Michael O'Connor: podcast appearances and interviews

Michael O'Connor is a football manager and former professional player from Northern Ireland. As of October 2025, he serves as the manager of Glenavon, a club in the NIFL Premiership. O'Connor's playing career began at Crewe Alexandra in 2005, where he quickly became a first-team regular. He was loaned to Lincoln City in 2009 and later transferred to Scunthorpe United for a fee of 250,000 pounds. During his three seasons with Scunthorpe, he competed in the Championship for two of those years before moving to Rotherham United in 2012. At Rotherham, he contributed to the team's consecutive promotions from League Two to the Championship, including a League One play-off victory in 2014. In 2014, he signed with Port Vale and was named the club's Player of the Year for the 2014-15 season. O'Connor later played for Notts County for two years, then helped Lincoln City win the League Two title in the 2018–19 season. He joined Salford City in January 2020 before returning to Northern Ireland to play with Glenavon in August 2020. In 2023, he transitioned into coaching as an assistant manager at Newry City. Throughout his career, O'Connor was involved in a dispute regarding international eligibility, initially representing Northern Ireland at various levels, briefly switching to the Republic of Ireland's under-21 team, and ultimately reaffirming his commitment to Northern Ireland.