I like Keith Andrews.
I can't remember if there was something specific that a lot of posters here don't like about him, or if it is simply down to being associated with the Kenny era.
I hope he does well.
I like Keith Andrews.
I can't remember if there was something specific that a lot of posters here don't like about him, or if it is simply down to being associated with the Kenny era.
I hope he does well.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
I don't think it's a personal issue at all. I'm sure he's a decent man. But he was Kenny's right hand man throughout his disastrous time in charge of the Ireland senior team and seemed incapable of offering anything to change things for the better. So it's understandable that Irish football supporters are sceptical of his abilities.
Its good to see an Irish manager getting a shot at the Premier league but it must be a bit of a sickener for the likes of Kenny and Bradser that the guy probably the least qualified of the 3 of them gets a shot at it and the big bucks
That being said he obviously impressed Brentford with the work he was doing for them as they wouldnt have been short of candidates.
Kenny's failures with Dunfermline and Ireland pretty much ensure that he will never be a serious candidate at that level. Not to mention his complete inability to deal with the media in any kind of coherent manner. Even Lincoln City weren't interested when he applied.
Bradley's inability to go 10 minutes without stirring up trouble or picking a fight via the media will almost certainly be counting against him also. Plus there remains a sense that he's a "when Plan A fails try Plan A" kind of manager.
Phil Giles, who's in charge of recruitment (and no bulls1tter) said that when they originally took him on, it was in order to get him on the (general) coaching team somewhere, but they asked him to take charge of set pieces, since a vacancy had just arisen due to the previous incumbent leaving (for Arsenal?).
Meaning they were observing his overall work and impact, not just in his specialist role. Though as it happens, he did brilliantly at that, since BFC's nett Set Piece success rate (i.e. goals scored minus goals conceded) was top of the PL by some way. And it may have been KA who identified the kick-off as a "set-piece", with BFC scoring in three successive games within the first minute, before opponents got wise to it.
While more generally, the club always recruits to their coaching team individuals who might one day graduate to the top job. On which point, it is very possible that Justin Cochrane would have got the Bees gig ahead of KA, had Frank not taken him with him to Spurs. JC is another one who has never held the Head Coach job at any club, while having a much less distinguished playing career than KA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Cochrane
I think around the Greek games where he was naive in press conferences and Poyet basically laughed at him, did a lot to damage his reputation in my eyes anyway. He was never a genuine contender when the Irish Manager saga was on going because of it I think.
At the same time he walked straight into a Premiership gig after Ireland and has been consistently employed since. There might be a bit of Martinez about him, in that hes good at managing upwards. I hope hes brilliant at Brentford, especially considering the Irish players there.
Its really not that complicated!!!
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