Liam O'Brien
| Date of birth | 05 September 1964 |
| Place of birth | Dublin |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Weight | 84 kg |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
A cultivated midfield player who liked to play the game at his own pace, he could not break into the first team squad on a regular basis, moving on to Newcastle United.
Commonly known as Liam but christened William Francis O'Brien, he was signed by caretaker manager Colin Suggett and was most effective in the anchor role in midfield.
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-87 | Manchester United | League Division One | 9 | 2 |
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| 1987-88 | Manchester United | FA Cup | 2 |
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| 1987-88 | Manchester United | League Cup | 2 |
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| 1987-88 | Manchester United | League Division One | 6 | 11 |
2 |
||
| 1988-89 | Manchester United | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1988-89 | Manchester United | League Division One | 1 | 2 |
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| 1988-89 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 4 | ||||
| 1988-89 | Newcastle United | League Division One | 17 | 3 |
4 |
||
| 1989-90 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 2 | 1 |
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| 1989-90 | Newcastle United | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1989-90 | Newcastle United | League Division Two | 14 | 5 |
2 |
||
| 1989-90 | Newcastle United | League Division Two Play-Offs | 2 |
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| 1990-91 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 2 |
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| 1990-91 | Newcastle United | League Division Two | 23 | 10 |
3 |
||
| 1990-91 | Newcastle United | Rumbelows League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1991-92 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1991-92 | Newcastle United | League Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1991-92 | Newcastle United | League Division Two | 40 | 4 |
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| 1992-93 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 4 | ||||
| 1992-93 | Newcastle United | League Cup | 3 | 1 |
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| 1992-93 | Newcastle United | League Division 1 | 33 | 6 |
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| 1993-94 | Newcastle United | Premier League | 4 | 2 |
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| 1993-94 | Tranmere Rovers | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Tranmere Rovers | League Division 1 Play-Offs | 2 | ||||
| 1994-95 | Tranmere Rovers | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1994-95 | Tranmere Rovers | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Tranmere Rovers | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Tranmere Rovers | League Cup | 1 |
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| 2000-01 | Bohemians Dublin | UEFA Cup | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1986 | Manchester United v Leicester City | W | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 27 Dec 1986 | Manchester United v Norwich City | L | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 01 Jan 1987 | Manchester United v Newcastle United | W | 4-1 | League Division One | |
| 03 Jan 1987 | Southampton v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 28 Feb 1987 | Manchester United v Everton | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 07 Mar 1987 | Manchester United v Manchester City | W | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 14 Mar 1987 | Luton Town v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 21 Mar 1987 | Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester United | L | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 28 Mar 1987 | Manchester United v Nottingham Forest | W | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 04 Apr 1987 | Manchester United v Oxford United | W | 3-2 | League Division One | |
| 18 Apr 1987 | Newcastle United v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 03 Oct 1987 | Luton Town v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 07 Oct 1987 | Hull City v Manchester United | W |
0-1 Agg: 0-6 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 17 Oct 1987 | Manchester United v Norwich City | W | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 18 Nov 1987 | Bury v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Cup | 4th round |
| 21 Nov 1987 | Wimbledon v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 05 Dec 1987 | Queens Park Rangers v Manchester United | W | 0-2 | League Division One | |
| 01 Jan 1988 | Manchester United v Charlton Athletic | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 02 Jan 1988 | Watford v Manchester United | W | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 16 Jan 1988 | Manchester United v Southampton | L | 0-2 | League Division One | |
| 24 Jan 1988 | Arsenal v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 30 Jan 1988 | Manchester United v Chelsea | W | 2-0 | FA Cup | 4th round |
| 06 Feb 1988 | Manchester United v Coventry City | W | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 10 Feb 1988 | Derby County v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 13 Feb 1988 | Chelsea v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 20 Feb 1988 | Arsenal v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | FA Cup | 5th round |
| 23 Feb 1988 | Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 05 Mar 1988 | Norwich City v Manchester United | L | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 12 Mar 1988 | Manchester United v Sheffield Wednesday | W | 4-1 | League Division One | |
| 19 Mar 1988 | Nottingham Forest v Manchester United | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 02 Apr 1988 | Manchester United v Derby County | W | 4-1 | League Division One | |
| 30 Apr 1988 | Manchester United v Queens Park Rangers | W | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 27 Aug 1988 | Manchester United v Queens Park Rangers | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 30 Oct 1988 | Everton v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 02 Nov 1988 | Wimbledon v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 05 Nov 1988 | Manchester United v Aston Villa | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-83 | Republic of Ireland | UEFA Under-18 | 1 |
||||
| 1985-86 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1986-87 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1987-88 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 4 |
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| 1988-89 | Republic of Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 1 |
||||
| 1988-89 | Republic of Ireland | PJ ODriscoll Testimonial | 1 | ||||
| 1988-89 | Republic of Ireland | Under-23 | 1 | ||||
| 1991-92 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 1 |
||||
| 1992-93 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Republic of Ireland | US Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Republic of Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 May 1983 | France v Republic of Ireland | D | 1-1 | UEFA U18 | Group 4 |
| 23 Apr 1986 | Republic of Ireland v Uruguay | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 23 May 1987 | Republic of Ireland v Brazil | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 10 Nov 1987 | Republic of Ireland v Israel | W | 5-0 | International Friendly | |
| 23 Mar 1988 | Republic of Ireland v Romania | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 27 Apr 1988 | Republic of Ireland v Yugoslavia | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 22 May 1988 | Republic of Ireland v Poland | W | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 19 Oct 1988 | Republic of Ireland v Tunisia | W | 4-0 | PJ O'Driscoll Testimonial | |
| 16 Nov 1988 | Spain v Republic of Ireland | L | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 6 |
| 11 Apr 1989 | Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland | W | 3-0 | U23 | |
| 25 Mar 1992 | Republic of Ireland v Switzerland | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Feb 1993 | Republic of Ireland v Wales | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 23 Mar 1994 | Republic of Ireland v Russia | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Jun 1996 | Republic of Ireland v Croatia | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Jun 1996 | Netherlands v Republic of Ireland | L | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 09 Jun 1996 | USA v Republic of Ireland | L | 2-1 | US Cup | |
| 15 Jun 1996 | Republic of Ireland v Bolivia | W | 3-0 | US CUP | |
| 09 Oct 1996 | Republic of Ireland v North Macedonia | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 8 |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.