DAVID Dunn has urged Blackburn Rovers to show him ‘a bit of respect’ and inform him before the end of the season whether he will be offered a new deal at the club.
Dunn and Rovers go into today’s match at league leaders Cardiff, just two points above the Championship relegation zone, with the midfielder having only eight games left before his contract with the club expires in the summer.
The 33-year-old wants to stay at Ewood and at the very least is desperate to avoid going into the final match of the season at Birmingham on May 4 not knowing whether it will be his last game for the club, after 21 years over two spells.
His former Rovers team-mate Kevin Davies was last week informed that he would not be offered a new deal at Bolton after 10 years at the Reebok Stadium and Dunn says, if he is to be released, he would rather know in advance.
But he admits that, with caretaker boss Gary Bowyer only in charge until the end of the season, he does not know who will be making the decision.
“If I’m being honest and blunt about it, I’m not too sure who to speak to,” Dunn said.
“For me, I’ve seen Kevin Davies that got an answer the other day and I’d rather just know.
“If it’s a yes, great. If it’s a no, then at least I’ve been here a hell of a long time in two spells.
“I’ve been here since I was eight years old and I want to stay here.
“But I think maybe show me a bit of respect if it’s not going to happen, because what I think would be a real crying shame is if I got to May and went home, and that was it.
“I think I deserve a little bit more than that for the effort and the loyalty I’ve shown over the years at this club.
“I mean who knows what happens at this place? I don’t really know what’s happening.
“But I certainly like to think that they’d tell me before the end of the season, one way or another.”
Dunn is currently free to talk to clubs with reports linking him with interest from the Middle East, China and the MLS. But he has stressed that his only desire is to stay with Rovers.
He added: “It’s very difficult because I still want to play my football and I still feel I’ve got a lot to give to the team.
“But how long do you wait before you get an answer? I’m two or three months away from being out of contract, my family and my kids are here. I’m probably being more patient than I would be if I was at another club.”
And, whether he is here next season or not, Dunn says Venky’s must make decisions this summer to turn around Rovers’ fortunes and improve decision-making at the club.
He said: “There have been ups and downs over the last 20 years. We’re a really good club and it wouldn’t take much to get that back.
“The most important thing for me is because I come from this area, I witness the impact that the downfall of the club has had on the community in general.
“When the football club is doing well, the town bounces, as you saw against Burnley.
“It’s been a mad, mad season for us with everything that’s been happening off the pitch. Does it affect players? I’m sure it does.
“It’s not a criticism of the owners because they’ve always said they’re going to put money into the club. I don’t think you can argue with that, I think they do.
“What they maybe do, is from bad decisions from whoever, they seem to be having to fork out needless amounts of money because in my opinion maybe the decision wasn’t right.
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