Andy O'Brien [Archive]

brine3

02/09/2006, 9:37 PM

i thought andy o'brien was quite good tonight. he made a lot of important interceptions.

of course you could blame him for the very light foul that led to the goal, but besides that i thought he was great

Hither green

02/09/2006, 10:02 PM

I didn't think he was that bad. It would be great to have a big queue of central defenders to take his place so we could drop him but there isn't one. I don't think McCarthy's ready and do we really want to go back to Doherty?

CraftyToePoke

03/09/2006, 2:50 AM

Anyone else think it's time he should be dropped?

edited as ol CTP was drunk as a pagan at the time of posting

CraftyToePoke

03/09/2006, 2:52 AM

Paddy McCarthy.

i watch Paddy McCarthy play every week, and your post demonstrates only how precious little you know about this.

Dodge

03/09/2006, 3:37 AM

talkin shiite, but thats not unusual for you, if he was the worst of our lot in your eyes then im glad you're not at the wheel.
Be nice

I think he's awful ad apparently so do most premiership managers but honestly can't think of anyone better. Didn't play too bad tonight

plasticpitch

03/09/2006, 4:45 AM

in fairness the ref gave us nothing. our strikers hardly got a free tonight against blatant german fouls. anyway to answer the question ... no he is by far the quickest of the back 4 and we need some bit of stability in the team.
i would bring harte in and put finnan on the right.
maybe mcgeady reid reid duff . doyler and keano up front
jayus thats not a bad side

jjppc

03/09/2006, 12:28 PM

Anyone else think it's time he should be dropped?

Is this a joke ?, he was one of our best players last night, you might as well drop Given while you are at it.

Dj Duffer

03/09/2006, 12:37 PM

I thought irelands best players were given dunne o brien, kilbane and doyle!! Jaysus lads i duno wat game some of ye were watching but o brien did well!!

Tenderloins

03/09/2006, 1:05 PM

Stephen Carr also showed some bite and enthusiasm for the first time in years.

De Town

03/09/2006, 1:34 PM

Andy O'Brien is generally shíte but he played well last night. Thought Klose gave Dunne the run around a few times though.

LeixlipRed

03/09/2006, 1:59 PM

O' Brien is rubbish in the Premiership but I don't think I've ever seen him play badly for Ireland. That ref was always going to screw us over last night so you can't blame him for the free for the goal. Carr was also good last night. Pity he cant seem to do that all the time

eirebhoy

03/09/2006, 3:09 PM

anyway to answer the question ... no he is by far the quickest of the back 4 and we need some bit of stability in the team.
I wouldn't call O'Brien quick. Dunne is very fast but O'Brien doesn't seem the quickest of players.

I thought he played well last night anyway.

billybunter

04/09/2006, 1:12 AM

i like that team plasticpitch suggests. harte would give us something to look forward to with corners and set pieces in general. having a natural left sided player of the ball at left full would help - he is not the quickest, and is prone to the oddmistake, but his delivery and passing are usually sound. if you had duffer in fornt of him harte would get him enough of the ball to his feet.

joema

04/09/2006, 3:14 AM

O' Brien is usually sh1t but was v good last night - if he deserves to be dropped it certanly shouldnt be because of the German game.

IMO Harte is total cack - no pace atall - might be worth a start v San Marino ut thats all

joema

04/09/2006, 3:14 AM

Stuttgart88

04/09/2006, 7:08 AM

Anyone else think it's time he should be dropped?Would you revise that opinion after his performance on saturday?

I thought he had a great game. Dunne and he communicated well throughout and complemented each other very well. Dunne's the no nonsense commanding figure and O'Brien more the continental style. Yet again O'Brien looked good in an international despite never looking good at club level in my opinion.

endabob1

04/09/2006, 7:46 AM

After Given the 2 centre backs were our next best 2 players on the park, both O'Brien & Dunne played really well and who knows how good they would be if they had a central midfield in front of them!!!!

If this thread were about O'Shea who was anonymous for 90 minutes I would give it some credence.

tetsujin1979

04/09/2006, 9:18 AM

I think Andy O'Brien needs an organising player alongside him to really shine, compare his performances alongside Cunningham to playing alongside Breen. With Dunne in the captain's role at Eastlands now, he'll be doing that on a regular basis, so it'll be easier to transfer that to the international game.
Still think we need to have a look at him and Paddy McCarthy together though. I was thinking that Paddy could come in for the Cyprus game, which we should win without any problems. But, with the Czech game on the following wednesday, would it be worth messing with the lineup, seeing as how you would think it would be back to Dunne - O'Brien for that game?

