Tattoo much to bare for O'Connor

Sep 28 2008 By Gordon Waddell

Garry's Body Art Will Get It In The Neck

GARRY O'CONNOR has enough art tattooed over his body to fill a gallery.

But he reckons the surgery he's facing to have his most visible ink removed is the biggest sign yet he's finally growing up.

The Birmingham City striker has decided this is the season he has to shed his wild child tag and start making the most of his gifts.

At 25 and a dad of two, he knows the boy has to go and the man has to show.

Gone is the Ferrari, the gas-guzzling Hummer is up for sale.

Gone are the excess pounds after a summer spent slogging up and down Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh to get himself ready for an assault on the Championship.

Going are the two tattoos he has on full show - partner Lisa and first child Josh's name inked on his neck just behind his ears.

And in comes a player whose physique is chiselled, whose mind is focused and who started the season on fire until a groin injury put the dampers on him for three weeks.

But after wrapping him in cotton wool, boss Alex McLeish is ready to let Garry loose again after an impressive week's training.

In his first Scottish interview in a year, O'Connor told MailSport: "I've matured, no doubt. You have to grow up sometime, right?

"When you're young you do some stupid things - maybe I did more than my fair share and didn't get away with them.

"But I've had a lot of chats with the gaffer.

He's been a huge help. He reckons I've matured, on the park and off.

"The cars, the money, the whole thing - it means so much less to me now.

"And I'm getting an operation to take the tattoos off my neck.

"The ones onmy arms are great, I love them, especially the fact my missus designed some after doing a design course at art school. Of course, you can cover them up if you have to.

"But when you wear suits to go out, either with the club or maybe to a nice restaurant with the missus, the ones on the neck really stand out.

"They give off the wrong image, not one I want to give any more "I've been there and done it. Now I'm trying to be responsible and a good parent. My oldest, Josh, has just started school and it feels brilliant. I love where we are living, the neighbours. I want this to be a big year and for that to happen I need the right attitude."

Garry's new-found desire to be all he can be shone like a beacon in pre-season and right through August.

He came on as a sub in the first week and set up the last minute winner for Kevin Phillips that got Blues off to a flier, then scored three in three games in the space of 10 days before tweaking his groin.

The £2.6million frontman is happy to deflect some of the credit for it on to his former fitness coach at Hibs though.

He said: "I've felt great this season. I started off flying then got a wee groin injury that forced me to miss three games but I'm ready to come back now.

"I did a lot of training in Edinburgh in the summer with the old Hibs fitness coach Dougie Fowler. It was old school, beasting it up Arthur's Seat - it nearly killed me!

"But I lost a lot of weight and it showed when I came back. I was top of my group for fitness and it carried on to the games at the start.

"I want to prove a point this year - that I'm a good player who's right for this team and right for the level they want me to play at."

O'Connor is also hoping his club form, alongside Scotland idol James McFadden, bags him a passage back into George Burley's squad.

Garry saw his international career hit the skids under Walter Smith when he was a noshow for the team's flight to Ukraine.

But George Burley insists he has a clean slate and O'Connor said: "I was involved in George's first two squads and the outlook is still positive.

"George is a great manager, he'll do well for Scotland. All I can do is perform here and be ready if he needs me."