Keith Andrews appointment a risk but shrewd Brentford have earned fans' trust | OneFootball

Set-piece coach replacing Thomas Frank will do nothing to calm anxieties about summer upheaval, but Bees’ track record is clear

Heading into their fifth successive season in the Premier League, Brentford feel on rocky ground.

The core of this community club suddenly feels quite hollow, and fans’ anxieties haven't been softened by the news that Keith Andrews, who arrived at the club as a set-piece coach last summer, has been promoted from within as Frank's successor.

However, history will tell you that Brentford have always played on the margins, and with plenty of success in recent years. How else did the club scale the football league and bloody the noses of those at the top of the pyramid?

Brentford took a risk in bringing the largely unknown Frank to the club in 2016 as an assistant to Dean Smith, with a view to him taking over should the latter depart.

When that day came, and Smith left for Aston Villa in 2018, Frank stepped into the managerial hot seat, rode out the pressure of losing his first eight games and took Brentford to the Premier League.

Touchline presence: Thomas Frank was full of praise for Keith Andrews’ work at Brentford last season

REUTERS

It was a risk, but given owner Matthew Benham's gambling background, it was one that was always going to be calculated. A club like Brentford don't have the resources to make mistakes and pay later; they have to plan ahead, and they will have done so with Andrews.

Andrews arrived at Brentford only last summer after departing Sheffield United but made an almost instant impact as set-piece coach, choreographing a kick-off routine that saw Brentford become the first team ever to score inside a minute in three consecutive Premier League games.

A vocal presence on the touchline, Andrews could routinely be seen barking instructions to players at set-pieces. A warm embrace between him and striker Yoane Wissa, when the Congolese forward netted from a corner routine devised by Andrews away at Bournemouth in April, showcased the respect he'd commanded in a short time.

Frank was always cautious not to attribute Brentford's success from set-pieces last season wholly to Andrews, stating that the former Republic of Ireland international had come into a club with a well-developed culture in that area. But the Dane did reserve praise for how Andrews had added layers to the way Brentford approached set-pieces.

“He has been important, and I think he's doing a top job,” Frank said after the 2-1 win at Bournemouth, in which both goals came from set-pieces.

“Don't misunderstand that. But also coming to a club with a top culture around everything and players are buying into a lot of things. But when credit is due, well worked, especially the first one.”

Andrews is a well-respected figure, who even after failing to make it past the four-man managerial shortlist at former club MK Dons has a lot of goodwill from his time there both as a player and coach.

The step up to lead a Premier League club set to lose their star forward and captain, is, however, another thing entirely and there's no telling how he'll cope with the demands of a summer of upheaval.

That uncertainty is the biggest cause of anxiety for Brentford fans but there has to be trust in the fact that the club have got it right before.

An appointment such as Andrews doesn't happen without careful thought and the fact he's been at the club for just one season suggests this is a natural progression for the 44-year-old, who's always had an eye on being a head coach.