David Dunn

Early life

David John Ian Dunn was born on 27 December 1979 in Great Harwood, Lancashire. Dunn joined Blackburn Rovers as a schoolboy. After leaving St Augustine's School, Billington, he was taken on the Youth Training Scheme upon joining the club, which is just down the road from the club's Brockhall training ground. Dunn reflected on his school life, saying: "I wasn't very academic. I was bored in the classroom. It never really excited me and it was never something I really wanted to do. I went to a good school – St Augustine's in Billington. "I didn't wag school or anything like that."

Growing up, Dunn wanted to be a footballer because of the influence from his grandfather, David, who was a footballer himself and was a Blackburn Rovers fan, along with his family. Growing up, he idolised Simon Garner. In addition to playing football, Dunn also played cricket.

Club career

Blackburn Rovers

Dunn joined Blackburn Rovers as a trainee at the beginning of 1997 and quickly impressed the reserve team. His first goal for Blackburn Rovers' Reserves came on 3 February 1997. Dunn then played in both legs of the FA Youth Cup semi–finals, as Blackburn Rovers Academy lost 4–3 on aggregate. Nevertheless, he was part of the squad that saw Blackburn Rovers Youth win 3–0 against Everton Youth in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw after extra-time. However, in the final of the Lancashire FA Youth Cup, they lost 3–1 against Manchester United Youth. The following season, Dunn played in both legs of the FA Youth Cup, as they lost 5–3 on aggregate against Everton Youth.

The start of the 1998–99 season saw Dunn being called up to the first-team squad by manager Roy Hodgson. He made his debut during a goalless draw with Everton on 26 September 1998. Dunn came off the bench after 70 minutes but was taken off after just 11 minutes on the pitch, due to the sending off of Martin Dahlin. After making his debut, he said: "I am not a nervous person so it doesn't really bother me. I am just glad to be playing. It's exciting and a brilliant experience. I was just happy to go on no matter how long it was for. It was a surprise to come off but it had to be done for the team. The gaffer explained to me why he did it afterwards and I agree with him." In his second appearance, Blackburn beat Newcastle United at St James' Park in the League Cup; Dunn scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out. The end of the year saw Dunn being linked a move away from Blackburn Rovers, as Preston North End wanted to sign him on loan. But it was announced on 12 December that he signed a contract with the club, keeping him until 2003. His first goal came in a 3–1 victory against Aston Villa on 6 February. Throughout the 1998–99 season, he had received a handful of first-team appearances for the club. At the end of the 1998–99 season, Dunn made 16 appearances and scored one goal in all competitions.

Ahead of the 1999–2000 season, it was expected that Dunn was to fight for his first-team place in the central midfield position. He began the season when he appeared in a number of matches, either starting a match and coming on as a substitute, without able to play the whole game for the side. On 22 September, Dunn scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against Portsmouth in the second round of the League Cup. Dunn then spend the next two months playing for the reserve side, though he did return to the first-team once, coming against Leeds United in the third round of the League Cup. On 6 November, Dunn returned to the first-team, where he started a match and played 83 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–2 draw against Ipswich Town. Dunn started in the next two matches before he returned to the reserve side for a month until on 28 December 1999 against Portsmouth, starting the whole game, winning 2–1. Dunn then regained his first-team place for the rest of the 1999–2000 season. His lack of first-eam opportunities led him to a transfer request, only to be rejected by Blackburn Rovers. He later withdrew the transfer request a month later. Dunn then scored two goals in two matches between 18 March and 22 March against Fulham and Birmingham City. Despite suffering injuries during the 1999–2000 season, Dunn made twenty–six appearances and scored three times in all competitions.

Birmingham City

After signing a four-year contract, Dunn impressively made an impact in the club's friendly matches, scoring three times before suffering a muscle injury against Walsall, which he recovered from. Dunn's Birmingham City career started brightly with a debut goal in a 1–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 16 August 2003. After the match, Manager Steve Bruce praised his performance, saying: "David Dunn proved he had some real, real quality with the spotlight on him and such a big crowd. He's rushed to get the ball (for the penalty). He's got something about him and he's a special player." Two weeks later on 30 August, Dunn scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against Newcastle United. During a 0–0 draw against local rivals, Aston Villa on 19 October, he attempted to do the Rabona pass, only for it to backfire. Dunn later spoke about his embarrassing incident on numerous occasions. Since the start of the 2003–04 season, he started in every match until a niggling hamstring sustained in February meant that Dunn spent much of the second half of his first season on the side-line. At the end of the 2003–04 season, Dunn made twenty–two appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

