Liam O'Brien has released a tell-all life story with pages and pages of Newcastle tales in his excellent new book Pass Master
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Newcastle United fans still sing his name to this day but despite being a cult figure on Tyneside, Liam O'Brien has rarely spoke about anything but his derby goals for the Magpies.
Or at least until now, after ex-Republic of Ireland international decided to put this life story into an excellent autobiography with Pitch Publishing. O'Brien was always deemed a cultured midfield with a superb range of passing and survived a series of managers at St James' Park as he played under Colin Suggett, Jim Smith, Ossie Ardiles and Kevin Keegan between 1988 and 1994.
The Dubliner was signed from Man United and went through something of a black and white roller-coaster after enduring injury pain, relegation, promotion, derby joy and a taste of the Premier League - scoring the club's first goal in the revamped top flight.
Long before the dubious goals panel was introduced in 2007, O'Brien stepped up to take a trademark free-kick in a 2-1 defeat, and that turned out to be Newcastle's first goal in the Prem.
In his new book Pass Master, O'Brien said: "In our second game, away to Coventry City, I did start but we lost again, this time 2-1. There was, however, a sweetener for me.
"This time I did find the net from a long-range free kick, but only after the ball took a wicked deflection off a Coventry City player. Some reports have it down as an own goal, understandably so, but I claimed the goal as mine! Later, the goal was officially credited to me."
O'Brien's time at Newcastle came to an end in winter 1994 as he made a move to Tranmere Rovers where he left Newcastle after a 'golden handshake'. It was a tough decision for O'Brien but with a young family, one he had to make.
He recalled the moment Keegan approached him about the switch to the Wirral. O'Brien said: "He didn’t directly say he wanted me to move on, but I could see the way the team was evolving. I was mindful that he had encouraged me to talk to Johnny King in the summer, so it was clear he had changes in mind.
"The team also began to pick up more victories without me. With each win, I knew it would become more and more difficult to get back into the reckoning.
"When a manager encourages a player to have a talk with another club, especially for the second time, in the case of Tranmere Rovers, you know it’s time to start looking elsewhere.
"I said I would look into all that. I had an agent at the time, Paul Stretford. He researched the various deals. Southampton offered me more money than Tranmere but during my discussions with
"John King the previous summer, he had said to me that if I ever changed my mind about moving from Newcastle United, I should let him know, because he could be still interested in taking me to the club. I had said I would."
O'Brien brought the curtain down on his time at St James' Park with the club heading towards Europe but accepted it was the right time to leave.
The Irishman said: "I had experienced a wonderful few years with Newcastle United. I had seen how the club had been transformed from a struggling Second Division outfit into a Premier League powerhouse. I had been proud to play my part in that revolution, but times were a-changing at St James’ Park.
"I had also come to appreciate how important football was to the people of Newcastle. You have to live in the city or the surrounding area to fully appreciate that. It’s their club and every household is black and white."
But O'Brien says it was impossible to hold any type of grudge against Keegan after a touching moment when his son Conor was born.
He said: "Something happened early that season that gave an insight into what Kevin Keegan was like as a manager. When Conor was born in September 1993, I was out injured but I told a few players about our good news.
"Then, Kevin rang me. It was the day before we played an away game, and I was greatly impressed that the manager should take time out to congratulate me. That showed how he was a brilliant man-manager. He cared about his players. It’s partly what made him so successful as a manager. Getting that phone call gave me a great lift. Something like that can mean so much."
Newcastle fans still chant O'Brien's name, along with Andy O'Brien, with the duo both scorers on Wearside with his name cemented into club folklore.
Liam O'Brien celebrates scoring against Sunderland at Roker Park, 1992
Liam O'Brien celebrates scoring against Sunderland at Roker Park, 1992
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O'Brien said: "It was the first time since August 1956 that Newcastle United had won a league game at Roker Park, so it’s not surprising it meant, still means, so much to the fans.
"The newspapers the next day were full of positive takes on the strike. ‘Sensational’ was how one reporter described it. ‘A touch of class,’ was another.
"The manager, too, was full of praise, hinting that my goal reminded him of a brilliant Brazilian midfielder. ‘We’re calling him Zico now. If he was a Brazilian, he’d be a sensation,’ Kevin was quoted as saying."
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