Why what Keith Andrews is doing at Brentford this season is absolutely sensational
Before a ball was even kicked, Keith Andrews was second-favourite to be the first manager sacked in the Premier League. Now six months on, Brentford are in the midst of their best Premier League season to date, sitting in a potential Champions League spot.
Andrews’ rise from Sky Sports pundit to Premier League manager may have come out of the blue to many, but the Dubliner has proven that he is more than just a talking head. He has taken a side which had the foundations ripped out of it and has rebuilt a side and is maximising their abilities.
With that, let’s have a look at how Andrews got the Bees to where they are.
Pic: Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
A summer from hell
To say Andrews was thrown into a baptism of fire for his first-ever job in management would be an understatement. After a fourth mid-table finish in the Premier League, Tottenham snapped up Brentford’s Danish gaffer Thomas Frank, and he brought with him three coaches to decimate the coaching ticket in West London.
With the hierarchy looking to hire from within, Andrews became the most-qualified person for the managerial job by default after serving as the side’s set-piece coach the previous season. It was hardly the succession plan many would’ve expected from a side known for being one of the best-run teams in the top flight.
Pic: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Then, the mass exodus followed. Despite the exciting addition of Liverpool goalkeeper and Andrews’ countryman Caoimhín Kelleher, there was still a feeling of leaving a sinking ship as several high-profile players left the Bees.
Firstly, club captain Christian Noorgard jumped ship to Arsenal, then it was keeper Mark Flekken to Bayer Leverkusen, followed by the loss of both Bryan Mbuemo and Yoann Wissa, who had scored nearly 60% of the side’s Premier League goals in the previous term.
And besides Kelleher, Brentford didn’t fill everyone with confidence with their replacements. Dango Outarra was brought in from Bournemouth for €42million, an eye-watering amount for a winger who wasn’t a regular starter for the Cherries. Then, Dutch youngster Antoni Milambo was brought in for €20million, and while he has plenty of potential, he’s only played once this season through injury.
Jordan Henderson. Pic: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Neither player looked to be the ideal option for an expected relegation scrap. But one signing that would prove to be, was Jordan Henderson, who, after a reputation-ruining spell in Saudi Arabia, was finally returning to England after a spell with Ajax.
A blessing in disguise
After their summer’s business, many tipped Brentford to go down. It looked like their analytics-based gold mining of unknown talents was finally going to come up short, and after the first five games of the season, with Brentford only recording one win, it looked like those pundits were right.
Then Manchester United rocked up for an early Saturday kick-off in late September, a week after they beat Chelsea 2-1 in a bizarre match at Old Trafford. However, as many thought that winning against the Blue would be a turning point for the Red Devils, Igor Thiago had something else on his mind.
The Brazilian forward who broke into Europe via Ludogorets in Bulgaria appeared to have been a rare miss from the Brentford recruiting team, having missed a large proportion of his time at the club through injury and not really getting the bleeding in treatment Brentford like to give their players.
Igor Thiago scored his first goal against Manchester United. Pic: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
He was tasked with being an instant impact replacement for Ivan Toney, and it’s fair to say Thiago has been that and then some this season. After scoring twice against United, showing off his great strength, athleticism and instinct in front of goal, he has already broken the record for most goals scored by a Brazilian in a Premier League season, scoring his 16th in the Bees’ 3-0 win over Sunderland.
Thiago is just the latest in the line of Brentford forwards, as while teams like Manchester United have struggled to find their number 9, Brentford have had top-calibre forwards for the best part of a decade now. From Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins in the Championship to Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbuemo and Yoann Wissa, Brentford seem to always have that 20-goal-a-season player every Premier League team cries out for.
From strength to strength
And since that United win in September, chat about Brentford’s relegation scrap has disappeared overnight.
Andrews, leaning into his background as a set-piece coach, has made his side a nightmare for opponents with Michael Koyade’s long throws. This included Liverpool, against whom Thiago had a field day. Brentford have also become dominant at home, only losing once at the GTech Community Stadium in the league.
Michael Kayode takes a long throw-in. Pic: GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images
Brentford looked to be settling into being a mid-table side once again, but over the past month, they have evolved into the league’s form side. They’re unbeaten in their last six league games, recording massive wins over Everton (4-2), Bournemouth (4-1) and Sunderland most recently (3-0).
In just three weeks, they’ve climbed from 16th to 5th, and in a Premier League that looks as competitive as ever, Andrews has Brentford in prime position to potentially get their best top-flight finish since the 1930s.
Not too bad for an ex-Sky Sports pundit.
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