Tag: Brian O’Neil

You’ve Got Mail: Brian O’Neill 1st September 2005

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Ever wondered what Brian O’Neill might have done had he not been a footballer? You might be surprised! 

The fans ask the questions in the latest edition of You’ve Got Mail.

READING, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 25: Brian O'Neill (C) and Claude Davis of Preston North End hold back James Harper of Reading during the Coca-Cola Championship match between Reading and Preston North End at the Madejski Stadium on February 25, 2006 in Reading, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

What is your favourite cheese?
Christine Falconer
Cheddar, on toast.

How is you nipper after last season’s Play-Off hotel incident?  Can you elaborate on what happened and did it affect your performance on the day?
Sam C
He’s a lot better now. It is one of them things, it wasn’t ideal timing but you get on with it.

Hi Brian , I was just wondering if you was going to be part of the managing squad for North End , as someone told me a few months ago?
Zoe . 15 . Preston
Well I want to know who told her that!

What’s a typical day in the life of an international footballer?
We didn’t get back till late last night because we trained late last night and then we went to a restaurant just to get away from the boredom of the hotel. This morning we got up and we had a signing thing which took 45 minutes, there was lots of stuff to sign it was unbelievable. Then we had lunch at one o’clock then we had a meeting at two o’clock which lasted about 45 to 50 minutes. It’s three o’clock now and we are travelling up to Hampden to train, it will take us about 45 minutes to get there and we will train for a good hour or so, it will be back to the hotel where we will have dinner at about eight o’clock.

If you were not a footballer, what would be your chosen career ?
Christine Falconer
A singer, I’ve always enjoyed singing and I would have loved to have done that. I would have sung all sorts, a wee bit of crooning, a wee bit of rock but none of the other stuff, none of that rap rubbish.

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At this stage in your career, the recent call-ups to the Scottish National squad must have been pleasing.  Had you ‘given up hope’ (not saying you’re past it or anything) of playing for Scotland?
Ben Collison (in France)
To be honest I hadn’t given it a great deal of thought and I’ve always been like that. I think you just concentrate on your club stuff and if that is going ok then it will come along if it is right and it did. If it happens it happens because you are doing well for your club team and that is all I concentrate on.

How much longer do you feel you can play both domestic and international football as some players have retired from internationals to prolong their club career.
I don’t think I think about it in that sense, I think you just get to a stage, I have got three kids and it is such a long time to be away. This time we are away for nearly two weeks and when it gets to that it is quite hard. Then it can be harder having done it and not playing games and it can be quite frustrating when you really want to play.

If you could play for any team in the world  who would it be ?
Lisa , Blackburn
I think at this moment everyone gets excited about Barcelona and Real Madrid. I think you see the type of football that gets played in Spain and I think it would be nice to experience a few games like that in front of full houses.

What is it like to get called up for your national team time after time. and how do you feel when you put on that Scotland shirt ready to go out of the tunnel in front of thousands off Scotland fans?
It’s much the same as any other game, I’m not one to suffer from nerves. It is a game and that all comes about when you look back on it. I think when you are there and you are in the tunnel with the jersey on you are thinking and concentrating on the game and I don’t really think about all of the hullabaloo.

What car do you drive?
I’m changing every single week, I’m in between cars at the minute but the last car that I had was a pick-up truck.

What do you think of Preston’s night life?
I haven’t sampled a great deal of it. I just tend to go out in Lytham and stay there.

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Who has influenced you the most in your football?
Debbie from Dublin
Probably my parents in my early days.

What has been your favourite club to play at and why?
I must admit I am really enjoying it at Preston. My family is really happy with where we are and we had a good year last year, it was really enjoyable. It is a great set of lads, we don’t have any ‘Big Time Charlies’ at all which is very unusual for a football club. It would be good if we could go from strength to strength which is hard for a club like us when we have lost a couple of players which wasn’t ideal for us. It would be nice to think that in the future we could replace them maybe.

How old was you when you was scouted by a professional team ?
Josh McCarthy
I was about 11 or 12, it was Celtic.

How long do you take doing your hair???
Tommy Barton, Coniston Road
Not very long because I just got it cut. I’m not very good with my hair I tend to get it cut short and it grows and grows and then I get it cut short again. When it is long it takes a bit of time because I have got a haystack on my head.

