Sounds like they've scouted around looking for someone better unsuccessfully and now they've gone back to him. He's kind of like a John O'Shea/Neil Lennon type here, hanging around for long enough in the hope that other options will fall away and he'll be given the job in the end.
That is NOT how Brentford do these things. While he's only been at the club for a year, so hardly "hanging around", in the sense of "Dead Man's Shoes" etc.Originally Posted by Eirambler
Quite honestly (and assuming KA is appointed) the first reaction of every Bees fan on hearing that he was in the running was "Wtf?"
But after some reflection, it became: "Well if the club think he's the right choice, then who are we to question it?".
Sounds like former Irish standout winger Damien Duff has resigned from a LoI club over the weekend.
It's not how I would expect Brentford to do things. But it appears to be where we are. Let's face it, if they were all in on Andrews they'd have hired him a couple of weeks ago.
Duff was managing in the League of Ireland? You'd never have known.
We'll see where the Bees hive mind are on this mid to late October if indeed KA is the chosen one.
I use the word chosen loosely, clearly their highly vaunted process has had an experience similar to whatever processes were going on inside that Iranian mountain, if KA ends up driving this particular bus.
Over the last couple of seasons Frank was linked with/interviewed for a number of jobs - apparently was second choice to Emery at Villa and in the running for Chelsea. Man U were also said to have considered him when they appointed ETH.
Meaning they'll have been planning for TF's possible departure long before Spurs began sniffing around. (It's the same with every big player they sign - they're scouting possible replacements virtually from the minute the new signing arrives).
Which is not to say KA will be a success, assuming he's appointed. But if you look at their record in this respect since Benham took over, all their managers bar one have moved to a bigger/better job, having left the club in a better position than when he took over: Rosler, Warburton, Dijkhuizen, Carsley (interim), Smith and Frank. As a "hit rate", that's about as good as any club in England in that time, and better than the vast majority.
The one failure from the list was Dijkhuizen, appointed from within at the beginning of the summer. He was sacked by September, after something like 8 or 9 games. But what makes this instructive is that the club didn't "give him until Xmas, see how it goes etc", nor did they try to blame anyone/something else. Instead the owner held up his hand, admitted he'd got it wrong and acted decisively the moment it became apparent.
Contrast that eg with Thomas Frank, another little-known internal appointment, whose first 10 games saw 1 win, 1 draw and 8 defeats. When fans were saying he was another mistake, Benham just listened to what the stats were teling him (i.e. performances were good, even if the results weren't), held his nerve and reaped the reward.
Last edited by EalingGreen; 25/06/2025 at 12:14 AM.
Martin O'Neill is becoming a particularly embittered little man.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2025...gets-bees-job/
"He has been their set-piece coach. The irony is when I was manager of the Republic of Ireland he was a particularly vitriolic critic of mine at the time. He was really dead against me trying to use setpieces to try to win games," said the former Leicester City, Celtic, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest manager.
I hope he does get it because then he will realise what management is all about. It's not as easy to be sitting in a pundit's chair sitting to criticise someone who in all honesty had a much better career than he had.
"He was dealing at the bottom end of it when I was winning the European Cup. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be criticising. Everyone to their own. But it'll be a different ball game now."
Martin never took criticism very well. Embittered yes but I would never call him a "little man". He gave us (Ireland) a few great moments but pundits (Irish ones in particular) make a living having at go at the incumbent Irish manager and Martin should have been aware of that when he took the job.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/s.../36320899.html
"Asked about the tactics, Andrews replied: "Clueless. Absolutely clueless - to allow players like they have the space, the time in the key areas of the pitch. The substitutions; even Ciaran Clark coming off, unless he's injured, and Ward going centre-half. I really don't know what I've witnessed tonight - no holding midfielder. Lack of cohesion. It was gung ho football and there was only going to be one winner.
"That half was pure torture. I can't believe what I've witnessed. We talked about getting the balance right. I've just witnessed gung ho football."
