Andy O'Brien

[paul_oshea]

from you?! :P

[NeilMcD]

now now, lets not get personal.

[Diarmo]

i think this is a disgrace really, retiring at 28 FFS. I haven't seen it confirmed any where so hopefully it isn't true!!!!!

[brine3]

The quiet types with professional attitudes are retiring. First Finnan, now O'Brien.

I think they weren't impressed by the whole Mick Byrneification of the Ireland squad under Staunton. One can only guess how unprofessionally the Ireland team has been run for the last two years. The results certainly speak for themselves. I think they spent most of their time partying.

[NeilMcD]

Just because someone is quiet does not mean they are professional. Its like the whole thing, maybe someoen is shy because they are actually dull.

[Qwerty]

Come on do you really mean all that.

You know I do. We were very unprofessional under Stan, I would love to have been a fly on the dressing room wall during his team talks. Would loved to hear his thoughts on strategy.

O'Brien was scapegoated along with Kenny for the Cyprus disaster when the blame lay solely with Stan.

I've no idea if he really has retired but the FAI and the senior teams is a shambles right now so frankly why should he risk his club career for Ireland. He is finally getting first team football again and I'm sure he knows which side his bread is buttered.

[Noelys Guitar]

The first thing the new manager has to do is try convince Finnan and O'Brien to return. We can't afford to be losing experienced players like these with no real replacements.

[micls]

The first thing the new manager has to do is try convince Finnan and O'Brien to return. We can't afford to be losing experienced players like these with no real replacements.

Strange how opinions differ. I'd rather have u18's, who actually wanted to be there and are proud to be, on the pitch than players who have to be convinced to represent their country

[Condex]

O'Brien was scapegoated along with Kenny for the Cyprus disaster when the blame lay solely with Stan.

What do you mean scapegoated, he was so unbelieveably sh*t in that match
it doesn't even bear talking about.. Even the passage of time doesn't make it any better..

[tricky_colour]

Just because someone is quiet does not mean they are professional. Its like the whole thing, maybe someoen is shy because they are actually dull.

So would that be a dull profesional?

[GavinZac]

Strange how opinions differ. I'd rather have u18's, who actually wanted to be there and are proud to be, on the pitch than players who have to be convinced to represent their country

Or Irish players (actually from Ireland) who play for Irish teams in the Irish national league where they are supported by Irish people and who would give careful consideration to giving their left leg for an Irish cap, rather than these over paid, under played goms who shouldn't have been near the shirt in the first place.

Of course, special bile is reserved for the first Irish 'superstar' to declare this type of crap, who continues to insult Irish football with his plastic paddy relegation fodder.

[Nipper]

If true, this is outrageous. Talk about going out with a whimper, you'd think the clown would want to redeem himself in some way after the utterly pathetic shifts he put in in the last couple of years. Never rated him in the first place, but we're not exactly blessed with central defenders.

[danonion]

http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/sp...ish_future.php

Whole thing seems a little sketchy.

[Bondvillain]

Jesus Christ!

"Republic of Ireland coach (sic) Don Givens claimed he had received word that the centre-half, recalled into the squad for the first time in over a year to face Brazil in a friendly this week, may have quit the international game.

O'Brien has not yet confirmed or denied that he is ready to call time on his Ireland career after previously earning 23 caps whilst playing for Newcastle United and Portsmouth. But Givens said last night that he was preparing to face the Brazilians without the 29-year-old on Wednesday night

"I have tried to contact him (O Brien) but I won't be able to clear that up until I have spoken to him.

It is obviously disappointing for someone who can still contribute a lot to be thinking about retirement.

But I haven't spoken to him to find out about his reasons."


I was joking earlier whan I suggested that Givens was going to use O Briens retirement as his "Big Announcement" today, but I never dreamed that the moron would go on television, and effectively retire one of his named squad on the sole basis of "man down the pub" information, without having the decency to consult him to see if it was true before announcing it to the press.

What an utter buffoon! Was it a "Please dont ask me about the announcement I was supposed to be making about a new manager. The whole process is very traumatic for me. Would you like a juicy retirement story instead?" thing?

The question now is:

We know more about his terrible communication skills, poor judgement & lack of media ability now because he's constantly under the media spolight (due to his inappropriate presence on the 'interview committee' and his apparent dogged attempt to become the world's longest serving manager that nobody appointed) , but what else has Givens done in the past that was NOT scruitinsed? Who else has he alienated, and what damage has he done behind the scenes that we were never told about?

Even if Givens is sure that there's some substance to this "heard it off a bloke..." rumour, it was incredibly unprofessional of him to effectively leak it in such a way. Turn the spotlight off please. Mr Givens has had quite enough exposure, he has to go now.

[Qwerty]

What do you mean scapegoated, he was so unbelieveably sh*t in that match
it doesn't even bear talking about.. Even the passage of time doesn't make it any better..

Scapegoated in the sense that he hadn't been playing first team football at Portsmouth for quite a while and wasn't match sharp, he shouldn't have been in the starting 11. It was Stan's fault for picking the wrong midfield and Stan's fault for picking O'Brien though he has tried to pass the buck to Robson.

[dr_peepee]

Very dissapointed if true... But I think it's another example of the incompetence, innadequacies, unprofesionalism of the FAI waterfalling down to the players... Why should a player risk his club career to represent his country when the supporting structures mean it's a complete waste of time.. Players are jepardising the place in teams, and for what?? Clowns in suits, deflection of responsibility and accountability, mind boggling selections by an incompempetent manager, Delaney with his maverick appointments...

Everyone has to be on the same page and pulling in the same direction. If that was the case I'd resent O'Brien for what he's doing. As things stand there's no insentive to risk his club career to play for Ireland. The romantics amongst us may well argue differently, but you have to choose battles. This is a team game and the team in this case extends beyond the playing 23 squad members. If everyone's not channeling efforts properly it's a complete waste time for a commited individual...

[Billsthoughts]

Yeah I felted he was treated very similar to Weir by Bertie Vogts at Scotland.

which is relevant how?

[Dr. Ogba]

If it turns out that he hasn't retired then we can all add this to the ever-growing list of incompetence from the FAI.
how Givens can announce this to the media without even talking to the man himself takes unprofessionalism to a brand new level.
And this is the man that is charged with finding our new manager....?

[Stuttgart88]

Richard Dunne's comments suggest he has retired alright, and also that more may follow.

The players seem pretty angry with the FAI.

[ifk101]

The expression on Richard Dunne's face said it all. Indeed none of the senior players appeared to be at all happy.