Keith Andrews appointed as new Brentford coach

Keith Andrews has been appointed as Brentford head coach after agreeing a three-year deal with the Premier League club.

The former Republic of Ireland international and assistant manager has been the club’s set-piece coach since the start of last season and is understood to have impressed the hierarchy after interviewing for the role after Thomas Frank and his assistant Justin Cochrane departed for Tottenham.

“Keith is a very good fit,” Brentford director of football Phil Giles told the club’s website on Friday.

“He gets on with everyone, he’s very open and he’s a learner. Keith is clear in what he wants, he’s detailed, and the players and staff like and respect him.

“He understands the players in the building and the way we’ve played and trained under Thomas Frank.

“Keith will bring his own evolution but isn’t starting from scratch, so hopefully we can make some quick progress.

“He’s a very good coach and has clear ideas about how he wants the team to improve. We were looking for somebody not just to maintain what we’ve been doing but actually try and get better.”

The Dubliner, who won 35 Republic of Ireland caps between 2008 and 2012, served as Stephen Kenny’s assistant manager in the Irish set-up from 2020 to 2023.

At club level, he previously worked as a coach with MK Dons. After leaving the Irish assistant manager’s post in late 2023, he joined Chris Wilder’s backroom staff at Sheffield United before joining Brentford last summer.

Andrews will become the ninth Irish manager working in the English football league, and the only one in the Premier League following Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town’s relegation last season.

The others are Conor Hourihane (Barnsley), Brian Barry-Murphy (Cardiff City), Alan Sheehan (Swansea City), Noel Hunt (Reading), Grant McCann (Doncaster Rovers), Martin Paterson (Notts County) and Dean Brennan (Barnet).

Damien Duff had been linked with taking on the role of Andrews’ assistant following his abrupt departure from Shelbourne on Sunday, though both parties have distanced themselves from those reports.