Former set-piece coach says club has not lost its ‘edge’ despite summer of upheaval and Thomas Frank’s departure
K
eith Andrews is used to doing things the hard way. The new Brentford head coach was 15 when he left his native Dublin to join the Wolves academy when they snapped up five of Ireland’s most promising young players, including a certain Robbie Keane, in 1995. But despite becoming the club’s youngest captain in more than a century Andrews dropped down the divisions with MK Dons before earning a move back to the Premier League with Blackburn and becoming an established international.
There has been a similar trajectory to his coaching career. He started under Karl Robinson in Milton Keynes after retiring in 2015, then worked as Stephen Kenny’s assistant for the Republic of Ireland. Andrews also spent time at Sheffield United before arriving at Brentford last summer as the set-piece coach. Being asked to replace Thomas Frank in his first senior role at the age of 44 bucks the growing trend of younger managers, but the former midfielder has plenty of experience to call on as he opens a new chapter at Nottingham Forest on Sundaytomorrow.
“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs – I’ve been in this industry for 29 years,” Andrews said. “I’ve been in every division, international football, every age group. Some people come into it at a certain stage and there might have been a trendy football club playing a trendy way, and that’s good for them. But this is my path, and I’m pretty happy with the path I’ve been on.”