Stuttgart88

04/09/2006, 9:39 AM

Still think we need to have a look at him and Paddy McCarthy together though. I was thinking that Paddy could come in for the Cyprus game, which we should win without any problems. But, with the Czech game on the following wednesday, would it be worth messing with the lineup, seeing as how you would think it would be back to Dunne - O'Brien for that game?I thought Dunne & O'Brien's partnership was a real positive from Saturday.

eirebhoy

04/09/2006, 9:59 AM

The chances of O'Brien playing between now and the Cyprus game are really slim which is a worry.

Kingdom

04/09/2006, 10:13 AM

tetsujin1979

04/09/2006, 10:53 AM

I didn't think he did anything to deserve being dropped, but the fact of the matter is he's not going to get any first team games at Portsmouth (think I even heard they told him he can go), leaving us the Doc, McCarthy and possibly McShane as backup.
We need to see how these guys can play alongside Dunne, and obviously McCarthy and McShane have no experience at this level. The Cyprus game is an excellent opportunity to give at least one of those 2 a run out before making any decisions about the centre half pairing for the Czech game.

dr_peepee

04/09/2006, 10:54 AM

The only thing I can think of that Andy O'Brien has done wrong for IRELAND is his sending off against Israel, whihc in hindsight we'd all love to have done!

He's done nothing wrong whilst representing his country so I don't see why he should bedropped.

He didn't actually do anything to the keeper if i remember right... But you've hit the nail on the head. He's one nothing wrong in green to warrant being dropped. Arguably our best player (After Given obviously) over the course of the last campaign.

shakermaker1982

04/09/2006, 10:55 AM

McCarthy needs a call up. At the moment O'Brien cannot be dropped because he played well Saturday but we need more options at CB.

youngirish

04/09/2006, 11:37 AM

Mc Shane is due a run in the West Brom team for the next few months due to an injury to Curtis Davies so if he performs well he could be another option (I'm sure O'Brien or Dunne will be injured or suspended for a few of the games so he'll get a chance).

At the moment though O'Brien is the best we have. For God's sake Stan don't try JOS there instead. He was decent on Sat anyway bar his silly free kick that led to the goal.

GUISAUltra

04/09/2006, 11:58 AM

it wasn't john o shea that gave away the free kick leading to the goal it was o brien and it was a bit of a dodgy free kick to give away but harsh enough call by the ref. not one german player claimed that free kick.
whoever said kilbane had a good game obviously wasn't watching the same game as me i thought he just didn't look up to standard in stuttgart.
I think taking of duff was a mistake as even though he was relatively quiet you would still always fancy him to do something special at anytime. i think stephen reid is wasted on the wing as he lacks the ability to take players on and get a cross into the box, i think mcgeady and duff on the wings could be very good

i think carr should be dropped for future games and not o brien.
finnan should be back at right back where he's most effective. i'd have o shea left back as its a waste of time putting him in midfield as he lacks the ability to control a game. dunne and o brien in the middle. mc geady and duff on the wings and miller and s. reid or kavanagh in the middle, doyle and keano up front.
any thoughts

endabob1

04/09/2006, 12:23 PM

Fairly Similar team I'd have the same back 5 and front 2 but I'd stick Stephen Ireland in the middle with Steven Reid and keep Duff and McGeady out wide.
Having said that if Miller is playing well at Sunderland and Ireland doesn't get games for City you might want to change it.

GUISAUltra

04/09/2006, 12:34 PM

yeah i'd really like to see stephen ireland get a run because from what i saw of him last year he does look a good player but he definitely will need to be getting regular first team football and be playing well. we're seriously lacking a high class centre midfielder who can pull the strings and change a game for us

Paulie

04/09/2006, 12:37 PM

Yet again O'Brien looked good in an international despite never looking good at club level in my opinion.

LeixlipRed made this same point and I'd have to agree with both of you. While he looks dodgy when playing at club level he's been consistently putting in good performances at international level. Also, if he was to be dropped there is currently no viable alternative.

OwlsFan

04/09/2006, 12:45 PM

The postmatch consensus in Stuttgart among the group I was with was that O'Brien wasn't far off being man of the match.

As for those who suggest the return of Harte, have you no memories of Korea/Japan ? No pace and out of position numerous times. A defensive liability which I do not believe outweighs his offensive skills.

What a national anthem ! I have been to many an away game but this one was sung by the Irish supporters with real passion and brought a tear to my eye. Did it come across that way on TV ? The support throughout the game was tremendous,

Paulie

04/09/2006, 12:54 PM

What a national anthem ! I have been to many an away game but this one was sung by the Irish supporters with real passion and brought a tear to my eye. Did it come across that way on TV ? The support throughout the game was tremendous,

Agreed. I thought the anthem was sung very well by the fans. I reckon that it was because there was no bloody opera singer belting it out over a microphone drowning out the fans as seems to happen at a lot of sporting events nowadays.

