Andrews decision explained as Brentford chief says plan hatched ‘many years ago'

Irish Daily Mirror

a day ago

Brentford's director of football has explained the reasoning behind the appointment of Keith Andrews as the club's new head coach.
Andrews has been promoted from his role of set-piece coach to replace Thomas Frank, following the Dane's departure to Europa League winners Tottenham.
The former Ireland midfielder's name was mentioned early on in the recruitment process, although it was a shock to many as he had never managed before.
Andrews' previous coaching experience was as number two at MK Dons, with Ireland under Stephen Kenny, and he was part of Chris Wilder's coaching staff at Sheffield United.
While Frank had managed at Brondby before his move to Brentford, the pair followed a similar path in that they were promoted from within to take on the top job with the Bees.
Frank was initially appointed as assistant manager at the Community Stadium before moving up the ladder in October 2018.
Andrews, who arrived at the club last summer, did enough in his season at the club to convince Bees chiefs that another internal appointment was the way forward.
Phil Giles, Brentford's director of football, explained: 'With Keith being an internal appointment and promotion, the thought process about how to replace Thomas started many years ago.
'When we replaced Dean Smith, we had Thomas lined up. While we never promised him the job, we had the idea that Thomas could potentially take over from Dean.
'It's the same principle here. When we appoint coaches, we always have an idea about whether they could potentially step up.
'When we became aware that Tottenham were interested in Thomas, we had a more detailed process, speaking to our staff but also arranging to speak with some people externally.
'That process started before Thomas had even formally left because we knew the direction of travel.'
Giles is confident that Dubliner Andrews has the qualities to lead Brentford in the Premier League.
'Keith is a very, very good person. He has good values and fits our culture well. He gets on with everyone, he's very open and he's a learner,' he said.
'He joined us a year ago as set-piece coach because he wanted a new experience. He wanted to be at our club and to learn. That says a lot about him.
'He's also covered many other parts of the game so he's well qualified to do the job.
'Keith is a very good coach. He's done very well with our set-pieces this year. The defensive side, particularly, was very good for us.
'He's got very clear ideas about how he wants the team to improve. As a leader, he's a very good communicator.
'He's very clear in what he wants, he's detailed, and the players and staff like and respect him. He's a perfect fit for what we were looking for.
'He understands the players in the building: what motivates them, what they like and don't like, what they can and can't do.
'He understands the principles and the way we've played and trained under Thomas. He will bring his own evolution but it's not starting from scratch, so hopefully we can make some quick progress.
'We're not trying to change everything and go in a totally different direction.
'It's all about the details - we're not looking to revolutionise. Small detailed changes. That can be aligned to changes in personnel, which happens every summer. That provides another opportunity in terms of changing the way we want to play.'