Keith Andrews: Can the new Brentford head coach win over doubters?
The backlash had already started before Keith Andrews' appointment as Brentford's new head coach was even announced and predictably enough it was led by Martin O'Neill, clearly still smarting at being criticised by Andrews all the way back in 2017. O'Neill is a bearer of grudges, by his own admission. As a European Cup winner, he doesn't like being criticised by those who haven't ascended to those lofty heights, if they are Andrews or even Fabio Cannavaro, who captained Italy to the World Cup but never won the world's premier club trophy, as O'Neill once famously reminded him.
O'Neill's criticism of Andrews as a 'lower league player' hardly fit to lace his boots was clearly something the Dubliner was keen to turn on its head when he gave his first interview as Brentford's new head coach on Friday, as well as addressing the more widely held view that he doesn't have the necessary coaching experience to step into such a big role.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Livi kick-off pre-season with a win as Bartley returns
Marvin Bartley took the opportunity to return to the Livingston dugout "with both hands" after conversations with David took place beside Martindale for the first time since returning to the club in Saturday's friendly win against League 1 Muirhead's first-half penalty was cancelled out by opposing forward Connor Sammon, before Reece McAlear and Stevie May secured the win with second-half Lions now head to the Netherlands for a pre-season training camp and Bartley is itching to get stuck into things."First and foremost, we've got to get our fitness levels up," he told club media."That's the important thing when you come back."Get across to Holland, spend seven days with each other and then come back and things will hopefully move seamlessly on."
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Xu hopes to make Wales proud at Wimbledon
Wimbledon 2025Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England ClubCoverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage details. Swansea tennis sensation Mimi Xu hopes to make Wales proud when she makes her senior Wimbledon debut on Monday. The 17 year-old will step out on court one with British number one Emma Raducanu as her first-round opponent."To get to play my first major Wimbledon, it means absolutely everything to me," said Xu."I've got nothing to lose in a match-up like that, I think I can really go out there and play freely and show everyone what I can do."Xu carries the hopes of the nation on her young shoulders as she is the first Welsh player to enter the Wimbledon main singles draw in 20 years, with Rebecca Llewellyn being the last. Special talent "I really hope that I'm making Wales proud, I was in Swansea for 13 years so it's really nice to be doing it for them as well," she said. Members from her former club are now clambering for tickets to see their superstar in action at SW19."There will be a lot of us heading up," said David Williams, head coach at Swansea Tennis and Squash club."It's welcome to the big time isn't it? Your first match in Wimbledon against Raducanu, a fellow Brit, a US Open champion, it just doesn't get bigger. "She'll be on prime time TV, she'll be on a show court, you can't wish for more, it's an incredible draw and I know Mimi will be excited about that."Yes, Emma is going to be the heavy favourite, but it will be up to Mimi to cause a big shock and if she can calm the nerves and excitement I think she'll put out a good performance."Williams worked with Xu from ages four to eight and he said it was "pretty evident that we had something special on our hands.""It was clear that she had phenomenal hand eye co-ordination and that she was a complete athlete. "She was stronger, taller, faster than most of her peers at the time."It was the way she trained, her determination, her focus, and she was almost training like a professional even at that really tender age, it was impressive."What probably struck me the most with Mimi was her ability to learn, I've never seen anything like it since." Making history Xu was given a Wimbledon wildcard for the ladies singles and also for the doubles where she will compete with fellow Brit Ella follows an impressive season on the grass court, with the teenager notching up notable wins at the Birmingham, Ilkley, and Nottingham Open events earlier this month. Xu earned her career-best win by shocking American top seed Alycia Parks - the world number 52 - on her way to the Birmingham performances have seen Xu rocket up the world rankings, currently standing at already has a notable history with remains the youngest player in the open era to receive a wildcard into the women's qualifying event at just 14. It came after winning both the Under-16 and Under-18 British national titles in could also feature as one of the main contenders for the junior title if she opts to play that event this finished runner-up in the junior Wimbledon girls' doubles last year alongside fellow