DmanDmythDledge

04/09/2006, 9:38 PM

Maybe the thread was bad timing as he had an improved performance against Germany, but I still think that there are better options out there, if they are given the chance to prove themselves. Paddy McCarthy has been very good for Leicester and Luke McShane looks like he is a future international, and could be sooner rather than later. Jason Gavin at Drogheda could even a merit an opportunity in a friendly game to see what he can do IMO.

He hadn't played well for a long time IMO(I missed the Sweden game so don't know how he got on in that) and very rarely, if ever, put in a great performance at club level, if even played at all.

The lack of first team football will eventually catch up with him, but on a positive note Pompey are willing to offload him. Someone made the point that O'B plays better with someone like Dunne partnering him and that could be true.

eirebhoy

04/09/2006, 10:38 PM

He hadn't played well for a long time IMO
His partnership with Cunningham was as good a central defensive partnership as we could have asked for and I don't think he's ever played a poor competitive for us.
Brazil (h) - Clean sheet.
Romania (h) - Clean sheet.
Holland (a) - Clean sheet.
Cyprus (h) - Clean sheet.
Switzerland (a) - 1 goal conceded after Kilbane lost possession in his own half.
France (a) - Clean sheet.
Faroes (h) - Clean sheet.
Portugal (h) - Clean sheet.
Israel (a) - Last minute goal conceded from 25 yards out.
Israel (h) - Israel header scored from outside the box and a penalty given away by O'Shea.

Faroes (a) - O'Shea played.
Italy (h) - Dunne played.
France (h) - Dunne played.
Cyprus (a) - Dunne played.
Switzerland (h) - Dunne played.

That's a pretty superb partnership Cunningham and O'Brien had if you ask me.

tetsujin1979

04/09/2006, 11:45 PM

Portugal (h) - Clean sheet.
He scored in that game too, and was man of the match IIRC

DmanDmythDledge

07/10/2006, 11:43 PM

Thoughts now? Give him another chance on Wednesday or drop him now?

shakermaker1982

07/10/2006, 11:46 PM

Bring McShane in - anything is better than what we just witnessed in Cyprus!!!!!!!

joema

07/10/2006, 11:53 PM

Yep, drop him now, he was shocking against Cyprus. Never liked the guy, he played for England at u21 level ffs

brine3

08/10/2006, 12:10 AM

Andy O'Brien looked good under Mick and Kerr.

He is **** under Staunton, just like everyone else.

Staunton is the common factor here. Give Andy O'Brien a plan and let him play in a disciplined team and he can perform. Send him out into a mad kickabout with no tactics and no midfield and he mightn't be great.

Yeah, he played like **** tonight, but he's played consistently well for Ireland in the past when not being managed by Steve Staunton.

backstothewall

08/10/2006, 12:41 AM

O'Brien and Dunne are as close as we have to a defensive pair for the next 5-10 years. He was bad tonight, but so was everyone else, and i remember Paul Mcgrath having bad games

People don't seem to like him, for a few reasons

1. He was born in England
2. He has a massive nose

But

1. He has been a rock in the past
2. He is lacking 1st team footie, which he needs, but that will change because he is quality

The only thing he as no reply to is the massive nose, but its not as big as Barry Manilow's

DmanDmythDledge

08/10/2006, 12:46 AM

2. He is lacking 1st team footie, which he needs, but that will change because he is quality
I'd disagree. I don't think he will perform to his capabilities if he doesn't get regular first team action.

red bellied

08/10/2006, 12:49 AM

[QUOTE=backtowalsall;549435]O'Brien and Dunne are as close as we have to a defensive pair for the next 5-10 years. He was bad tonight, but so was everyone else, and i remember Paul Mcgrath having bad games

People don't seem to like him, for a few reasons

1. He was born in England
2. He has a massive nose

3. He is useless.

onenilgameover

08/10/2006, 1:13 AM

i feel sorry for andy tonight. he just had the worst game of his life....it happens...

lets not look for scapegoats!

The Bit O'Red

08/10/2006, 1:40 AM

I've been saying it for a long time. He's the 2nd worst player ever to wear the green jeersey, after David ****in' Connolly of course.

Dodge

08/10/2006, 2:17 AM

People don't seem to like him, for a few reasons

1. He was born in England
2. He has a massive nose

3. He is useless.
Its more to do with him playing for England, rather than been born in England

Qwerty

08/10/2006, 2:38 AM

It's easy to moan about players. Andy isn't getting his game at Portsmouth and when he does things just aren't going his way. He is and has been a solid option for us, he is just going through a rough patch and is low on confidence. If we had another centre half with international experience available Andy probably wouldn't have started tonight.

ifk101

08/10/2006, 9:30 AM