Andrew James O'Brien (born 29 June 1979) is a former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a centre-back. Born England, he won 26

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

for

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

between 2001 and 2006 and was a member of Ireland's

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

squad. He retired from international duty in 2006.

Club career

Bradford City

Born in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

, England, O'Brien began his footballing career at

St John Fisher Catholic High School, Harrogate St John Fisher Catholic High School is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form. It is located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, and has developed steadily during the past 50 years and has around 1,450 pupils. The ...

, under the stewardship of his manager, Max Mills. He joined

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

's academy and played in the same youth side as

Harry Kewell Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic F ...

and Jonathan Woodgate, however O'Brien was released by Leeds at the age of 14. His talent as a defender was spotted by

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. ...

and joined their junior ranks in 1994. He made his senior debut in October 1996 against

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

. He soon became a regular in the Bradford City first team, and helped the Bantams to promotion to the FA Premier League during the 1998–99 season. He was a regular in the Bradford City side during its two years in the Premier League, forming a partnership with club captain

David Wetherall David Wetherall (born 14 March 1971) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is as head of youth development with the Football League. As a player, he was a central defender, he played most of his career in the Pre ...

in central defence. In 2000–01, City were in financial difficulties and facing relegation when Newcastle United bid for O'Brien. After 133 league appearances he moved to

St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Pa ...

in March 2001 for a club record £2 million fee, equalling the same fee

Des Hamilton Derrick Vivian "Des" Hamilton (born 15 August 1976) is an English former professional footballer and was assistant manager of Eccleshill United. As a player he played as a midfielder from 1994 to 2010. He started his career with his hometown c ...

had also left Bradford City to Newcastle.

Newcastle United

He quickly became a central figure in the Magpies defence, making more than 170 league and cup appearances in the ensuing four years. His performances also earned O'Brien a call-up to the Republic of Ireland national football team. One of his first games saw him score an equaliser in a north-east derby with Sunderland, while in his first full season the club secured a place in the Champions League qualifiers. The following season the club bought defenders Titus Bramble during the summer and Jonathan Woodgate in the January transfer window and it looked like O'Brien would be third choice but over the following year manager

Bobby Robson Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and football manager. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich ...

settled on O'Brien and Woodgate as his central defensive partnership. Despite several years as a solid defender at Newcastle, O'Brien suffered from poor form in the latter part of the 2004–05 campaign, as Newcastle finished a disappointing 14th in the Premier League. However, his reputation was such that

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

paid £2 million to bring him to Fratton Park.

Portsmouth

O'Brien was

Alain Perrin Alain André Christian Perrin (born 7 October 1956) is a French professional football manager and former player. Perrin made his managerial breakthrough at Troyes, whom he took from the fourth tier to Ligue 1 and UEFA Cup qualification by winni ...

's first signing for Portsmouth. Although he started the season poorly, his form improved as the campaign wore on. However injury forced him to miss the conclusion of his first season. He fell down the Portsmouth first-team list with the arrival of

Sol Campbell Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club Southend United. He previously managed Macclesfield Town from November 2018 to August ...

and the good form of club captain

Linvoy Primus Linvoy Stephen Primus MBE (born 14 September 1973) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Forest Gate, England, to Caribbean-born parents, Primus began his professional career at Charlton Athletic, wh ...

Bolton Wanderers

There were rumours that Sunderland's Irish boss Roy Keane would sign the centre back. This came after Keane signed many Irish players to represent Sunderland. Instead he signed for

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

on 13 August 2007. O'Brien quickly settled at the Reebok Stadium and impressed the fans in his first few appearances as part of the Wanderers squad including a dominating performance in the UEFA Cup tie against FK Rabotnicki and in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur. O'Brien after captaining the team in a

Uefa Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

game against

Sporting Lisbon Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

he said that he is having the time of his life at Bolton. In May 2008, his efforts were recognised by Wanderers supporters when he was named as ''

The Bolton News ''The Bolton News'' – formerly the ''Bolton Evening News'' – is a daily newspaper and news website covering the towns of Bolton and Bury in north-western England. Published each morning from Monday to Saturday and online every day, it is p ...

'' Player of the Season following a poll held by the newspaper. On 7 October 2008, O'Brien signed an extension to his contract at Bolton until 2011 and once again reaffirmed his happiness at the Reebok Stadium. On 11 April 2009, O'Brien scored his first goal in four and a half years, and his first goal for Bolton, against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

at Stamford Bridge. After being a regular starter under

Gary Megson Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager. He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers ...

, O'Brien found himself on the substitutes bench when

Owen Coyle Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Championship club Queen's Park. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made one ...

took over, with

Gary Cahill Gary James Cahill (born 19 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Cahill began his career playing for the AFC Dronfield youth system in Derbyshire. In 2000, he joined the Aston Villa Academy an ...

and

Zat Knight Zatyiah Knight (born 2 May 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Knight had extended spells at Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham in the Premier League and the Championship. He finished his career ...

the preferred central defender partnership. After Middlesbrough offered to loan O'Brien from Bolton,

rejected the loan move preferring to keep O'Brien as backup

Leeds United

During the 2010–11 season, O'Brien picked up a hamstring injury for Bolton in the Premier League game against Aston Villa. O'Brien joined

on an initial one month's loan on 29 October 2010. Manager

Simon Grayson Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Bengaluru. As a player, he was a right back, but he was also utilised in ...

said of the move "Andy has had a fantastic career, and has great experience. He's a leader and will be a valuable member of the squad for the next onth" The move saw O'Brien re-join the club he started his career at, he was released by Leeds 17 years earlier as a 14-year-old. O'Brien was given squad number 40 and made his debut for against Scunthorpe United. In November 2010, O'Brien revealed that he would be interested in possibly making his loan move to Leeds permanent. O'Brien scored his first goal for Leeds with a header against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...