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
Everything he said is correct. That was so mental - every decision during the match (and a few before it) were totally wrong. To take off Meyler who was the only person keeping a lid of Eriksen. Madness. To do that, and to also take off Arter at the same time, even worse and to then play two No.10s leaving Hendrick dealing with 3 midfielders, gaps everywhere, and Eriksen scores. Then he moves Ward to centre back (to bring on Shane Long), Ward who was also responsible for the second goal immediately puts it on a plate for Eriksen to score the fourth and totally end the tie. Wes for Arter would have been fine. Might have got us back in the game.
I wouldn't have either one time and he's the managerial appointment I've been most enthused by in my time following the side. I vaguely remember Jack being appointed but do remember Euro88, for reference. Furthermore I take no pleasure in calling him that, but the cap is starting to fit. Didn't most chapters in his book end with, basically him saying ; they wouldn't listen but they saw I was right in the end, FFS.
He carries personal grudges about comments made on his work as a very well paid manager, managing disgracefully towards the end. It was shambolic. But he misses no opportunity to have a little bite back.
Wait till Andrews gets the job ( if he does ) and critique him objectively then by all means but no, he couldn't resist a little kick & every time he opens his mouth he does his legacy further damage.
Didn't he cry one time as well our fanbase & sporting public didn’t warm to him as he was a six counties man. A sporting public up till all hours cheering Rory McIlroy on there lately is it Martin ?
I just don't agree with the term "little man" implying a Joe Bloggs of no particular fame or accomplishment. An embittered successful player and manager who just couldn't handle criticism of any shape or form no doubt. His after-match interviews with Tony O'Donoghue were battles royale, not helped by the latter's sometimes needling questions. We all carry resentment of what we perceive are unjustified criticisms but you have to let them go, otherwise they would just eat away at you but Martin alas can't.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
The wheels came off for O'Neill after there Euros. had he not signed a new contract after that he'd be considered a hero to ROI fans.
The Euro 2016 qualifiers and Euros brought some absolute magic moments and a spirit that we'd hadn't probably seen since McCarthy was in charge (with much better players).
Say what you want about O'Neill but under his tenure we had McGeady's double V Georgia away, Hendrick's trickery V Georgia at home, O'Shea's late equaliser V Germany, Long's late equaliser V Poland, Long V Germany, play-off V Bosnia, Hoolahan V Sweden, Brady V Italy and Brady's penalty V France (who should've won the tournament).
Some magic moments that I, as a fan, will always savour.
Folding my way into the big money!!!
not to forget the wins away to wales and austria in that 2018 wc campaign.
it could be argued that wc qualification was going to plan until that home denmark play off leg...... who honestly wasnt making plans for travelling to the wc following the nil all away to Denmark in the first leg? No one saw that 1-5 hammering coming
Last edited by jbyrne; 26/06/2025 at 12:40 PM.
I am a board veteran Owly, but you are a board grandee so I am not going to take a sledge to this like I would with some of the others, I'd knock days out of it with some of them. We'll agree to disagree. Think you mentioned retirement once on here ? If you did, I hope it is treating you well.
I'd really need to watch the whole game again to see where exactly it went wrong again, but it really was going to plan since we went 1-0 up in that game too. Another set-piece goal, which was followed by two great chances for Daryl Murphy and James McClean. I remember the Danish equaliser was really lucky on their part. Cyrus Christie had a nightmare trying to clear and scored an own goal...
Just re-watched the highlights and Stephen Ward was atrocious for the second goal a few minutes later. Very poor for an experienced player. That concession just before half-time turned the game entirely. Two bad individual mistakes changed the complexion of the game and O'Neill clearly decided in the dressing room they had to go for it. A gamble that backfired spectacularly.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
For me, the sliding doors moment in his reign is Seamus Coleman's injury against Wales. Before that, we were top of the table, unbeaten, and with a strong chance of qualifying automatically. Without Coleman, we didn't win again in the group until the double header against Armenia and Wales at the end of the campaign
That Séamus
Coleman injury was a major disaster for Séamus and us, and for some years after. It could be said that before the injury he was one of the only top level players that we had. And unfortunately for Séamus and us, I don't think he was ever the same player again and particularly fitness wise !
Yep - always felt the second half was just a major press of the panic buttons. Disastrous and chaotic, sure, as others have rightly noted, but unfair to judge his tenure based on it. We were going backwards of course - though not entirely MON's fault given we've continued to go backwards since.
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