McLeish’s Villa blessed with pluck of the Irish

Alex McLeish is not the only manager who should be offering thanks for the return to fitness of Richard Dunne and the continued excellence of Shay Given, after the pair kept the Baggies at bay and bagged an invaluable point in Villa’s battle against relegation.

Giovanni Trapattoni should thank his lucky stars he will be able to call on the pair this summer as Ireland face a tough task at Euro 2012.

Dunne proved his fitness and leadership skills with an outstanding defensive display despite coming back ahead of schedule from the dislocated shoulder that has kept him out for 10 weeks.