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Billy O'Brien


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2 hours ago, Magic Monkey said:

For Far Flung Fuds .... (great quotes from O'Brien) ....

 

GIVEN the affluent surroundings he has become accustomed to in the bosom of one of the world’s most lavish and extravagant football clubs, there are no airs and graces about Billy O’Brien.

Standing amid stacks of bibs, cones and balls as the Renfrewshire wind rattles against St Mirren’s Ralston training ground, the club’s newest recruit seems not just at ease, but stimulated by the relatively modest habitat he will be calling home until May. And maybe even beyond.

Brought through the Manchester City youth ranks from the age of 10, the young goalkeeper has gravitated up the pecking order at the Etihad to the periphery of Pep Guardiola’s star-studded first team.

Now faced with what he feels is a glass ceiling, O’Brien is content peering through it towards a future he hopes is paved with different sorts of riches.

“It’s vital for my career,” he said on his move to St Mirren on loan. “I’ve been at City now for a long time playing reserve team football. It’s good for minutes but as far as competitiveness, it does nothing for you. It’s a little bit fake.

“Getting first-team football is important. Personally, I’m someone who loves the fight of it. Where I am today is through grafting and it really interested me to come here and help the club get out of the position that they shouldn’t be in. I’ll fight my hardest for St Mirren.

“I’ve climbed the ladder as high as I go. Even if I did have the option to stay, it would be hard to turn down, but the main thing is to play competitive games. I can’t get that there now.”

He may be sceptical about his place in the City first team going forward, but it hasn’t stopped the Welsh U21 shot stopper from taking the positives from a decade yearning to play for his boyhood heroes.

O’Brien was taken away with the first-team on their pre-season tour and has had sampled a flavour of the big occasion, most crucially as part of the squad that travelled to Glasgow back in September to draw 3-3 with Celtic in the Champions League.

“I travelled up here for the Celtic game. The only thing I can say is that it was unbelievable,” he said. “Apart from the QPR game when we won the league [in 2012] it’s the best football game I’ve ever been in and around.

“I was the No.3 keeper but I was in the dressing room and in and around the boys. It was a great experience. Just to be in the crowd was incredible.

“I’m a life-long City fan so it was always a dream to play every day with the first team. I was away with them on pre-season as well. I could never have seen myself doing that five years ago, I was travelling around with one of the best teams in the world.

“On the reverse of it, it’s time to move on. I’ve been there a long time and it is right I get out now to the real world of football where everything isn’t pretty or the way it is there.”

A hero of O’Brien’s is forgotten City goalkeeper Joe Hart, now on loan at Torino. The England No.1 has been a mentor for the man who grabbed a clean sheet on his debut during St Mirren’s 2-0 win away to Dundee in the Scottish Cup on Saturday.

He admits Hart has not yet been in touch, but that he is always on the end of the line if he needs any guidance steering the Paisley club away from the Ladbrokes Championship bottom spot.

O’Brien said: “I looked up to Joe Hart. I’ve worked with him quite a bit and he’s a great guy. He’s a guy I feel that I could speak to, I could phone him any night to get advice from him.

“The last time I spoke to Joe was when he left for Torino. I wished him all the best and he said the same, so I’ve been keeping up to date on his games.”

He added: “I’m looking long term now. I need to try and secure a future going forward. St Mirren are a huge club in Scotland and they have welcomed me so greatly. The fans were terrific on Saturday.

Personally, this is my club now. I’m not a Manchester City player, I’m a St Mirren player in my eyes. This is my battle now. Hopefully we can stay up and maybe long term I can sort something out here.

“My No.1 goal is to keep St Mirren up.”

Edited by Sonny
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Not really sure what the point of the young interviewer chap in these things is.  Jack Ross knows what all the questions can be, would be easier just for him to give a straight to camera piece.  Would also help train for a career in the media if the management doesn't work out.  Win Win.

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We should maybe give the young interviewer a break. He is a student so only learning; is probably not a St Mirren supporter; and travelled to the game at his own expense and is not getting paid for his troubles. I am sure he is learning every time he works and maybe he will learn to love the Buddies.

As an aside I was talking to one of the camera guys at an Away game last season. He lived in Ayr and had travelled to Dumbarton at his own expense to film the game on a Saturday of course taking up his weekend, and was not a Buddie to begin with but by the end of the season was now a supporter. And the more real supporters we have in the media the better :)

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1 hour ago, Kemp said:

Not really sure what the point of the young interviewer chap in these things is.  Jack Ross knows what all the questions can be, would be easier just for him to give a straight to camera piece.  Would also help train for a career in the media if the management doesn't work out.  Win Win.

