Keith Andrews Named As Brentford Head Coach Keith Andrews’ appointment
Executive Summary:
Keith Andrews has been named Brentford’s new head coach on a three-year deal. It is the first top job for Andrews, who has been on Brentford’s coaching team for a year as a set-piece specialist. The move comes after Thomas Frank departed for Tottenham, as Brentford have continued to look inwards like the new Spurs head coach. Though the appointment doesn’t receive universal support – only 33% of fans polled support it – those who do know who he is, understand exactly what he brings in terms of coaching experience, intelligence and how well he understands Brentford’s winning data-centric model. Andrews has an immediate challenge with a ‘summer of upheaval,’ including threats of exits from key players and a difficult welcome to the campaign.
Main Themes and Key Information:
- Keith Andrews’ Appointment and Contract:
Official: Keith Andrews is the new head coach at Brentford.
Contract Duration: He has agreed to a three-year contract.
First Top Job: This is his “first top job in management,” although he has worked previously as an assistant and coach.
More …Official: An official will be made in the next few hours.
Backroom Staff: The club has not announced yet who Andrews’ backroom staff is, as some of his administrative team were tweeted by Thomas Frank at Tottenham. - Brentford’s “Promote from Within” Philosophy:
Frank’s Example: Progressing from within was “exactly the way how Thomas Frank started,” according to Andrews. Frank was also “part of the internal promotion when Dean Smith left the club.”
Club’s History: The club is “not averse to giving someone a go, giving someone a bit of a trial and seeing if they can do it. This strategy is considered a reduced-risk option, as they “know him personally, he knows the club inside out”.
Fan Perspective: And here, with a club that has a history of internal promotion, only 33% are saying yes in a web poll about whether Andrews is the man for the job. A lot of that is going to come from the fact that this is his “first main head coach role.
Industry context Jobi McAnuff: “I would say to anybody that’s questioning it give him a go I think we see a lot of Premier League clubs in particularly not give give young British English and Irish managers opportunities I think we need to do more of we do a lot to be fair in this country but i think we need to do more so I’m rleased that….Brentford, they’ve taken that step and have been giving him that chance.”
- The Past of Keith Andrews and Coaching Knowledge:
Gone Before: Andrews has worked as an assistant at MK Dons, Republic of Ireland (With Steven Kenny), Sheffield United (Under Chris Wilder) and Brentford.
Set-Piece Specialisation: He moved to Brentford “with a real emphasis on set pieces.” Brentford last season were “one of the top performers in that category,” scoring 14 goals from set pieces (7th in the Premier League). It was defensively that Andrews made the biggest impact, however, though the Brentford man gave away just three set-piece goals all season, the best record in the league.
More Than Set Pieces: “Keith was known for set pieces, but Keith was so much more than just that.” He is characterised as an “all-round coach” with a “clear idea of how he wants the game to be played.”
Intelligence and Work Ethic: McAnuff insists, “Keith’s a very intelligent human being,” and adds, “he’s put the shift in he’s been out there, he’s put a lot of work in to get himself in that position.”
Analytical: Andrews labelled an “analytical” coach. “The way he watches football and reads the game, I think, will suit him with the model at Brentford Football Club.
- Challenges and Expectations for Andrews:
Following Thomas Frank: “There’s a big task and a big man to follow in Andrews. He will have to walk the line of ‘continuing the success that Thomas Frank has had, but then wanting to put his stamp on things.”
Good foundation: He takes over an “incredible base to go and work from” as “it can’t have been going any better than it ever has at the football club.”
Player Exits (“Summer of Upheaval”): Andrews is in for “a true summer of upheaval.” “Key players like ‘captain [Christian] Norgaard and your top scorer [Bryan Mbeumo] are going as well,’ together with goalkeeper Mark Flekken. There is “no masking that.”
Recruitment model: Brentford have a “very clear model” and it is “very data-driven andanalytics-orientedd. Andrews will “have a say” in the final hiring decisions. The club is also working with a “succession plan” given that they “don’t have the resources financially that some of the bigger clubs can… hold on to players or even staff”.
Brentford’s early matches are difficult: They open the season “away at Nottingham Forest” and then “have some tricky fixtures with Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Manchester United all coming up at home.” Home games, however, are thought of as a “lot of confidence.”
Fan scrutiny: “Fans on side or not will be apparent in the early part of the Premier League season.” Getting off to a good start is vital, “you need to get some early points on the board because otherwise that pressure is going to mount very, very quickly.”
- Broader Context (Leicester City Discussion):
Leicester Up in The Air: Leicester City were going through a “worrying time” and “that uncertainty around that stadium and that football club has, you know, been crazy really.”
Managerial search: They are “sifting bags” to find a new head coach since Rude Vanistery Left, players are checked in pre-season soon.
PSR Worries: There are “PSR concerns hanging over the club “ and a possible “ point deduction “.
Contenders: Sean Dyche and Danny Rohl are strongly connected, Dyche being one ”who would be an extremely good appointment for this level” due to his experience, and Rohl “an individual very much in demand that can work often in difficult circumstances” to be coveted.
Conclusion:
Andrews’ arrival is further evidence of the Bees’ long-term commitment to the tried and tested club model of promoting from within and using the model created to lead the club to the Premier League last season. It’s a gamble, here or there, because of his lack of experience as a senior head coach, but his knowledge of the club and established reputation as a coach stand him in as good stead as he possibly could be. His leadership will be tested by the immediate challenges of losing players and a difficult run of games butt the club’s “forward-thinking” operating style suggests a calculated