especially the 'Get Real' part. The fact that only Orr came out to speak after relegation says a lot about the support of Kean by the rest and I for one think Kean would leave out any player he believed wasn't in hiS clan eg Murphy
Maybe it's time to GET REAL David.
Is this the same David Dunn that now openly criticises the Kean era? Long overdue my friend, long over due. You have watched this club tear itself apart over the last 18 months and you picked your side at the time backing Kean all the way. You should have kept your gob shut then and you should keep your gob shut now. You're no N'zonzi my boy, now either start earning your over inflated salary or retire.
vicn1956
says...
5:12pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Dunn- G E T R E A L
you told US not very long ago!
I suspectedwhat was going on-but it's worse. I mean- prep for the season-
SIX runs and 2 games.
And kean was being paid WHAT?
GameRoverMan
says...
5:13pm Sat 13 Oct 12
whappen
says...
7:48pm Sat 13 Oct 12
RUinsane wrote:Quite.
noirbrook wrote:Cheap shot, one thing I will put money on. QPR will not go down. They are far too good. Christ even Hoilett is struggling to get on the pitch and he was our star player. They will click into gear soon and be half way up the table before you know it. One things for certain. Any slackers and players not good enough and they are out. Thats why we got Bradley Ordinary.basherb wrote: I agree I went to my first match last week against Wolves and was shocked at how unfit and off the pace we looked. Under Mark Hughes we just looked like a machine that never stopped. Also the match was crying out for Dunny ( Unless he has totally lost it ), someone get the ball down, beat a man and initiate intelligent passing.You mean the machine that is now Queens Park Rangers
What relevance is there in how QPR look now to how we looked under Hughes? It is just an observation of how WE looked then compared to how WE look now; you can't deny it is a valid point.
All the performances over the last eighteen months suggest the squad has been lacking in fitness. From losing points late on in god knows how many individual games to fading away towards the end of both Kean's seasons in charge.
It may surprise some people but we did actually go higher in the PL for a short time after he took charge than we were under BFS when he left. But then, just as last year, we dropped like a stone over the last couple of months.
Pre - season is when all the fitness work is done, it's just kept ticking over during the season itself. If it is true and the pre-season was inadequate, it will make it nigh on impossible for any new manager to put right now.
Justjes
says...
8:09pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Dunn's bess spent for months her runs around like a d1ck can't get the ball and finishes up cropping the bloke and getting carded, YOUR DONE DUNN. BYE.....
noirbrook
says...
11:33am Sun 14 Oct 12
RUinsane wrote:I actually agree with your views on Queens Park Rangers eventual position.It is thoughtful about the outcome but it is very forgiving in view of their current position.Imagine their fans howling that Hoillett does'nt get enough playing time.Bradley ORDINARY is probably the Cheapest Shot
noirbrook wrote:Cheap shot, one thing I will put money on. QPR will not go down. They are far too good. Christ even Hoilett is struggling to get on the pitch and he was our star player. They will click into gear soon and be half way up the table before you know it. One things for certain. Any slackers and players not good enough and they are out. Thats why we got Bradley Ordinary.
basherb wrote:You mean the machine that is now Queens Park Rangers
I agree I went to my first match last week against Wolves and was shocked at how unfit and off the pace we looked. Under Mark Hughes we just looked like a machine that never stopped. Also the match was crying out for Dunny ( Unless he has totally lost it ), someone get the ball down, beat a man and initiate intelligent passing.
Road Runner Road Runner
says...
12:07pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Shocking goings on behind the scenes culminating in the disaster that besets BRFC.
Here is hoping that the correct appointment is made soon ?
Arte et labore
Dingle Infiltrator
says...
12:21pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Sounds like a headline from the "Daily Mash"
Made me laugh anyway
Dingle Infiltrator
says...
12:24pm Sun 14 Oct 12
That's what Alan Shearer thinks as well. So many deluded deadbeats surrounding Blackburn.
Kean's legacy lives on! VIVA STEVE KEAN!!
Kean was TOO GOOD FOR YOU
French Rover
says...
4:06pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Road Runner Road Runner wrote:Exactly Mr Woody...Dunn should have said that ages ago but maybe not so easy under the Odious ones regime. Just arrived in Munchen for a couple of days and hope the manager will be announced this week. Big Beers to celebrate whoever it is (as long as it is not Black).
Now the grip of the iron rod as departed, Dunny comes out and states just what HE should have said some years back:
Shocking goings on behind the scenes culminating in the disaster that besets BRFC.
Here is hoping that the correct appointment is made soon ?
Arte et labore
I just want us to get a manager in place and to get back to the normal football stuff again....
Dingle Infiltrator
says...
4:14pm Sun 14 Oct 12
bluerob wrote:It is a holiday camp and Ian Huntley gets his own play station and jacuzzi.
Fitness coach leaves Colin Hendry comes in, that just about sums up how our club has been run.
Shebby has been quoted as saying it was like a holiday camp when he arrived, its time for a big clear out from top to bottom.
Makes me sick we're going to hell in a handcart Shebby couldn't make this up
merlinrabbit
says...
5:48pm Sun 14 Oct 12
trueblue72 wrote:I think you are wrong. I dont think anywhere near as many fans think we have a right to a top manager. They wish for one like every other football fan does. We've been lucky with the ones weve had on the whole. Mostly big names and experience. Its been a well run club with top notch facilities so has been an attraction to managers who either want challenge of promotion of an established PL club. Now, we have the lunatics in charge, attracting a proven manager wont be as easy and we will end up with a newcomer like Shearer or a cheap option like Black.
Some of you lot on here have opinions and views that are totally baffling.
You think we are entitled to get a top top manager because of the name Blackburn Rovers. Sorry but them days have gone.
Look at the way we are run from top to bottom, nobody with a decent pedigree would work for Venkys unless promises and demands were agreed beforehand.
You slag off Dunn for sticking up for his manager last year. He's blue n white through n through and did what he probably felt was the best at the time, probably the same thing that any if us would of done in his fortunate position playing for his hometown club.
Ok his legs and fitness are not what they were years ago but he'd show passion, fight, spirit and inventiveness given a good run out.
Why he wasn't given 30 mins against wolves i'll never quite understand.
He was everything we needed, the team needed, the club needed against wolves but the inept Black decided on putting Desperate Dann up front.
I won't lie, that was my first game for 18 months and as bad as it was I'll go to the next home game praying for a miracle.
Dunn should be left alone and not berated on here by people who see everything through blue n white we're a massive club spectacles.
Dunn is one of us who's got to look after his remaining career as well as watch his beloved club rot from the inside out.
As regards Sherwood, I personally don't think he's the right choice to take over because of the way his career ended with us.
He was the catalyst of a lot of dressing room unrest prior to him going.
I do think OGS would be a good gamble but don't think we ate a big enough draw for him anymore.
We could do far worse than giving Curbishley a call, but again, that's only my personal opinion.
Sam-the-Man says...
8:10am Sat 13 Oct 12
As not being fit enough, none of the players have look 100% fit for the last 18 months.