Andy O'Brien:"Why I turned down City!

ANDY O’Brien decided to say no to Cardiff City.... after Leeds United chairman Ken Bates insulted his dad!

Centre-half O’Brien came to Cardiff for talks with manager Dave Jones and chief executive Gethin Jenkins before heading back to Leeds and making his loan deal from Bolton permanent.

“My meeting with the chairman is something I will remember all my life,” said O'Brien, who does not have an agent and negotiates his own contracts.

“My dad came in with me initially and he is a big bloke of around 20 stone.

“The chairman’s first words were ‘We’ll sign the fat one instead.’

“My dad replied he had been on a diet for six weeks, to which the chairman said, ‘Well that diet certainly isn’t working, is it?’

“Dad is quite quick-witted and said back, ‘Well I don’t know what your excuse is.’

“It went from there, but the great thing is I lived to tell the tale!”

Reflecting on his talks in South Wales, O’Brien – who will play against the Bluebirds tonight – said: “I got the impression Cardiff liked that I had the guts to do everything myself without an agent.

“What I wanted to do was be up front all the way through and not mess about behind anyone’s back. I like to think I did that.

“Cardiff came in with an offer and the first thing I did was ring Leeds and tell them exactly what the deal was.

“There was a bit of toing and froing and then I said to Ken Bates ‘If you offer me what Cardiff have offered then I’ll sign.’

“That is what happened. Personally, it’s a relief to have sorted things out.

“Two months ago, I was scratching my head as to where my future would lie.

“Now, I am just glad that I know where I am going to be for the next two-and-a-half years.”


Now, I know Gethin Jenkins probably meant it as a joke but seriously, if you are trying to sign a player, do you really take the piss out of the players dad and call him fat? It seems like AOB took it as it was meant as a joke but it seems soooo unprofessional!

I may have read this the wrong way but i thought it was Ken Bates who had the banter with his Dad and not Gethin? Certainly sounds like something Bates would say!

It was Ken Bates who called his dad fat not Gethin. "ANDY O’Brien decided to say no to Cardiff City.... after Leeds United chairman Ken Bates insulted his dad!"

so he got City to offer a very Good deal and asked dirty Leeds to match it who he really wanted to sign for !

In Business that is a shit trick!

ps He's shit anyway

Ahhhhhhh I see! Well in that case, why isn't GJ making jokes like that lol!

All said and done ,it was nice of him to come down but he's obviously used us as a bargaining tool!
I can't blame him I've done it myself in the past!!

Yeah i read it that it was Ken Bates. You can imagine KB doing that but defo not GJ. Any way i have respect for the lad that he dosen't have an agent and he made his own mind up. Respect even though he made the wrong one

It does not surprise me, Even a player without an agent uses us to push his value up.

After Tuesday I think we made the right choice or AOB did!

Is James Vaughan or his agent doing the same thing and why is there no news on the 5 or 6 players we have said to be targetting.

In this instance I will keep faith with DJ who has said before that he will not give details of new players until they have signed.

KEEP THE FAITH

BLOOOOBIIRDS!!!!

Glad he did turn us down, Looked very ordinary and looked no better than Gypes

so he got City to offer a very Good deal and asked dirty Leeds to match it who he really wanted to sign for !

In Business that is a shit trick!

ps He's shit anyway

Have you ever got a quote from an insurance company then rang your current company telling them of the quote to see if they can match it? That's all he did really. Maximising his earnings on probably his last contract. Nothing wrong with that.

Nope