WORLD CUP 2010 PLAY-OFF:WHILE HE let his feelings be known about Raymond Domenech earlier in the week, describing the manager of France as "a man who seems intent on messing them up", Richard Dunne has been equally passionate in his expression of support for Giovanni Trapattoni, contrasting the Italian's standing among his players with that 'enjoyed' by Domenech with the French.

Aware, evidently, of criticism from some quarters of the manager, both for his tactics and team selections (and his non-selection of Andy Reid), Dunne questioned how any one could doubt Trapattoni in light of an unbeaten campaign through the group stage of qualifying.

“We’ve been organised all the way through and it’s been a similar squad to previous campaigns, we just seem to have got a man who has settled on his ideas. He’s got them across, he’s done things his way – some people in the media haven’t enjoyed watching it, but the results speak for themselves, it’s gone well. The players in the squad know the manager is the right man and what he’s doing is right, so why doubt him?

“Our manager is a winner, always has been, that’s what we’re following, whatever he says goes, really. Everyone listens to him.

“He’s told us all the way through that we’re a good, decent side and we’re hard to beat, we’ve proved that. Different tactical things, working on set-pieces over and over, things like that, we’ve got 100 per cent faith in our manager and we believe he’s the man to lead us.”

Being paired with the French in the play-offs wasn’t, said Dunne, the kindest of draws for Ireland, but he’s quick to stress that “if France were as good as everyone seems to think they are they would have won their group.

“But they’re in the same position as us, they’ve had a tough group and now they have to go through the play-offs. We know the quality of players they have but if we look at their squad list and start worrying we could lose before we even go out there.

“We’ve just got to believe in what our manager does for us tomorrow night, he’s been telling us all week that we can win, and that we will win. That’s what we all have to believe. There’s no point in having an ounce of fear, we just have to believe that come Wednesday night we’ll be going to the World Cup, that’s the way we have to think.”

No stranger to marking Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry – although it was Dunne who was on the scoresheet last time he came up against Anelka, in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Chelsea last month – the defender is more than aware of their abilities, but the effort to subdue them must, he says, be a collective one.

“I know what they can do so I know it’s going to be really difficult.

“But it’s not just down to me, it’s not just down to Shay (Given) or Seán (St Ledger), it’s down to everyone, we have to work as a team, help each other out. There are times they’ll skip past us, that’s when we need a team-mate there to back us up, that’s the whole game plan.

“It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it in the end. So we have to fight for each other.

“They’ve got loads of attacking options. It would be foolish if we didn’t expect them to have a lot of the ball, probably in both games.

“As much as we want to try and dominate them they’re probably the more comfortable team on the ball so we know we’re going to spend long periods defending, having to concentrate and work hard. But they’re the things everyone in our squad is willing to do, willing to work hard for each other and for the whole cause.

“There’s not one of us will come off the pitch next Wednesday not having given everything.”

There’ll be no lack of effort then, and, after the group campaign, Dunne insists there’s no lack of belief. “Italy couldn’t beat us in two games so we have to take some confidence from that. Games we might have lost before we’ve turned into draws, which has helped us on the way. If we can get through on away goals, even, get two draws over the next week, we’d be delighted. But I think we’ve got it in us to go and win the games, and that’s the aim. We have to believe that. We know what a big deal this is for the country, it’s up to us to transfer that on to the pitch, that passion and desire. And we will.”