When you were little which footballer did you look up to?
Paul McStay.

Who was your inspiration to become a footballer?
Charlotte, 13
I didn’t have one.

What was it like in the San Siro with the Scotland squad?
Wako Wallace, The Ramsey
It would have been better if I was playing but it was nice to experience it. I expected it to be louder it wasn’t as intimidating as I expected it to be.

Who spends the most time in the shower after a match?
Chris Tybalt, Ronaldsway News
You get people like Chris Lucketti who is very good at hanging around the showers just so that they can use other people’s shower gel and shampoo. You would think that with him being the captain of the club that he would set an example and bring in his own stuff but he tends to abuse his position and use everybody else’s.

Do you think we miss Eddie Lewis on the left flank?
Matty Scott, Ramsey
I don’t think anybody would disagree with me when I say that last year there was only him and Etherington who were top class wide left players. It is always going to be a blow and I probably miss him more than most because he is a good friend of mine.

Have you ever played up front?
Liam Tyrer Preston
Yes, lots of times. I played ten games in a row for Celtic in the mid-nineties, 10 games, two goals under Lou Macari. It wasn’t long before I was moved back though.

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Has the signing of Jones and the much improved Dickson Etuhu made you step your game up?
Not particularly, I just do what I do, I go about my job and I try to do my job properly, much the same as last year and the year before that. I think we have got a lot of players who bring a lot of different things to the team and I think you really need that in a team. We have got a lot of different characters and a lot of different styles and they are probably are a bit different to myself. Dickson has really got the bit between his teeth this year and David Jones is a very good player but we have got a lot of other ones in there, we have still got Paul McKenna and Chris Sedgwick so it gives us a lot of competition and that is what it is all about.

Do you prefer to play in the all white kit which so the team play like Real Madrid last season,or the blue shorts which is tradition?
Beth Gavaghan, aged 11, Fulwood
To be honest I don’t really care, as long as I have got a jersey.

What was the first ever car you bought?
Georgina, Penwortham
It was a Y reg, 1.1 Ford Fiesta, it was about five years old, I loved that car.

Who did you support when you was younger?
Josh George, Heywood
Celtic

Quotes: Billy Davies 30th April 2005

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We played at a good pace, a good tempo and it’s all credit to both sets of players because they showed a lot of determination and worked extremely hard.

I think our preparation this week was good, we know exactly what we had to go and do, we knew the game would be difficult.

I thought they scored against the run of play, it was a disappointing goal to lose, nice to get back in it just before half time with a vintage Brian O’Neill goal, another one for the collection(!)

Overall, I’m delighted for everyone connected with the football club, the fans, the players, the staff, the board. For everyone connected with Preston North End I think it’s a very proud day to now be in the play-offs and three games to try to get into the Premiership…hopefully.

We’re now prepared for the next match, and try to finish fourth and try to do the job that we’ve been doing all season because these players deserve absolute wonderful credit.

The staff have been great, and one in particular, my assistant David Kelly who’s come into this club and has been absolutely first class. He’s a bit of an unsung hero but he’s been a wonderful signing for me.

I think, and I still genuinely believe that a top half finish in this league is a wonderful achievement for Preston North End, there’s not doubt about it. When you look at the teams here, the money that’s been spent, the fan base and the training facilities, and all these things that you can look at with very very big clubs in this division, then you have you say that we’re absolutely over the moon, we’re thrilled to bits, there’s no doubt about it. It’s a tremendous achievement and we’ll go and enjoy the occasion.

Quotes: Billy Davies 17th March 2005

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It is a very difficult place to go and get a victory but it is no more difficult a place than we have had over the last couple of months. It is another game and it is another game that we have got to go and again be as positive as we can and go in with confidence that we can try and take something.

The lads are very confident and very buoyant, the dressing room is a very great place to be at the moment, it is nice but at the same time too the job is not done and nothing is over till it is over, we have got to realise that, there is still eight games to go and we have got to go into this next match as if it is our first and really get at it and do the things that we are good at.

