Stephen Bradley has hailed Keith Andrews鈥 appointment as Brentford boss as a significant step forward for Irish managers.
And the Shamrock Rovers supremo does not believe it is a bold or brave move by the Bees – rather a shrewd and considered appointment.
鈥淭hey have made this decision with their eyes open and that should fill you with confidence if you’re Keith,鈥 said Bradley, who was on the same Pro Licence as Andrews.
鈥淭hey have obviously seen something that they really, really like.鈥
Andrews has succeeded new Tottenham manager Thomas Frank on a three-year deal despite having never managed before.
He was Brentford鈥檚 set piece coach and previously had coaching spells with Sheffield United and MK Dons, while he was also Stephen Kenny鈥檚 assistant with Ireland.
Bradley and Andrews enrolled on the same Pro Licence course, but Andrews had to step back after a period of time and defer to a later one due to work commitments.
Bradley said: 鈥淏rentford have always been bold and brave in what they’ve done. We all look at Thomas Frank now as an established, really good manager but he wasn’t always. He was an assistant, he was 鈥楤鈥 team.
鈥淭he Sparta Prague manager we played against last year, he was 鈥楤鈥 team manager as well and was the next one to come in and got the Sparta offer. They do that regularly.鈥
Bradley had a good working relationship with Brentford鈥檚 former technical director Rob Rowan before his sad passing aged just 28 in 2018.
鈥淗e was the one who set all that in motion and they have stuck to their plan,鈥 said Bradley of Brentford鈥檚 model of promoting from within.
鈥淚f Brentford have given Keith that job, they’ve given it to him because they really believe in what he does and how he does it.
鈥淭hey don’t look to me like a club that makes rash decisions. They buy well, they sell well, they recruit good players, they recruit good managers and coaches.
鈥淚 can only imagine the amount of managers who would have wanted that job, so the fact they have gone straight for him is a massive vote of confidence.鈥
And Bradley continued: 鈥淵ou can see he is definitely a student of the game. 鈥淗e has played at a good level and has done his work in terms of coaching.
鈥淵ou’ve seen him on Sky throughout the years and you know within a few minutes of people who do that job if they know what they’re talking about, or bluffing.
鈥淵ou see so many of them on the telly, who look good or have a name. But you can listen to him and know after a few minutes that he knows what he’s talking about.
鈥淚 texted him today and I’m absolutely delighted, a young Irish manager in the Premier League and I just really, really want it to go well for him.鈥
Meanwhile, Shamrock Rovers put Monday鈥檚 derby defeat to Bohemians behind them to beat Waterford 1-0 and extend their lead at the top to 11 points.
But Aaron Greene is facing a spell on the sidelines due to an ankle injury he shipped against Bohs, with Bradley unclear if the striker will be back in time for Europe.
Bradley said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 still a bit swollen so we have to wait until it comes down for it to be x-rayed and see what it looks like. It鈥檚 very unlike Aaron so we鈥檙e not sure.鈥
The Hoops boss also revealed he has his eye on two transfer targets from outside the League of Ireland ahead of the window officially opening on Tuesday.
Bradley added: 鈥淭here’s one or two we’re looking at and if they’re a runner, we’ll bring it to the board and see if we can do it.鈥
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