Think all our local Saints media thing is a UWS initiative -hence the young interviewer.

1 hour ago, Sonny said:

We should maybe give the young interviewer a break. He is a student so only learning; is probably not a St Mirren supporter; and travelled to the game at his own expense and is not getting paid for his troubles. I am sure he is learning every time he works and maybe he will learn to love the Buddies.

As an aside I was talking to one of the camera guys at an Away game last season. He lived in Ayr and had travelled to Dumbarton at his own expense to film the game on a Saturday of course taking up his weekend, and was not a Buddie to begin with but by the end of the season was now a supporter. And the more real supporters we have in the media the better :)

I agree.

just loved the daft Colemanballsness of THAT question. :)

 

also think that the students should perhaps be given more instruction in how to conduct interviews and also should be given a debriefing afterwards.  Aye, they are learning and I think that interviewer was fortunate in that Billy O'Brien looked like he had himself been educated/instructed by ManCity how to handle an interview - and he responded positively and creatively to what seems to be various iterations of the same question.

 

And aye, Jack Ross could easily do those pieces direct to mic/camera.  They are not probing questions nor do they vary much from week to week...

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Sonny said:

I do not mean to split hairs antrin. I know sometimes they may get a bit tongue-tailed but I am grateful for the service they provide through their own efforts and expense.

Just cos you're a collie dug in your avatar. Disnae mean YOU'll get away with being "tongue-tailed". :P

 

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I agree.
just loved the daft Colemanballsness of THAT question. [emoji4]
 
also think that the students should perhaps be given more instruction in how to conduct interviews and also should be given a debriefing afterwards.  Aye, they are learning and I think that interviewer was fortunate in that Billy O'Brien looked like he had himself been educated/instructed by ManCity how to handle an interview - and he responded positively and creatively to what seems to be various iterations of the same question.
 
And aye, Jack Ross could easily do those pieces direct to mic/camera.  They are not probing questions nor do they vary much from week to week...
 
 


I'm just glad that Mr O'Brien is not in the same mold as Grant Adam for example when it comes to conducting interviews.
I was very impressed with how he came across, couldn't have been easy for him considering he'd just arrived at the club and to play extremely well on his debut, probably the last thing he wanted was to be interviewed. Hopefully he'll look back on his time with saints as the club that put him in the shop window and proved he'd be more than capable of performing at a higher level. As for the fellow that interviewed him, as has been said by others, he's just a young guy learning the ropes so a bit of respect and praise to him as well.
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  • 3 months later...

From OS ....

 

Billy O’Brien says that avoiding the drop would be one of the greatest achievements in most of the players’ careers.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper, who is currently on loan from Manchester City, staying in the Ladbrokes Championship could be a highlight of the players’ entire careers because of what they have done to get from where they were in January to now having the chance to avoid the drop.

People wouldn’t think it but doing this would probably be one of the greatest achievements in most of our careers," he told stmirren.com "We’re not winning something but because of where we were and where we can get to.

"If we win this game we’re guaranteed not to finish bottom, if that was offered to us three or four months ago we’d have snatched your hand off.

"By the end of January we’d been written off by so many people. It’s a huge incentive and it’s our aim to stay up whether it’s via the play-offs or not, as long as we get the job done we’re not bothered. To secure not finishing bottom is a step forward.”

"We know what we need to do to get the job done," O'Brien continued. "No matter what goes against us elsewhere we can still get it done, so it’s important that it’s in our hands. We’ve been on a really good run for three or four months now and we’re getting better step by step.”

On a personal level, joining St Mirren during this tough period has been very beneficial for O’Brien’s development; however he admitted that it has been a worrying time.

It’s what I needed," he said. "I don’t think I would have got that anywhere else in the world, it’s been a frightening period. Every single game for four months now has been must win but I’m enjoying every minute.”

The goalkeeper also commented on the importance of the fans and knows they will be out in force tomorrow to back the team. 

The fans have been massive, I’ve no doubt about them. Since day one for me they’ve been unbelievable in every aspect, home and away. They can see that we’re fighting on the pitch and that’s all we can do.

"We’re just a set of lads that are working hard together doing the best we can and whatever happens, happens. We appreciate their support because it’s been outstanding.”

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  • 3 weeks later...
1 minute ago, BuddieinEK said:

 


For example... ... ...

 

Better than O'Brien, hmm. David De Gea, Fraser Forster... shit. Forgot about being available, affordable, not being on the radar of bigger fish than us, and being willing to sign for us. Damn, I was on a roll there too. I had Gordon Banks and Lev Yashin lined up next an' aw'.

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