2025/26 Jake O'Brien

[Username.]

He's a poor right back and an average centre back, but that's better than Keane.

 

[HalfTimeSayers]

Seen as a stroke of genius using our gaping hole at RB as a place to get him on the pitch, involved and bedded in after being ignored by Dyche.

Still being RB after a season and a half is inexcusable. Particularly when the CB pairing of choice has us in relegation form.

 

[siddharth]

Could've seen that goal coming even if you were Stevie wonder, he was simply off his game. Should have been hooked half time. Still have hope for him long term though.

 

[Rugby Toffee]

He is never a right back. We have 2 on the bench but Moyes insists playing a half decent CB there. The last 6 games has magnified O'Briens weaknesses or have I been watching a different game. Moyes is so stubborn. What difference would it make if we had at least one full back that could actually attack and cross a ball?

 

[Furey1878]

He's a poor right back and an average centre back, but that's better than Keane.

To be fair, mate, he's often played well when he's played at Centre half, think him and Branthwaite could be a good partnership. They're also both great athletes so it would help us get up the pitch and keep teams camped in.

 

[GoldenToffee]

I'm not his biggest fan tbh. He's no really different to any of our other centre halves, just younger than two of them. A decent squad option, but obviously next year he'll either replace Branthwaite completely or will be partnering Tarkowski in JB's injured absence.

Really we could be doing with losing both Tarkowski and Keane within 12 months and bringing in a very high quality centre half, with JOB or JB—or both—alongside him.

 

[Chrismac]

I noticed on Saturday and a good number of times this season, where he tracks back when the oppo are counter attacking us, then freezes as he reaches our box and stands and watches them score, his first thinking isnt to get to the goal line and try to block the shot. For me he doesnt have that defenders intuition.
Has done ok for us as a makeshift RB but we should be looking at better if we are thinking of replacing CHs.

 

[Timbucktoo]

I'm not his biggest fan tbh. He's no really different to any of our other centre halves, just younger than two of them. A decent squad option, but obviously next year he'll either replace Branthwaite completely or will be partnering Tarkowski in JB's injured absence.

Really we could be doing with losing both Tarkowski and Keane within 12 months and bringing in a very high quality centre half, with JOB or JB—or both—alongside him.

JOB has looked better in his natural position at CB and very poor at RB at times. We need to start him in the middle and sign a good CB to play with him to form a good partnership for next season, and start using Tarks and Keane as squad players that can step in when needed. We also need to start planning for a situation where Branners doesn`t get back to full fittness and look for a 2nd CB that we can target in the next couple of windows. We had Coleman get a bad injury and just papered over the gap his absence left presuming he`d come back and pick up where he left off. Still haven`t found a RB to take over from him and its become a very big problem in our defense.

 

[Milkman]

Now Moyes has given him his usual Lescott treatment, surely he's going to play him in his actual position next season. You know, the one where he's played really well every time he's been forced into it.