Whatever Happened to Andy O`Brien?

It`s fair to say that Bolton centre back Andy O`Brien wasn`t exactly welcomed to the club with open arms. At the time, fans were in despair, with Sammy Lee`s team in deep trouble, so signing one of Portsmouth`s reserves wasn`t seen as an encouraging move. O`Brien had one major thing in his favour. He wasn`t Gerald Cid, the bungler from Bordeaux who had been signed as a joke by Sam Allardyce. Hissing Sid would have made a better defender.

Yet O`Brien acquitted himself well. He was solid and reliable and while his distribution was uninspiring, he could at least time a tackle, judge the flight of a football and marshal the backline, which gave him three advantages over Cid, who was put on a boat back to France with a one way ticket the following January to commence a career as a grape treader.

This season things have been different, with O`Brien morphing into the player that many feared he would be. It is unfair to blame the Irishman for Bolton`s inability to defend a cross, as his team mates have also been responsible, but he looks the least re-assuring of that bunch at present. A spell on the sidelines would allow him to regroup and regain his confidence.

However, there is a problem with this. It even has a name – Danny Shittu. The big Nigerian had a dreadful debut against Northampton, was tied in knots by the stunningly ordinary Bobby Zamora and struggled last week against the teenaged chavs known as Liverpool Reserves. At the age of 28, he has played every season bar one at lower league level.

So, what does the Ginger One do? Perservere with a struggling O`Brien or take a risk on the man with the unfortunate surname? You decide. Vote in the latest Vital Bolton poll.