Keith Andrews praised for fabulous Brentford job as Champions League dream grows

Keith Andrews has been praised for doing a “fabulous job” at Brentford, with Kevin Doyle impressed by the club’s continued progress under the Irish manager.

Brentford’s performances have even prompted discussion about whether they could challenge for a Champions League place, although speaking to OLBG, Doyle believes a top-half Premier League finish would represent a successful season.

“I’m not sure about being in the top five, but I think a successful season for Brentford would be finishing in the top half of the table,” Doyle said.

Andrews inherited a squad that had lost several players, but Brentford’s recruitment has helped them remain competitive.

Doyle believes the club’s scouting operation deserves significant credit for ensuring those departures have not derailed their progress.

“Their recruitment, whoever is behind their scouting system, has been excellent,” he said.

“Keith has done a fabulous job.”

However, Doyle believes Andrews’ biggest examination will arrive when Brentford inevitably experience a difficult period.

Every manager eventually encounters a poor run of results, and Doyle feels Andrews’ response will reveal plenty about his managerial qualities.

“We’ll really see what he’s made of when he hits a bad spell,” Doyle explained. “Every manager goes through one, and that’s when you learn the most about yourself and when others learn about you as a manager.”

Doyle has also praised Andrews’ decision to bring fellow Irishman Damien Duff into his Brentford coaching setup.

Duff has received plenty of attention for his influence, although Doyle stressed Brentford were already performing strongly before his arrival.

“He brought Damien Duff in as well,” Doyle said. “I keep seeing interviews suggesting Damien has made a huge difference at Brentford, but they were already great last season under Keith.”

For Doyle, Duff has strengthened an already successful operation rather than transformed it.

Brentford have continued playing attractive football, while Andrews has also impressed with the way he represents the club publicly.

Doyle does not expect Duff to remain part of Andrews’ coaching staff indefinitely.

The former Chelsea winger has managerial experience of his own and could eventually seek another opportunity as a head coach.

One potential destination mentioned by Doyle is Fulham.

“As for Damien, he won’t be there forever,” he said. “He’s a manager in his own right, and he will be keeping an eye out.”

“A move to Fulham would seem like an easy transition, wouldn’t it?”

For now, however, Andrews and Duff are helping Brentford maintain their upward trajectory, with expectations continuing to rise after an impressive start.

Brentford’s strong form will inevitably increase expectations around Andrews, but Doyle believes the real test will be how he responds when results turn against him. Duff’s future could also become a talking point if managerial opportunities emerge.