Paul McKenna is struggling a bit with this ankle injury, with the stitches and what have you, he never trained today, he’s probably unlikely to train tomorrow. We will have a look at him but he is a major concern for us this Saturday.

I don’t think we should be nervous, no matter what happens, as far as I am concerned it has been a very successful season. We are now in this position and we have got to go and enjoy it, we have got to go and give it the best we can and give it our best. I don’t think there is any reason for nerves or any of that tension stuff or pressure. I think it is nonsense to be honest with you, it is a game of football, you go out there and you give it your best, you work hard, we have got good players and let’s see what happens. Irrespective of what happens it is a very good season as far as I am concerned.

In relation to the teams that are in this league and the type of situation that they are in and the type of situation that we are in I would say to you that I genuinely believe that there are 12-14 teams bigger than Preston North End.

I have said this from day one, with regards, fan base, wage bill and training facilities that is a difficult thing to compete against but we have competed very well and I suppose when you look at that it is a good thing.

We are well organised, we are disciplined, we try to encourage the right things, we have got good players and throughout the club, every department in the club, we try to do the best we can. Not only on the pitch but also off the pitch we are very focused and conscientious about the way we do things, I just think that it is the guidelines and the structures that we put in place. Obviously the additions that we brought in and the people that we have already got at the club, that helps, but I certainly feel that there is not just one factor, I think there are many factors.

I think winning games gets you respect and I think that we know the situation in comparison to other clubs, we are what we are and we are more than happy to accept that. Clubs like West Ham, Wolves and Ipswich are huge clubs but we are getting respect because I think people are now understanding that we are not a bad side and on our day we can compete with most of them.

I don’t think it matters, I don’t think it matters at all, at the end of the day, no matter what the coverage is. We know what the situation is, all we can do is try and do the best we can with what we have, try to be as organised and as disciplined as we possibly can.

Anything is possible, it is not over till it is over and that applies not only to the top three but to most people fighting for the play-off places. We have got to be aware of that and very much aware of that, the job is not done yet and there are still a lot of games to go and a lot of things to be played for, let us not look too far ahead and concentrate on the game on Saturday and try and get that job done and then we can tick another game off the list.

We are looking forward to the break, it is important not only physically but also mentally. It is a good thing for us and I am sure that the players are looking forward to spending some time with their families and getting their legs recovered for the remaining games.

There is a nice holiday for four sitting there for somebody, we are drawing straws at the minute to see who can get that holiday.

I have been asked all week whether I am surprised but I am not surprised because of the calm head that he has got and the ability that he has got. His performances this season have been excellent, he is playing in a very difficult situation with regards us only playing two central midfield players, he has adapted and coped very well with that. All credit to him with the way he is living his life off the pitch and the way he goes about it on the pitch.

If he is looking for somebody to go and calm things down and keep the ball moving then Brian O’Neil is his man. He is a very calm customer as we know, he doesn’t get too excited about things, he has got the experience, he has played all over the world and on performances this season he would do a wonderful job as far as I am concerned.

It is a great honour, it is a great trip to look forward to, to play in that type of game as a professional he will be delighted. It is a great game to look forward to, a great game to be involved in and it is a great honour to go back and play for his country.

We are on course for what I think we need, the Wolves game was slightly disappointing because I think we could have got all three points, but it was still a very good point against a very good side. To go to Sheffield and pick up a point under the circumstances, I think Neil Warnock was talking about his weakened team, well if you look at the squad I don’t think it was very weak, it was a great point for us.

Another wonderful goal for Richard Cresswell, an excellent goal, a great finish and it keeps things going for Cressy, that’s 18 goals this season which is a great return for a striker.

We have made Eddie another offer and we are now just waiting to see what Eddie has got to say, we have spoken to his agent as well and we will see what happens from there.

The conversation that I am having with Eddie, I can say that I am feeling very confident because of what he was been saying to us, how much he is enjoying it and how much he wants to be here. Going on the conversations I would say that it looks pretty good, we have made him another offer and we are now hoping that that one can be accepted and we can get Eddie on board.

I don’t think it is one thing like money or length of contract, we now know where we are coming from in terms of what Eddie is looking for and what we are trying to offer. We are getting there, the conversations have been good and the response from Eddie as far as I am led to believe has been excellent.