Keith Andrews on Brentford life, pushing boundaries and finding marginal gains | OneFootball

Keith Andrews has guided Brentford through a striking first season as head coach, with the club ninth and in contention to qualify for Europe for the first time.

According to NY Times, Andrews roots his work in authenticity and community. He visited the club’s Gunnersbury Park hub, where walking football, memory support and barista training sit alongside coaching for local people, at an event also promoting a new shirt deal with Indeed.

Bookmakers had him favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked. Brentford then trailed 3-0 at half-time on opening day at Nottingham Forest and lost 3-1, which he recalls simply as “Pain. Pain.”

A set-piece specialist who joined in 2024, he helped devise kick-off routines that led to goals inside 40 seconds in three successive league games last season. He says keeping an edge is harder now that long throws, including Michael Kayode’s, are more widespread, so Brentford must seek marginal gains in different ways.

Amid a data-led approach, he argues the culture rests on basics, consistency and looking after their own. The players call him Keith, not boss, and he is unmoved by criticism or flattery.

All this followed a turbulent summer, with Thomas Frank leaving for Tottenham Hotspur and four key players sold, Mark Flekken to Bayer Leverkusen, Christian Norgaard to Arsenal, Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and Yoane Wissa to Newcastle United. Andrews says they will push as hard as they can and see where that brings them, and that the club should not set a ceiling.

Source: NY Times