 O'Brien while withQueens Park Rangers in 1922. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Terrance O'Brien | ||
| Date of birth | (1893-08-10)10 August 1893 | ||
| Place of birth | Ushaw Moor, England | ||
| Date of death | 21 September 1940(1940-09-21) (aged 47)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Uxbridge, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1911 | Walker Celtic | ||
| Wallsend | |||
| 1912 | Blyth Spartans | ||
| 1912–1913 | Celtic | 0 | (0) |
| 1913–14 | Blyth Spartans | ||
| 1914–1915 | Brentford | 9 | (3) |
| 1918–1919 | Alloa Athletic(trial) | ||
| 1919 | Norwich City | 10 | (1) |
| 1919–1920 | South Shields | 3 | (0) |
| 1920–1922 | Queens Park Rangers | 66 | (3) |
| 1922–1924 | Leicester City | 65 | (6) |
| 1924–1926 | Hull City | 74 | (0) |
| 1926 | Brooklyn Wanderers | 7 | (0) |
| 1926–1928 | Derby County | 3 | (0) |
| 1928–1929 | Walsall | 34 | (0) |
| 1929–1931 | Norwich City | 64 | (5) |
| 1931–1933 | Watford | 61 | (5) |
| International career | |||
| 1921–1927 | Ireland | 10 | (0) |
| 1927–1932 | Irish Free State | 4 | (0) |
| 1921 | English League XI | 1 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1933–1935 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| 1935–1936 | Brentford (assistant) | ||
| 1936–1937 | Ipswich Town | ||
| 1939–1940 | Cork City[3] | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Michael Terrance O'Brien (10 August 1893 – 21 September 1940) was an Irishfootballer and coach whose career took him to at least 17 different clubs. A well-built six-footer, O'Brien was highly regarded as a centre-half. O'Brien was adual international and played for both Ireland teams – theIFA XI and theFAI XI. In April 1927, O'Brien made his debut for the FAI XI, four days after he made his last appearance for the IFA XI. During the 1930s, O'Brien managed bothQueens Park Rangers andIpswich Town.
O'Brien did not play football until he was 18, when his family settled inSouth Shields in County Durham. He then played for several clubs in the North East of England, includingBlyth Spartans, before attracting the interest ofCeltic.[4] However, after failing to make it into the Celtic first team he joinedBrentford in December 1914.[4] During theFirst World War, O'Brien served in both theRoyal Navy and theRoyal Flying Corps.[5]
Between 1919 and 1933, O'Brien went on to make 370English League appearances, scoring 19 goals, for eight different clubs. These includedQueens Park Rangers,Leicester City,Hull City,Walsall,Norwich City andWatford.[4] Although best known as a centre half, he was also capable of playing in the forward line and, while playing as an inside-left, he scored twice for anEnglish League XI against aBritish Army XI in 1921[6] In 1926 he also had a brief spell playing forBrooklyn Wanderers, making 7 appearances in theAmerican Soccer League.[7]
During the years O'Brien played international football, there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland–basedIFA and theIrish Free State–basedFAI, claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including O'Brien, played for both teams.Meanwhile, many sources claim that O'Brien was from Kilcock, County Kildare. But although he may well have had family there, it has been established by the programme editor at Brentford FC (a former club) that he was born in Ushaw Moor, County Durham. There is speculation that he may have concocted the story about Kilcock in order to be eligible to represent the two Irish Associations (a parent or grandparent was not sufficient to qualify in those days, it had to be birthplace).[8]
Between 1921 and 1927, while playing forQueens Park Rangers,Leicester City andHull City, O'Brien made 10 appearances for theIFA XI.[9][10] He made his international debut on 2 February 1921 atWindsor Park in a 2–0 defeat againstScotland.[9] His teammates on the day includedBill Lacey andLouis Bookman. On 13 February 1926, on his ninth appearance, he helped the IFA XI to a 3–0 win againstWales. This was the only time O'Brien played in a winning IFA XI. He made his last appearance for the IFA XI on 19 April 1927 in a 2–2 draw with Wales.[7]
Between 1927 and 1932 O'Brien also made 4 appearances for theFAI XI.[9] O'Brien was playing for four different clubs –Derby County,Walsall,Norwich City andWatford – when he won each of his four FAI caps. He made his debut for the FAI XI on 23 April 1927, four days after he made his last appearance for the IFA XI. Despite the FAI XI losing 2–1 in the friendly againstItaly B atLansdowne Road, O'Brien was noted for his performance. The game also saw him, together with,Tommy Muldoon,Harry Duggan andJoe Kendrick, become one of the first fourEnglish League based players to represent the FAI XI. He subsequently played twice for the FAI XI againstBelgium in 1929 and 1930, helping them to 4–0 and 3–1 victories respectively. He won his last cap for the FAI XI on 5 May 1932 against theNetherlands. The now veteran O'Brien put in a commanding performance as he captained a young FAI XI that includedPaddy Moore,Alex Stevenson andJimmy Kelly to a 2–0 win.[6][11]
After retiring as a player O'Brien became a coach, managingQueens Park Rangers between 1933 and 1935.[9][10] He led the club to fourth place inThird Division South in the 1933–34 season. However a poor season in 1934–35 led to his dismissal. After a spell as assistant manager atBrentford, O'Brien then took charge atIpswich Town on 29 May 1936.[9] He became the club's first professional manager and during the subsequent 1936–37 season they made their professional debut in theSouthern League and finished as champions. In later years O'Brien worked as a coach for theMiddlesex FA.[12][13]
Ipswich Town
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)... Michael O'Brien, the Irish international centre-half, will make in his new job as manager of Queen's Park Rangers. ... He was capped ten times by Ireland between 1921 and 1927.