Don O’Riordan & Peter Beagrie

Gains

Well-known member
Just been listening to the BBC Tees Boro podcast, really enjoyed Pally’s and it reminded me of something I’ve always wondered.

Why isn’t O’Riordan labelled Judas the same way Beagrie is by many fans. Is it because Beagrie was so good? Because he was local? Because the transfer fee was so poor?

Maybe controversial but I think what he did was what anyone would do in that position. Certainly what Gestede and Ayala did this year was worse in my opinion.
 
Think it was probably a combination of the good part, but also because he was local and many of the other local (and non local of course) lads stayed behind in the clubs hour of need.
 
Other players have told me they were close to leaving too that summer. Also they had sympathy with Beagrie, I think he had just got married, if I recall so needed the security.
 
Other players have told me they were close to leaving too that summer. Also they had sympathy with Beagrie, I think he had just got married, if I recall so needed the security.

Yeah it's interesting that most of the players hold a different view to the fans (wasn't he Mogga's best man, or have I imagined this?)
 
Yeah it's interesting that most of the players hold a different view to the fans (wasn't he Mogga's best man, or have I imagined this?)
Mogga was Beagries best man

Gary Hamilton, Charlton & Gary Pallister, Norwich, had offers but wanted to stay
Brian Laws also fought to cancel his contract & leave
 
From my point of view O`Riordan was poor I myself was never a big fan of his, and when he went along with a lot of the deadwood I wasnt really bothered.
Beagrie on the other hand was very skilful and you could see he was doing well and going to blossom into a very good player.
It was a very difficult time as Boro fans and I was gutted he joined Sheff Utd, we did eventually get a few bob for him through a tribunal.
Minor miracle what the lads and management achieved and the fans who stuck around have to take a lot of credit too.

Genuinely sorry to hear whats happened to his TV career lately, as I know he and his family lost a wife and mother a massive blow in their lives.

He was a very good player regardless of what his history with us says.
 
From my point of view O`Riordan was poor I myself was never a big fan of his, and when he went along with a lot of the deadwood I wasnt really bothered.
Beagrie on the other hand was very skilful and you could see he was doing well and going to blossom into a very good player.
It was a very difficult time as Boro fans and I was gutted he joined Sheff Utd, we did eventually get a few bob for him through a tribunal.
Minor miracle what the lads and management achieved and the fans who stuck around have to take a lot of credit too.

Genuinely sorry to hear whats happened to his TV career lately, as I know he and his family lost a wife and mother a massive blow in their lives.

He was a very good player regardless of what his history with us says.
DOR was a awful signing, Willie Maddren wrote in his book Extra Time than O'Riordan had let him down as a player, he came with the reputation but IMHO a very poor player for us
I remember going to Carlisle away 1985 & talking to one of their stewards who was asking after him & he couldn't believe what us fans were saying about him on the pitch, they loved him, us not so
 
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Mogga was Beagries best man

Gary Hamilton, Charlton & Gary Pallister, Norwich, had offers but wanted to stay
Brian Laws also fought to cancel his contract & leave
I think that might have been a myth about others getting offers. Honestly think anyone would have gone under the circumstances but with Beagrie probably being our best player was the only one who was wanted.
As was said above I doubt anyone was really bothered about O’Riordan. However he did do one same as Beagrie. We’d all jump ship if our employers stopped paying us and we got other offers.
As I said earlier I think Ayala and Gestede behaved worse than anything Beagrie did.
 
Agree with Ticker. O'Riordan was just average at best and we felt that Beagrie, being local might have got on board. And because he was a good, exciting player made it worse. That's my recollection at the time.
 
As others have said my recollection at the time was that it was because we wanted Beagrie to stay, most of us weren't fussed about O'Riordan. We also thought Beagrie would stay being a local lad and Boro fan, we didn't have the same expectations of O'Riordan.

Looking back now I think any player who had a decent offer would have left. Beagrie was getting a move to second division club from one just reIegated to division three. I heard a rumour at the time, that Cyril Knowles at Darlington was waiting for us to fold and then pick up the players they wanted for nowt, maybe others were doing similar?
 
Local, deserting the club when others stayed... end off. DOR was not local and was signed for.... still crap for deserting but not as hurtful as a local lad who the club nurtured into the first team
 
Just been listening to the BBC Tees Boro podcast, really enjoyed Pally’s and it reminded me of something I’ve always wondered.

Why isn’t O’Riordan labelled Judas the same way Beagrie is by many fans. Is it because Beagrie was so good? Because he was local? Because the transfer fee was so poor?

Maybe controversial but I think what he did was what anyone would do in that position. Certainly what Gestede and Ayala did this year was worse in my opinion.

Simple, really: Because O’Riordan was cr@p and we were glad to see the back of him.
 
Imagine how much dogs abuse hed have got if there was social media back then...

He got enough as it was and its carried on...

Obv with his more recent problems that resurfaced...

Best letting sleeping dogs errr sleep tbh...
 
I think O'Riordan was a much better player than what we saw here. Like mentioned above he was signed with a reputation of being a good player, and a leader, but it didn't happen.

If Mogga could forgive Beagrie then I'm sure we could.
 
Beagrie was the only player who had looked half decent when the old club folded. We were awful.

What he did was no worse than any other local player who has moved on for more money either before or since.
 
I never really had a big issue with Beagrie. That said no social media and I was pretty young.

I remember people (my Dad) absolutely hammering him whenever he was on the TV playing for Everton etc. I just thought he looked a decent player. A proper old school wideman.

He was probably the 'jewel' at the club. The vultures probably started circling as soon as we looked like we were going under. He was the one everyone wanted.

I remember Cooper saying on Boro icons that he understood as Beagrie had kids and a big mortgage.

He said that everyone thinks that the likes of Ripley / Parky etc stayed out of loyalty. In fact they simply weren't established and frankly no other clubs wanted them. Also they were young with no responsibilities.
 
Many people think of it only from a fans perspective, as if they had chosen to support a different team.

It's not like that for pro footballers. It's a job. How many people on here with committments would turn down a secure job elsewhere if your current position offered no wages, no premises and you had to dodge dog turds in the park to do it?
 
Peter Beagrie made his debut away to charlton 2nd october 1984, he played 32 games, 8 as sub, scoring 2 goals, which both were memorable for reasons
1st away to Shrewsbury to stay up 11th May 1985 & 2nd home to Millwall, our final home game before liquidation came 26th April 1986
thumbnail_Peter Beagrie.jpg
 
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I think that might have been a myth about others getting offers. Honestly think anyone would have gone under the circumstances but with Beagrie probably being our best player was the only one who was wanted.
As was said above I doubt anyone was really bothered about O’Riordan. However he did do one same as Beagrie. We’d all jump ship if our employers stopped paying us and we got other offers.
As I said earlier I think Ayala and Gestede behaved worse than anything Beagrie did.
Wasn't those were facts & probably more

The day I got married, 16th August 1986, the back headlines were from Gary Hamilton saying he's staying at the Boro & refusing Charlton's offer
 
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