 On 27 April 2009, after the departure of Head Coach Li Bing he was appointed as the caretaker manager of Chengdu Blades F.C.. before the Blades Super League game v Henan.His interim role with the team next to bottom of the table lasted only about a week but he managed to end the team's four-game losing streak when they drew 1–1 away to the then Super League leaders.The club appointed Wang Baoshan as the new Head Coach on 4 May and O'Riordan returned to his usual role of Technical Director/ Coach..

O'Riordan found himself involved in the Beijing Olympics when he was asked to help with the preparation of the China women's national team.