. On 24 November, the loan was extended until 4 January 2011. After a two-game spell on the sidelines with injury, O'Brien returned to Leeds' starting lineup against

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

. O'Brien scored two own goals against his former club Portsmouth. On 30 December, manager Simon Grayson confirmed he wanted to sign O'Brien permanently. O'Brien was also subject of interest from Cardiff City. On 1 January 2011, O'Brien signed a permanent deal with Leeds United on a -year contract, which took effect after his loan deal came to an end on 4 January 2011. He turned down a lucrative offer from Cardiff City, opting to move permanently to Leeds. On 8 January, O'Brien put in an impressive performance to help earn Leeds a 1–1 draw against Arsenal, Leeds were 1–0 up when

Robert Snodgrass Robert Snodgrass (born 7 September 1987) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Heart of Midlothian. Snodgrass started his senior career with Livingston. He also had a loan spell at Stirling Albion before moving to ...

scored a second half penalty, Arsenal equalised in the 90th minute when

Cesc Fàbregas Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como. Fàbregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when ...

scored a penalty. O'Brien picked up an injury in the FA Cup replay against Arsenal and subsequently missed the game against his former club Portsmouth. O'Brien scored his second goal for Leeds in the 3–2 loss against Millwall.

2011–12 season

After picking up a hip injury during the 2011–12 pre-season he missed all the pre-season games, to return against his former club Newcastle United. Then stepped up his recovery against

in a behind closed doors friendly. The summer also saw O'Brien take the number 5 shirt after previously occupying the number 40 shirt. O'Brien started for Leeds the opening day of the season as they crashed to a 3–1 defeat against

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, with O'Brien at fault for the second goal when his backwards header was converted by

Adam Lallana Adam David Lallana ( ; born 10 May 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Brighton & Hove Albion. Lallana began his youth career with AFC Bournemouth before transferring to Southampton in 200 ...

. He was given a torrid time against his former club

and was substituted to loud jeers in the second half with Leeds 2–1 down. Leeds went on to win the game 3–2. O'Brien dropped out of the Leeds squad for the following game on 13 August against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

in a match Leeds lost 1–0. After nearly three months out of the side, O'Brien returned to the Leeds team due to the suspension and injury of

Tom Lees Thomas James Lees (born 28 November 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Huddersfield Town. Lees began his career in the youth teams at Leeds before turning professional with the Yorkshire club in early 20 ...

and

Darren O'Dea Darren O'Dea (born 4 February 1987) is an Irish retired professional football player, who is currently the coach of Celtic B team. O'Dea has played as a centre back for clubs in Scotland, England, Canada, Ukraine and India, and represented th ...

and helped Leeds keep a clean sheet against

on 6 November. O'Brien was linked with a loan move to

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...

during November, however manager

revealed he wasn't looking to send O'Brien out on loan. After Leeds 2–1 win against Burnley on 19 November, manager Simon Grayson revealed post match, that O'Brien had come to him the day before the game and refused to play for Leeds ever again. Grayson subsequently stated that O'Brien's career at Leeds was now over due to his refusal to play, however, it later emerged O'Brien's refusal to play was down to the fact he was at time suffering from depression and was "not in the right state of mind" when he stated he would no longer play for Leeds. After manager Simon Grayson was sacked, O'Brien played his first game for Leeds as a substitute against

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

. He was transfer listed by Neil Warnock at the end of the 2011–12 season and told to find a new club. On 4 May 2012, O'Brien lost his squad number, when the number 5 shirt previously occupied by him was given to new signing

Jason Pearce Jason Daniel Pearce (born 6 December 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was previously the captain of Portsmouth, AFC Bournemouth, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic. He is currently U18s Academy Co ...

Vancouver Whitecaps

On 1 August 2012, O'Brien moved to Canadian MLS club

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

on a free transfer from Leeds United. Having signed a two-year contract, he made his debut on 8 August against

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2 ...

. In his second MLS season, having already made 25 appearances in his first year of service, it was announced that he had signed a one-year extension with the Whitecaps. After the conclusion of the 2014 campaign, O'Brien entered into contract talks with the Whitecaps, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. After 50 appearances for the club, it was announced that Whitecaps were "moving in a different direction," and thanked O'Brien publicly on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

International career

O'Brien has dual British-Irish citizenship, and despite representing England at under 18 and under 21 level, he elected to represent the Republic of Ireland at under 21 and senior level. O'Brien's performances for Newcastle led to him being called up to the Republic of Ireland national football team, earning his first cap against

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

in 2001. He later became a regular in the Irish squad, and was included as part of their

squad. He scored his first, and ultimately only, goal for Ireland to give his country a 1–0 win against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

on 9 February 2005. After being picked for the squad to face

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

on 6 February 2008, he did not report for training on 3 February 2008 and Ireland caretaker manager

Don Givens Daniel Joseph "Don" Givens (born 9 August 1949) is an Irish former footballer and coach. A forward, Givens played club football for Manchester United, Luton Town, Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham City, AFC Bournemouth, Sheffield United and ...

received a message from O'Brien announcing his retirement from international football. He played 26 games for Ireland, with his last coming against

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

on 7 October 2006.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Bolton Wanderers *''

'' Readers' player of the season 2007–08 Bradford City * Promotion: Division One (Championship) runners up 1998–99

References

External links

BBC profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Andy 1979 births Living people Sportspeople from Harrogate English footballers English expatriate footballers Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers England youth international footballers England under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers Premier League players Major League Soccer players Bradford City A.F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Expatriate soccer players in Canada 2002 FIFA World Cup players English people of Irish descent Association football defenders English expatriate sportspeople in Canada