O’Brien: Andrew James (Andy)

2010-2012 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Central Defender

Born: Harrogate: 29-06-1979

Debut: v Scunthorpe United (a): 30-10-2010

6’3” 12st 2lb (2010)

Harrogate-born Andy O'Brien began his football career in his home town with St John Fisher Catholic High School and joined the Leeds United Academy, playing in the same Youth team as Harry Kewell and Jonathan Woodgate and several other future internationals. He was however released at the age of fourteen and he switched to Bradford City joining their Junior Ranks in 1994. After making his debut for the Valley Parade club in a 0-1 defeat by Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on 16th October 1996, he quickly became a regular with the Bantams, helping them gain promotion to the EPL in 1998-99. He and David Wetherall formed a formidable barrier in the Bantam defence for the two years that they played in the EPL. Financial difficulties resulted from their relegation in 2000-01 and O'Brien was sold to Newcastle United for a club record £2 million on 19th March 2001. At Valley Parade he had scored three goals in the League from one hundred and thirteen starts and nineteen games from the bench. He also started eight games in the F.A. Cup, five in the League Cup and four in other games. He was a fixture at the heart of the Magpie's defence for four years and his displays saw him capped for the Republic of Ireland. Newcastle were a force to be reckoned with and qualified for the European Champions League but in his second season at Gallowgate, Newcastle bought Titus Bramble and Jonathan Woodgate and for a time he was third choice, but eventually secured his spot alongside Jonathan Woodgate in Central Defence. He lost form towards the end of the 2004-05 season as the Tynesiders slumped to fourteenth in the EPL. He had scored six goals in one hundred and twenty League appearances, of which six were from the bench. He also scored once in the F.A. Cup from seven starts and three games from the bench. There were also four starts and one substitute appearance in the League Cup and thirty-two starts and five games from the bench in European and other games, before Portsmouth paid £2 million to take him to Fratton Park on 13th June 2005. He started with indifferent form, but improved as the season wore on, but injury curtailed his first season. Sol Campbell was signed by Portsmouth in the close season and this proved another barrier for him to overcome. It was rumoured that he might join Roy Keane who was trying to assemble an Irish based team at Sunderland but he was eventually signed by Bolton Wanderers on 13th August 2007, for £2 million. He had played thirty-two games in the EPL, of which two were as a substitute, and started two F.A. Cup ties and three games in the League Cup. O'Brien soon settled at the Reebok and Captained the side in the UEFA Cup against Sporting Lisbon and was voted player of the year by the "Bolton News" in May 2008. On 7th October he signed a contract extension which took him to June 2011. He scored his first goal for Bolton on 11th April 2009 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A regular when Gary Megson was Manager, the appointment of Owen Coyle to the position on 8th January 2010 saw O'Brien slip out of first team contention as Gary Cahill and Zat Knight were the preferred Central Defenders. After Middlesbrough had made enquiries about loaning O'Brien, Coyle refused and kept him on the bench. In the 2010-11 season O'Brien picked up an hamstring injury at Villa Park on 18th September 2010 and in an attempt to regain match-fitness he was linked with Leeds United. He had scored one League goal in seventy-four appearances, of which six were from the bench and played five F.A. Cup ties, one being as a substitute, Three League Cup games, one being from the bench, and eight European or other games, one as a substitute, all without scoring in his stay at Bolton. On 29th October 2010 he sign a one-month loan contract with Leeds and made his debut in a 4-1 away win over Scunthorpe United on 30th October 2010. There was talk that O'Brien was looking to make the move permanent and on 9th November 2010, in only his third game for Leeds, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 home draw with Hull City. On 24th November 2010 his loan period was extended to 4th January 2011. Simon Grayson made it known that he would like to offer O'Brien a permanent deal, and, on 1st January he signed a two and a half year deal, effective from the end of his loan deal. After seven appearances, he picked up an injury and missed two good wins at Burnley and at home to Queens Park Rangers, before returning play a further seven games, including two against Arsenal in the Cup, and was forced to limp off in the Elland Road replay of 19th January 2011. The injury caused him to miss the next game at Portsmouth. He then played the remaining eighteen games of the season. He started the 2011-12 season as first choice, playing in the opening fixture at Southampton, but soon fell from favour in competition with the emerging Tom Lees, returning Patrick Kisnorbo and new loanee Darren O'Dea. He was substituted in the sixty-second minute of the League Cup tie at home to Bradford City by Leigh Bromby and was omitted from the squad for the home game with Middlesbrough in the next game.He was back in the team for the League Cup tie at Doncaster Rovers, but had to be satisfied with a place on the bench for the away game at Ipswich Town He came on in the fifty-third minute as Leeds sacrificed striker Ross McCormack after Aidan White had been sent off. He was then left out of the squad until, with Darren O'Dea out injured and Tom Lees suspended, he was recalled for the away game at Leicester City on 6th November 2011, but was replaced by Leigh Bromby after seventy-three minutes. O'Brien told Manager Simon Grayson that he no longer wished to play for Leeds United and Darren O'Dea was brought back into the team for the visit to Burnley, having recovered from his headknock. It transpired that O'Brien had been suffering from depression and had requested not to be picked for the Leicester game even though fit and in January 2012 the club announced they were prepared to give him a second chance. He played in one further game before the end of the season when he came on as a seventy-fourth minute substitute for the injured Adam Smith in a 1-2 defeat at Coventry City on 14th February 2012 during the caretakership of Neil Redfearn. He did not feature in any of the squads used by new Manager Neil Warnock and at the end of the season he was placed on the transfer list. On 4th May 2012 his No.5 Shirt was given to Jason Pearce and on 1st August 2012 he was signed by Canadian club Vancouver Whitecaps on a free transfer. He made his MLS debut on 11th August 2012 against Real Salt Lake, when he replaced the injured Jay DeMerit in the first half of the game. He made his starting debut in the 2-0 home win over Dallas FC on 15th August 2012. In the 2012 season he made seven starts in the League and one game as a substitute together with one start in the play-offs against LA Galaxy on 1st November 2012. He had started the first thirteen games of the 2013 season before injuring his hamstring on 8th June 2013 Seattle Sounders. He went to start sixteen games in that season. The 2014 season saw him start twenty-five games in the MLS and come on once as a substitute. On the International scene O'Brien played one game for the England Under-Eighteen team, but subsequently changed his allegiance to the Republic of Ireland and played eight games at Under-Twenty-one level and scored once in twenty-six appearances at senior level, retiring from International competition in February 2008, playing his last game against Cyprus on 7th October 2006.