Aston Villa boss gives Dunne time to recover from Ireland setback

Nov 21 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

MARTIN O’Neill admits the Republic of Ireland’s controversial elimination at the hands of France could have cost Richard Dunne the chance to ever grace a World Cup finals.

O’Neill excused Dunne from training yesterday to come to terms with Wednesday’s devastating play-off defeat in Paris following Thierry Henry’s handball assist for the winner.

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“Richard is very disappointed,” said O’Neill. “He is pretty frustrated with what happened and it is a real shame because Ireland were in a position to at least take the game to penalty kicks. It has been a devastating experience for Richard and I particularly feel for the experienced players in the side – Richard Dunne, Shay Given, Damien Duff, Kevin Kilbane and Robbie Keane – probably more than the younger boys.

“It is a big blow to them. The manager has done brilliantly in that campaign so it’s a blow to the nation.”

O’Neill expects Dunne to be professional enough to channel his disappointment positively by playing in today’s Premier League match at Burnley, especially with James Collins extremely doubtful with his groin problem.

“Richard didn’t train today and I’m not surprised,” added O’Neill. “He has had two very heavy games, particularly the match on Wednesday, and then you are hit by the major blow of not making it to the World Cup.

“He won’t get over it overnight. I will sit down with him if we get an opportunity to see how he is feeling.

“Of course, disappointment can be overcome, but I will speak to him and see how he feels.”

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