At the time, Ward had a really rough year prior to that and basically hadn't had a good game for us in that period and it was fairly obvious that he was done, and Brady should have been playing left back, which he had done previously for Ireland. Wes should also have started. Matt Doherty also hadn't been included in the squad despite being the best fullback in the championship.Originally Posted by Predator
From my memory, the first goal, Arter gets beaten a bit easily at the short corner, it goes to the back post and it's actually not going in, it's going straight off the back post to Randolph, where it hits Christie who is trying to react and clear. The second goal, Ward loses it really badly from our possession. Third goal is just caused by a gap in the midfield. Fourth is Ward making a hames of a clearance. Fifth was a stoppage time penalty.
That game evidently burned into your memory, spot on recall.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
It's come to pass anyway, Andrews in at Brentford.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/a...s/cn4lj9gv7lno
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Colour me very surprised, but I guess let's see how it goes.
Probably our two best players at the moment there (Kelleher and Collins) so could do without them getting dragged into a relegation battle in the coming season.
Well, he can't get them promoted this season but the could win the league !
Yep.
Btw, some interesting trivia on Irish managers from the BBC:
"Keith Andrews will become the first permanent Premier League manager from the Republic of Ireland since Chris Hughton left Brighton in 2019, and only the seventh in the competition's history.
Hughton, Mick McCarthy, Owen Coyle and David O'Leary, who were all born in the UK, are classified by Opta as being from the Republic of Ireland since they won caps for the country as players.
Excluding caretakers, and managers from Northern Ireland, Andrews will be just the third Irish-born boss to lead a Premier League club, alongside Joe Kinnear and Roy Keane.
Andrews and Keane have a bit of history, with the Manchester United legend making a disparaging remark about the Dubliner when he was named the Republic's assistant manager in 2020.
Keane spent a year and a half as a Premier League manager, winning 15 of 53 games with Sunderland, so Andrews could prove a bit of a point if he lasts longer with the Bees."
Did Grok ( X's AI ) miss out on any ?
- Brendan Rodgers - Managed Liverpool (2012–2015) and Leicester City (2019–2023).
- Iain Dowie - Managed Crystal Palace (2003–2006). Born in England but qualified for Northern Ireland through his Belfast-born father, earning 59 caps.
- Lawrie Sanchez - Managed Fulham (2007).
- Kieran McKenna - Managed Ipswich Town (2024–present). Born in England but raised in Northern Ireland and played for Northern Ireland at youth international level.
Martin O'Neill, the obvious one
Danny Wilson managed Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday
Nigel Worthington with Norwich City
Pat Rice had a spell as caretaker at Arsenal
Brendan Rodgers also managed Swansea in the Premier League
This is going to be interesting. Really hope it goes well ( while glancing at the first to be sacked odds in that division, I must admit )
Interesting statement from Phil Giles, who leads all the big appointment processes at Brentford:
https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/...ntment-process
For those unfamiliar with the name, Giles is one of the cleverst people in the English game, arguably the key figure in Brentford's rise after Matthew Benham (owner). He was originally recruited by Benham to work with him at Smart Odds (Benham's self-made online gambling and data company, and the source of his wealth and success.). And when he took over BFC, Benham immediately installed Giles in a senior position at the club, eventually becomoing the most senior.
I have no doubt that bigger clubs will have considered recruiting him, but would have been wasting their time (a ) because he firmly believes BFC haven't reached their ceiling yet, (b ) because of personal loyalty to Benham, and (c ) because Benham will have him on a MASSIVE wedge, possibly even incl shares in Smnart Odds etc(?).
In fact, being a proud Gerodie and Toon supporter, he may eventually be waiting for the right opportunity at Newcastle United, that's if the origins and nature of their present ownership don't deter him.
On this, Thomas Frank at 5/1 to leave Spurs before the season ends feels like decent odds. There's a chance it ends up similar to the way Nuno did. He's not Poch, Mourinho or Conte - the type of names who earn themselves time. So if the results don't come quickly, it could go sour fast.
Fair play to Keith. If you'd have told this forum 18 months ago when himself and Kenny left the FAI that he'd be managing in the Premier League now, don't think anyone would have believed it. I hope he's an absolute success, particularly after Martin O'Neill's comments, who has turned into a sad and bitter man in his old age. Shame because the build up a huge amount of credit in the bank for Euro 2016.
I think the best hope here is that Brentford's backroom setup is so good that you could basically put any idiot in charge as the front man and it would still be a success. The proof of that would be Brentford having another decent season under Andrews, while Frank crashes and burns at Spurs. Let's see how it goes.
It would take something catastrophic for TF to be sacked early.
For whatever Spurs fans felt about Ange, pro- or anti- they virtually ALL blame Levy for the club's underachievement during the 20-odd years he's been in charge. Meaning that he cannot just shift the blame by sacking yet another manager, no-one will buy it. (Even when Spurs were parading the Europa League trophy in Bilbao, there was a chant of "We want Levy out!"). So in the absence of said catastrophe (relegation?), imo it would take a couple of seasons of clear failure by TF before Levy felt secure enough to pull the trigger.
Then there's the financial aspect, always something to the forefront of Levy's mind. It cost him a reported £9-10m just to compensate BFC for Frank. And being in a very strong bargaining position, TF will undoubtedly have negotiated not just a big salary package, but also a big severance deal. (I believe he had a clause in his contract at BFC that he had to earn more than the highest paid player.)
Add to that the cost of attracting and paying the 3 or 4 backroom staff whom TF will have asked for, so that if a few expensive (Frank) signings also arrive at the Lane, then the cost of dismantling all that after 12 months would be colossal. (All of which is in addition to Ange's hefty payoff.)
P.S. Re Nuno of the Sorrows, he was never Spurs' first choice to replace Mourinho, or even third or fourth choice (more?):
https://www.espn.co.uk/football/stor...ates-make-hire
Meaning he was in no position to make demands, since I daresay Levy could have found another, similar calibre appointee for the money. Oh, and never mind Wolves or Forest, Nuno was absolutely dreadful for Spurs, with Spurs fans surprised he lasted even 17 league games - shockingly bad.
Last edited by EalingGreen; 27/06/2025 at 4:50 PM.
Except that a number of important figures from the backroom set-up left with TF for Spurs, meaning that more appointments will need to be made.
But from reading between the lines of that Giles interview, I suspect BFC will take their time before finalising KA's new backroom staff i.e. the right appointments, not quick ones.
While BFC is a club which is normally pretty patient anyhow, so I'd guess that they'll be all the more so in the present circumstances..
P.S. Brentford don't do "decent", they demand continual improvement, even if that improvement isn't immediately apparent in results etc. While I doubt TF will crash and burn.
Last edited by EalingGreen; 27/06/2025 at 5:05 PM.
First interview with KA as Head Coach (8 mins, embedded):
https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/...ord-head-coach
Quietly confident, without being big-headed I'd say?
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