The beginning of his second season saw Dunn continuing to recover from his injury. It was not until on 18 September 2004 when he returned to the first-team, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Charlton Athletic. Dunn quickly re-established himself in the heart of the Birmingham midfield and chipped in some vital goals despite suffering from injury along the way. However, a recurrence of Dunn's hamstring problems in November limited him to just a handful of performances for the remainder of the season, and kept him out of the side until midway through the following season. At one point, he thought about retiring from football because of the injury. At the end of the 2004-05 season, Dunn made twenty–eight appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

The 2005–06 season saw Dunn continuing rehabilitating from his hamstring injury. It was not until on 16 October when he returned to the first-team, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 loss against rivals Aston Villa. However, Dunn's return was short–lived when he suffered a calf injury while training and was sidelined for a month. Ultimately, Birmingham were relegated from the Premier League, with Dunn still not returning to fitness. Amidst injuries, he went on to score three goals during the season, coming against Portsmouth, Reading and Wigan Athletic. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Dunn made 19 appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.

Return to Blackburn Rovers

On 17 January 2007, Dunn returned to Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year deal believed to be £2.2 million. He rejected a move to Bolton Wanderers in favour of returning to his boyhood club. On 3 February, Dunn played his first Premier League match since his return to Blackburn Rovers against Sheffield United and earned a free kick which led to Rovers scoring a last-minute winner. After the match, he said: "It was good to be back out there again – it felt like I'd never been away. I was really touched by the reception I got from the fans – it was special for me." Dunn then played a role in the FA Cup fifth round replay against Arsenal when he set up a goal for Benni McCarthy to score the only goal of the game to advance to the next round. At the end of this campaign, despite injury problems, he managed to feature in a total of 16 games in all competitions, including appearing in 11 Premier League matches.

Dunn started the 2007–08 season well, scoring in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal. Manager Mark Hughes praised Dunn's performance after the match. Since the start of the 2007–08 season, Dunn's place in the midfield position proved to be resurrection of his football career. He then set up two goals in two matches between 7 October and 20 October against his former club Birmingham City and Reading. Dunn started in every match since the start of the 2007–08 season until he was sent off for a second bookable offence, in a 2–0 loss against Manchester United. After serving a one match suspension, Dunn returned to the starting line–up against Aston Villa on 28 November, where they lost 4–0. He then provided a hat–trick of assists, as Blackburn Rovers won 4–1 against Bolton Wanderers on 24 February. At one point during a 2–1 loss against West Ham United, he was involved in altercation with teammate Christopher Samba after conceding the equalising and the argument carried on in the dressing room at half-time. Despite being sidelined on four more occasions later in the 2007–08 season, Dunn made thirty–eight appearances and scored once in all competitions. For his performances, he won the Special Club Award at Blackburn Rovers' annual Player of the Year awards.

Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Dunn was appointed vice-captain by new manager Paul Ince for the new season. He started the season well, scoring in the opening game of the season, in a 3–2 win against Everton. However, his 200th league appearance for Blackburn Rovers against Hull City on 23 August was overshadowed when he suffered an Achilles injury and was substituted at half-time. It was announced that Dunn was out for four months. By November, Dunn made his return to training to maintain his fitness, as he continued to recover from his injury. It was not until on 12 December when Dunn returned from injury, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 3–0 loss against Wigan Athletic. Since returning from injury, he found himself in and out of the starting line–up, as his season was disrupted by niggling injuries. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Dunn made 17 appearances and scored once in all competitions.

Oldham Athletic

On 30 July 2015, Dunn signed for League One club Oldham Athletic on a one-year deal. Manager Darren Kelly stated that his addition would make the team's midfield one of the strongest in the league for the upcoming 2015–16 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season. Upon joining the club, he was given a number 17 shirt. Dunn made his Oldham Athletic debut, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Walsall in the opening game of the season. Since making his debut for the club, he was involved in every match, and contributed two assists. By the time Dunn was appointed manager, he made nine appearances in all competitions.

International career

Dunn represented England at international level and was first called up to the England U18 squad for the first time and made his debut for the U18 squad on 12 February 1998. He was then a part of their squad for the 1998 UEFA European Championship in Cyprus, where they were eliminated in the Group Stage.

In November 1998, Dunn was called up to the Under-21 squad for the first time. He made his debut on 18 November 1998. In May 2000, Dunn was called up to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia. He played two times in the tournament, as England were eliminated in the Group Stage. It was not until on 31 August 2000 that Dunn scored his first goal for England U21, in a 6–1 win against Georgia U21. Two months later, he was appointed as captain for a 1–1 draw against Germany. Dunn was called up for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship and played three times, as they finished last in their group.

