When Keith Andrews takes on his first press conference as Brentford manager it will likely be far less awkward than the last one.
The former Ireland midfielder has been confirmed as the Bees new manager, taking over from Thomas Frank despite having no head coaching experience.
Andrews has secured the top job at Brentford but Keane has never been a fanSportsfile The 44-year-old will be thrown into the deep end at the Gtech Community StadiumAndrews joined Brentford in 2023 and was their set piece coach last season, but he at least has experience as an assistant at MK Dons, and crucially for this story – Ireland.
There the former Blackburn and Wolves man was an assistant under Stephen Kenny, a role he also filled with the under-21s.
Mainly in the background, he had to step up and take press conference duties in March 2022 ahead of a friendly against Lithuania, and everyone knew what was coming.
Andrews had been blasted by Ireland’s most famous critic, Roy Keane, two years earlier, and the reporters wouldn’t have been doing their jobs if they didn’t finally ask the recipient about it.
The Manchester United legend filled the assistant position with the national team from 2013 to 2018 under Martin O’Neill, and had no time at all for Andrews when he took the job.
Speaking in 2020, the now famous pundit said: “If I can make one point about new Irish staff…
“I’ve heard a lot of bulls***ters over the last 10 years and Keith Andrews is up there with the best of them.”
The attack seemingly came out of nowhere, and Andrews was able to give a thought out response having stewed on it for two years.
When the question finally came up at his debut press conference, Andrews responded: “You might have to ask him why [he said that].
“In terms of how it affected me, it didn’t affect me in the slightest.
“I touched on it before about how passionate I am about this role. My conscience would be very, very clean in terms of what I put into it because, apart from family life, it is actually the only thing I care about, in terms of making this team better, in terms of making Irish football better, in terms of giving us a team we are proud to watch.
Keane had nothing positive to say about the man who took his old jobAFP“I have obviously been a fan, I’ve been a player, it is my only team. It is the only team I care about.”
Discussing if it had any impact on his career, he continued: “No, it didn’t affect me.
“When you go into a new job, players pretty quickly suss you out, if you are not up to the level. So in terms of the preparation going into it was obviously of a high level.
“In terms of previous regimes, that was their bag. I was very much a fan at that stage. I travelled to the Euros as a fan or a player in a certain period.
“That was their bag. This is our regime, and this is how we see fit to put things into place, and hopefully we can just continue to work and continue building to keep that momentum going.”
Andrews now looks set for his first proper press conference as a head coach, but let’s hope Sky don’t send Keane out to the Gtech for his unveiling.
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