In-depth Keith Andrews interview in Aston Villa programme | OneFootball

Keith Andrews’ first in-depth interview as Brentford head coach will be available to read in the Aston Villa matchday programme this Saturday.

The new Bees boss sat down and discussed his Premier League playing career, managerial mentors, and the call from Brentford director of football Phil Giles about interviewing for the role, after the departure of Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur.

Andrews recalled: “Phil phoned me and said, ‘You know why I’m ringing...’

“He gave me two days’ notice, so I cancelled my holiday and just worked on things that I’d been compiling that I thought would be appropriate to showcase.

“I had the meeting with Phil, Lee [Dykes, technical director] and Ben [Ryan, performance director], and then Matthew [Benham, owner] flew back from his holiday, which made me realise it was serious.

“I presented how I wanted to improve the team, how I saw the team progressing, and focused on player development, which is something the club is really big on and I have a lot of experience in.

“The key message I wanted to get across was that the standards were really good; it’s about how we can maintain them and then enhance them.”

Andrews also explained how he wants Brentford to play under his stewardship.

“The key is about balancing my ideologies with pragmatism,” he discussed.

“When you’re fixated on playing a certain way as a coach and you haven’t got the tools to do that, it’s dangerous and there’s only one outcome.

“You’ve also got to factor in something I’m huge on: confidence levels. If you’re asking players to do things they don’t really believe in, they sense that it’s perhaps not the right thing to do, then they might lose the game and not play particularly well either.

“I’ve always felt that you should try and get the best out of the players you have at your disposal.

“For example, can we find Mikkel Damsgaard free in space? Do we want Dams high up the pitch all the time? No. You play to the strength of Dams, finding little pockets of space across the pitch, facing the game, and then having runners in behind.

“There are also things that are absolutely non-negotiable: the work rate of the team, the intensity that the team plays at, and togetherness and team spirit.”

Also in the Brentford v Aston Villa matchday programme

Guarantee every programme for the upcoming season 2025/26. The subscription includes all 19 Premier League home games and home cup games.

Programmes will be sent out the day before the game. Please expect three to four working days to receive your order.

Order your programme subscription online now