Brit Mika Stojsavljevic. Xu peaked at number eight in the junior world rankings last year, but has focused on the women's circuit this season. Inspiring the next generation Xu started started playing at Swansea Tennis and Squash Club, Swansea Tennis Centre and Swansea Regional Player Development Centre before attending the LTA National Academy in Loughborough. She now trains at the LTA National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, alongside British number ones Raducanu and Jack Draper, while juggling her A Level studies. Davies believes Xu's success will inspire the next generation of Welsh talent. "It will be huge, if you see it you can be it and that will inspire the next batch of talented Welsh players coming through," he said. "It also shows that Welsh tennis has got the talent and the infrastructure, there are quality coaches and there is a performance pathway."It just proves to everyone that you can make it to the top."As well as Xu's representation, Wales' number one male player James Story played in the Wimbledon qualifiers, while Felix Bockelmann-Evans will make his debut when he competes in the junior boys' doubles.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Where to watch Wimbledon 2025: TV channel guide and UK schedule
The 2025 Championships at Wimbledon are upon us as the All England Club opens its doors to the tennis world once again. Carlos Alcaraz is eyeing a third consecutive title in SW19, and is also looking to become the second player to win Roland Garros, Queen's and Wimbledon in the same year. World No 1 Jannik Sinner and British No 1 Jack Draper are the other favourites in the men's draw. World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is the favourite for the women's title, with 2022 champion Elena Rybakina and French Open winner Coco Gauff also leading contenders. Czech player Barbora Krejcikova is the defending champion. Emma Raducanu, who is set to miss out on a seeding, leads the British contingent in the women's draw, having overtaken Katie Boulter as British No 1 recently. How to watch Wimbledon on TV Wimbledon will be shown live on the BBC in the UK, with full coverage of the tournament available to watch on BBC One, BBC Two and across BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. TNT Sports will air a daily 90-minute highlights show and will also have live coverage of both singles finals. If you're travelling abroad and want to watch Wimbledon, then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get the best VPN deals on the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the TV schedule on Monday 30 June? 10:30 - 19:00 - Live coverage - BBC Two 10:30 - 21:00 - Live coverage of outside courts - BBC Red Button/BBC iPlayer/BBC Sport website 14:00 - 18:00 - Live coverage - BBC One 19:00 - 22:00 - Live coverage - BBC One 22:00 - 23:30 - Wimbledon Highlights - TNT Sports The 2025 Championships start on Monday 30 June and will finish on Sunday 13 July. Play will start at 11am (BST) on all the outside courts, with Court 1 starting at 1pm and Centre Court at 1:30pm. As tradition dictates, Alcaraz, the defending men's singles champion, will open the tournament on Centre Court on Monday 30 June. Krejcikova, the defending women's singles champion, will open Centre Court proceedings on Tuesday 1 July. What is the full Wimbledon schedule? Monday 30 June – Singles first round Tuesday 1 July – Singles first round Wednesday 2 July – Singles second round; Men's and Women's doubles first round Thursday 3 July – Singles second round; Men's and Women's doubles first round Friday 4 July – Singles third round; Men's and Women's doubles second round; Mixed Doubles first round Saturday 5 July – Singles third round; Men's and Women's doubles second round; Mixed Doubles first round; Juniors (18 & under) singles first round Sunday 6 July – Singles fourth round; Men's and Women's doubles third round; Mixed Doubles second round; Juniors singles first round Monday 7 July – Singles fourth round; Men's and Women's doubles third round; Mixed Doubles quarter-finals; Girls singles second round; Boys Doubles first round Tuesday 8 July – Singles and doubles quarter-finals; Mixed Doubles semi-finals; Wheelchair Singles first round; Boys singles Second Round; Girls doubles first round Wednesday 9 July – Singles and doubles quarter-finals; Quad wheelchair singles quarter-finals; Wheelchair doubles quarter-finals; Junior singles third round; Junior doubles second round Thursday 10 July – Women's singles semi-finals; Men's doubles semi-finals; Mixed Doubles final; Wheelchair singles quarter-finals; Wheelchair doubles semi-finals; Junior singles and doubles quarter-finals Friday 11 July – Men's singles semi-finals; Women's doubles semi-finals; Men's, Women's and Quad Wheelchair singles semi-finals; Junior singles and doubles semi-finals Saturday 12 July – Women's singles final (4pm); Men's Doubles final (1pm); Women's wheelchair singles final; Men's and Quad wheelchair doubles final; Girls singles and doubles final; Boys doubles final