Throughout 2001, there were calls from the British media that Dunn should be called up to the England squad. On his column for the Lancashire Telegraph, he wrote positively about Sven-Göran Eriksson's early managerial start at England. Dunn was considered to be in the England squad for the FIFA World Cup, but he did not make the final cut. Three months later, on 3 September 2002, Dunn was called up to the England for the first time and made his first cap on 7 September 2002, when he replaced Steven Gerrard against Portugal at half-time. This turned out to be his only senior England appearance. Following this, there were calls for England to call Dunn to the squad, but to no avail, as he said: "I know that I should've had more caps. I truly wish that I'd knuckled down at times and pushed myself that bit more. I'm really proud that I played professionally for my country, it's what I started out wanting to do but there's always that little bugbear that I could and maybe should've had more caps."

Coaching career

Oldham Athletic

On 13 September 2015, following the sacking of Darren Kelly, Dunn was appointed as the caretaker manager of his playing club Oldham Athletic, with him supposed to remain in that position until a permanent replacement was found. At the time of his appointment, he was working on completing his UEFA Pro Licence, having previously completed his UEFA A and B Licences. On 7 October, Dunn was appointed permanently, following a recent unbeaten run. His first game in charge as their permanent manager came three days later in a 4–2 defeat to Scunthorpe United at Boundary Park. His first victory was a 2–1 victory at Swindon Town on 20 October 2015.

His tenure as manager did not go according to plan: Oldham entered into a relegation battle after a negative run of results which resulted in Dunn being dismissed on 12 January 2016, just three months after his appointment. Oldham had gone several league games without a win. Dunn's departure also led to the exits of Dean Holden and Keith Brown, who were both members of Dunn's coaching staff. He left the club sat in twenty-second place, with Dunn being replaced by heavily experienced John Sheridan a day later.

On 25 February 2016, Dunn returned to his former playing club Blackburn Rovers to work alongside his former teammate Damien Johnson in the academy set-up as the under-23s assistant coach. His appointment as coach saw Dunn hang up his boots after an 18-year-spell as a professional footballer. On 22 February 2017, Dunn was promoted to first-team coach under new manager Tony Mowbray. Dunn remained in that role until the end of the season; he reverted to his previous position after Blackburn were relegated to League One. A successful season followed for Blackburn: the under-23s (which Dunn coached with Johnson) won the Premier League 2 Division 2, earning promotion to Division 1; whereas the first-team achieved immediate promotion back to the Championship as runners-up. Dunn departed Blackburn for the third time in June 2018, in order to concentrate on his family and other business interests outside of football.

Blackpool

In January 2020, Dunn joined League One side Blackpool as an assistant coach. On 12 February, Dunn was installed as the club's caretaker manager until further notice, following the dismissal of Simon Grayson, who was sacked after a negative run of form. His first game in charge was 2–1 defeat in the league, away at Bristol Rovers, taking place three days following his appointment. However, Blackpool went on to record a respectable run of form, including a goalless draw against AFC Wimbledon, before achieving 2–1 victories whilst hosting Bolton Wanderers and promotion-chasing Ipswich Town at Bloomfield Road, respectively.

Neil Critchley, a highly acclaimed coach who had previously been employed by Premier League giants Liverpool as their under-23s team manager, was appointed as Grayson's replacement on 2 March. Following his appointment, Critchley stated that he was satisfied with the existing coaching staff, with Dunn confirming two days later that he intended to remain in his previous role as an assistant coach, with all four members of the coaching staff being on the touchline for the club's reserves fixture against Huddersfield Town one day previously.

Barrow

In July 2020, Dunn became linked with the vacant managerial position at Barrow, whose previous manager Ian Evatt had recently departed to join Bolton Wanderers just shortly after guiding the club to promotion into the English Football League. On 9 July, his appointment at the club was confirmed, after he signed a two-year contract. This became Dunn's first permanent managerial position since his tenure at Oldham Athletic concluded in 2016. After 22 matches, the last nine without a win, and with the team 21st in the table, Dunn was sacked on 13 December 2020.

Port Vale

In July 2022, he joined Port Vale as a first-team coach. He left the club following the sacking of Andy Crosby in February 2024.

Personal life

Dunn was in a relationship with actress Sammy Winward; the couple were once engaged and had a daughter named Mia. Dunn has three children with his wife, Hayley. The oldest, Isaac, was born in 2008.

During his first spell at Blackburn Rovers, Dunn wrote a column for the Lancashire Telegraph, and was known as a prankster. He later went onto business with former teammate Garry Flitcroft, running a timber firm named Flitcraft.

Career statistics

Managerial

As of 13 December 2020

Honours

Blackburn Rovers

FA Youth Cup runner-up: 1998

Football League First Division second-place promotion: 2000–01

Football League Cup: 2001–02

Birmingham City

Football League Championship second-place promotion: 2006–07

Individual

BBC North West's Annual Sports Awards: 2001

PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01 First Division