Brentford appoint Keith Andrews as new head coach to succeed Thomas Frank | OneFootball

Set-piece specialist earns promotion to top job at time of uncertainty for the Bees

Andrews succeeds Thomas Frank, who left for Tottenham earlier this month, despite having no previous head coaching experience.

“Keith is a very good fit,” said Brentford’s director of football Phil Giles.

“He gets on with everyone, he’s very open and he’s a learner. Keith is clear in what he wants, he’s detailed, and the players and staff like and respect him.

“He understands the players in the building and the way we’ve played and trained under Thomas Frank.

“Keith will bring his own evolution but isn’t starting from scratch, so hopefully we can make some quick progress.

“He’s a very good coach and has clear ideas about how he wants the team to improve. We were looking for somebody not just to maintain what we’ve been doing but actually try and get better.”

The Bees considered a number of external candidates for the job, including Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and former Ajax boss Francesco Farioli.

Andrews has previously had spells as an assistant at MK Dons as well as at both senior and Under-21 level with the Republic of Ireland. Before joining Brentford, he was a coach under Chris Wilder at Sheffield United.

As set-piece coach, Andrews was credited with working on a kick-off routine that saw Brentford become the first club ever to score inside a minute in three consecutive Premier League games.

He was praised by Frank for adding layers to Brentford's existing set-piece culture and was a vocal presence on the touchline last season.

Brentford previously promoted from within to hand Frank the head coach position after Dean Smith left for Aston Villa in 2018, a decision which culminated in their promotion to the Premier League in 2021.

With captain Christian Norgaard and star forward Bryan Mbeumo also both set to leave, Andrews takes the reins at an uncertain time for Brentford.

However, they will argue that by promoting from within they are looking to maintain some stability at the club as they approach their fifth successive season in the top-flight.

More than a month out from the start of the new season, Andrews has time to instil his ideas and convince those who remain at the Gtech Community Stadium that they can build on last year's 10th-place finish.