Leading light foresees no city limits in sight

INTERVIEW - RICHARD DUNNELOOKING BACK, Richard Dunne could be forgiven for wondering whether it would have been the worst decision of his professional life. Manchester City did not have a manager or maybe even a plan, writes Daniel Taylor

The fans were at the point of open mutiny and Dunne, the longest-serving player, captain and four-time player of the year was close to walking out. City, he remembers, were "at the bottom of the pit".

So much has changed in such a short space of time, Dunne finds it difficult to talk about the transformation without a bemused, almost disbelieving smile spreading across his face.

"It's just amazement really," he confessed yesterday, as he reflected on the takeover by Abu Dhabi United Group's multi-billionaires and how close he had been to missing out on the adventure by severing his ties with the club in the August transfer window. "I'm just glad I didn't go through with it. I think I would always have regretted it."

After eight years at the club, the prospect of leaving was not a decision that Dunne had taken lightly, but the Republic of Ireland international was probably entitled to feel disillusioned, having seen a promising season collapse and a popular manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, sacked against the players' wishes.

"We lost 8-1 to Middlesbrough on the last day and that was the lowest it got," Dunne recalls. "There was just nothing positive coming out of the club and it didn't look like anything was ever going to improve. Everyone's heads were down. Nobody knew what direction the club was going to take and it was pretty much the same for a month after that game. We didn't know who was in charge, what was happening. Everything had come to a head. The fans had wanted Sven to stay. The players were the same. Everyone was fed up."

Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur tried to lure him away but Portsmouth came the closest. "They had just won the FA Cup and qualified for Europe," said Dunne at the launch of the EA Sports Fifa 09 computer game. "They were buying players and looked a very attractive option."

But then Mark Hughes took over. "As soon as he arrived, he brought some direction back to the club. He's such a strong manager he changed my mind immediately."

The contrast between then and now could hardly be more marked. Last weekend City thrashed Portsmouth 6-0 and, on Wednesday, Redknapp's team sieved four more to Chelsea in the League Cup. City's own interest in the League Cup was ended by a Brighton side currently 13th in League One. It was the kind of shock that has been the norm for City, but they will have their strongest team back at Wigan tomorrow and Dunne is confident the club can shed their tag as attractive, lovable losers, particularly when he considers Robinho's early impact.

"He's unbelievable," Dunne says. "He does the kind of tricks you normally see only in computer games. Elano's good but this guy's a different level. Everyone is criticising him, saying: 'Why has he gone to City?' But Robinho is just the first. Everyone will want to play for City in three or four years."

It is the kind of statement that has prompted Alex Ferguson to talk of City being "all talk" and question whether, in true City fashion, something will inevitably go wrong. "I'm sure a lot of cynical City fans think the same," says Dunne. "But the new owners look like they are here for the long-term. It seems perfect. We've got the fan-base, the stadium, the manager, the chairman. It's real. Okay, we're not going to challenge for titles straight away. But this is just the beginning. In the next five or 10 years it will probably be a regular occurrence that City are winning trophies."

He is reminded that Garry Cook, City's executive chairman, has talked of the club outgrowing Manchester United. "It's possible," Dunne says. "Next season, the owners will be pushing for us to reach the Champions League. It's not far away."

He was less enamoured by Cook's remark that "no disrespect, but the name Richard Dunne doesn't roll off the tongue in Beijing," describing it curtly as "not the best thing to say". But he is realistic enough to realise a glut of superstar signings might have repercussions. "Come January, there could be a brand new squad here. That's the challenge for me. Can I stay in the team? I've always wanted to play Champions League football and it's suddenly dropped on our lap."

Two years from a testimonial, it would be particularly harsh if Dunne should suddenly find his place taken by a new signing. The 29-year-old has been at City long enough to remember them "turning an old Shell garage into a new training ground". Back then, he admits, City were just happy to scrape by. "But then everything changed," he says. "We're just wondering how long before we've got a dressingroom full of the best players in the world."

Guardian Service