Brentford have promoted their set-piece coach Keith Andrews to replace Thomas Frank as their new head coach on a three-year contract.
The appointment was confirmed by the club on Friday afternoon and his first Premier League game in charge will be live on Sky Sports at Nottingham Forest on Sunday August 17.
Andrews’ backroom staff are yet to be confirmed but Brentford are close to making those appointments after several members followed Frank to Tottenham when he left the club after seven years to become Spurs’ head coach.
Brentford spoke to a number of high-profile managers but they believe Andrews can provide continuity by following in Frank’s footsteps to become a top head coach.
Supporters may perceive Andrews as a risk given his inexperience as a head coach, but the club believe an appointment from outside may present an even greater risk.
Andrews has been part of the coaching staff at Brentford since last summer and is well-regarded within the club, knowing the club’s squad and systems.
Brentford promoted from within last time they required a new head coach in 2018, with Frank having been Dean Smith’s assistant.
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Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff says he can understand why Brentford fans might think the Keith Andrews appointment is a risk – but he says their new coach has ‘done the hard yards’ in the game to earn his chance.
They have seen at first-hand Andrews’ capabilities, impressing with his impact on the training ground, matchdays and within the squad.
Andrews is known for being Brentford’s set-piece specialist, but his coaching ability extends far beyond just that. He has been a coach at MK Dons and Sheffield United and also worked as an assistant for the Republic of Ireland U21 and senior sides.
During his 16-year playing career, the former midfielder represented Wolves, MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers, as well as being capped 35 times by the Republic of Ireland.
Sky Sports News immediately reported Andrews as a main candidate for the job following Frank’s departure.
VOTE: Is Andrews the right man for Brentford?
Andrews ‘humbled’ by Brentford appointment
Speaking to Brentford’s official club media after his appointment, Andrews said: “Pretty humbled would be the overriding feeling, honoured that I’m the person that’s been chosen to take the club into the next chapter.
“I’m very appreciative of the owner, the board and the staff that have supported this decision. It’s an opportunity I feel I’m very capable of doing and ready to do.
“I don’t know where to start in terms of what’s exciting me because there’s so much: the potential of the football club, the potential of the players and the potential of the staff that underpin what has brought success to this brilliant football club.
“I want a team that the fans feel represents them and what they want to see on a Saturday.
“We want to play winning football, we want to be competitive, we want to have an edge, we want to play dynamic, relentless football but we want to be organised.
“We want to have huge moments, huge games, and I think the big one is that we want to have an attitude and a relentlessness of progression. We really need to maintain that, and that’s on a daily basis. If you do that, the rest looks after itself.”
Analysis: Why Andrews?
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Jamie Carragher and former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter broke down how exactly Brentford were consistently scoring so early in games last season
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones:
No doubt helped by Andrews’ work on the training ground, Brentford were one of the most dominant teams from set-pieces last season.
They scored 13 goals from such situations, but the underlying numbers painted an even stronger picture with a tally of 16.71 expected goals created from set-pieces – the third highest of any Premier League team.
Andrews was also one of the masterminds behind Brentford’s lightning-fast starts last season, as they scored inside the opening 40 seconds of three successive Premier League games in October.
Although it was Andrews’ idea, it appears Brentford are reaping the rewards for the coming together of many of the club’s strategic assets in one play; innovative ideas, an open forum for coaching staff, players ready buy into plans, and the skills available on the field to pull them off.
That was led by Frank and keeping that consistency makes sense.
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
