 Andrews asBrentford head coach in 2025. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Keith Joseph Andrews[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-09-13)13 September 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brentford (Head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1999 | Stella Maris | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2005 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 65 | (0) |
| 2000 | →Oxford United (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2003 | →Stoke City (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2004 | →Walsall (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Hull City | 29 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Milton Keynes Dons | 76 | (19) |
| 2008–2012 | Blackburn Rovers | 70 | (5) |
| 2011 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 20 | (9) |
| 2012 | West Bromwich Albion | 14 | (2) |
| 2012–2015 | Bolton Wanderers | 26 | (4) |
| 2013–2014 | →Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 31 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | →Watford (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2015 | →Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 375 | (44) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2012 | Republic of Ireland | 35 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2025– | Brentford | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Keith Joseph Andrews (born 13 September 1980) is an Irishfootball coach and former player who played as adefensive midfielder. He is currently the head coach ofPremier League clubBrentford.[3]
Andrews began his career atWolverhampton Wanderers, where he was their youngestcaptain in over a century. His club career also involved stints atHull City andMilton Keynes Dons, as well as loan spells atOxford United,Stoke City andWalsall while he was at Wolves. While at Milton Keynes Dons he was club captain, and helped secure promotion for his team with a vital goal, helped win his team theFootball League Trophy by scoring in the final atWembley and they were named in thePFA Team of the Year.
He joinedBlackburn Rovers in September 2008 and spent three seasons atEwood Park which included a loan spell atIpswich Town. After a short stay withWest Bromwich Albion Andrews joinedBolton Wanderers and after loans atBrighton & Hove Albion,Watford and a return to Milton Keynes Dons he retired in the summer of 2015.
A full international from 2008 to 2012, Andrews gained 35 caps for theRepublic of Ireland and was selected forUEFA Euro 2012.
Andrews began his career as a trainee atWolves, progressing from their academy to the second team. He made his senior debut on 18 March 2000 in a 2–1 win atSwindon. He continued his progress with theFirst Division club in the2000–01 season, becoming a regular player asDave Jones took over midway through. He went on a loan spell at Oxford United, scoring once against Swansea City.[4] Back at Wolves, the final match of that season saw him become their youngest captain for more than a hundred years, at 21 years old, in a game againstQueens Park Rangers.
He signed a new four-year deal the following season but found himself out of the starting line-up after several new midfielders were acquired in the summer, resigning him to the substitutes bench and sporadic appearances over the next few seasons. To gain playing time, he spent half of the2003–04 season on loan atStoke City and the latter half atWalsall, where he scored two league goals againstMillwall andIpswich Town. He did however return toMolineux in between to make his onlyPremier League appearance for Wolves (againstNewcastle United).
The midfielder returned to Wolves' team post-relegation in2004–05 and gained his most appearances for the club during that season. However, he moved on at the end of his contract to joinHull City. In total, he made 72 appearances for the Midlanders, scoring once in aLeague Cup tie atRochdale.[5]
His new start with Hull saw him sidelined again though, as he picked up an injury in only his second appearance for the team – in a match against his previous team, Wolves. He returned to the team in December after nearly four months out and featured in all but one of their remaining fixtures in what proved to be his only season for the club.
After a single year atHull City, he moved toMilton Keynes Dons ofLeague Two for the2006–07 campaign where he became club captain. He lost out on promotion in theplay-offs, despite scoring in the semi-final tie withShrewsbury Town.
However, the next year, now under the management of his formerWolves teammatePaul Ince, brought Andrews success. He scored the winning goal in a match atStockport County on 19 April 2008 that saw the club promoted toLeague One, and also scored the opening goal of their 2–0 victory overGrimsby Town with a penalty in theFootball League Trophy atWembley.[6] The season ended with him being voted intoPFA Team of the Year and having already won the League Two Player of the Year Award at the Football League Awards. Andrews was then named at number 38 in aFourFourTwo poll of the top 50 football league players, as well as being named the best player in League 2.[7]MK Dons then had a fight on their hands to keep hold of their inspirational skipper with interest from a number ofPremiership andChampionship clubs. He featured in MK Dons's first three games of the 2008–09 season but then was sold toBlackburn Rovers managed by former managerPaul Ince.
Andrews ended a summer of speculation over his future when he completed a transfer toPremier League clubBlackburn Rovers on 3 September 2008 in a three-year deal worth and rising up to £1m depending on appearances made for the football club over the coming years.[8] The move temporarily reunited him with his formerMK Dons managerPaul Ince before he was sacked as Rovers manager. He made his debut as a substitute on 6 September 2008 againstWest Ham United, a game in which Blackburn lost 4–1. Andrews made his home debut againstArsenal, on his 28th birthday, Arsenal went on to win the match 4–0. He scored his first goal for Blackburn in the 90th minute during a 2–2 draw withWest Bromwich Albion. Due to injuries sustained by first team regulars, Andrews featured frequently for the Rovers first team, occupying a defensive central midfield role. In July 2009, Andrews signed a new four-year deal, which saw him contracted to Blackburn until 2013. On 25 September 2010, Andrews came on forSteven Nzonzi on 66 minutes againstBlackpool atBloomfield Road in a 2–1 win for his first game of the 2010–11 campaign.[9]The2010–11 season was a frustrating one for Andrews as he only made six appearances in all competitions for Rovers due to injury.[10]
Andrews agreed to a six-month loan move toIpswich Town on 12 August 2011.[11] This loan includes an option to buy the player permanently.[12] A day later he made his debut in a 1–0 loss toHull City and then 3 days later his first goal came againstSouthampton. This was followed by goals againstPeterborough United andLeeds United. Steve Kean, the head coach of Blackburn Rovers, hinted that Andrews' may return to his parent club in January 2012, after a successful loan spell with Ipswich. This was contrary to Andrews' ambitions, who when responding to reports thatPaul Jewell, the Ipswich head coach, wanted to sign him on a permanent deal, stated in an interview with theBBC that, "I don't particularly like the way I was treated at the club [Blackburn]. Not just the manager, the club in general."[13]
Andrews completed a late deadline day (31 January 2012) free transfer to Albion, after handing in a transfer request at Blackburn. Andrews signed a six-month contract. On 12 February, Andrews scored his first goal for West Brom and their fourth against former clubWolves in a 5–1 win.[14] Andrews then made it two goals in two appearances as he scored Albion's fourth in a 4–0 victory overSunderland two weeks later. Andrews then made it three wins in three appearances as he produced another solid performance in the 1–0 win overChelsea.
Andrews become afree agent as his West Brom contract ended at the end of the season.
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Andrews signed for newly relegatedFootball League Championship clubBolton Wanderers on 29 June 2012 after agreeing a three-year contract.[15] He made his debut on 18 August in the away game atBurnley and on 22 December he scored his first goals for Bolton scoring twice from the penalty spot in their 5–4 defeat againstPeterborough United[16]
Following the permanent signing ofJay Spearing, Andrews' first-team place at Bolton was no longer assured.[17] On 9 August 2013, he signed a season-long loan deal at fellow Championship clubBrighton & Hove Albion.[18] He scored his first goal for Brighton in a 1–1 draw withSheffield Wednesday on 1 October.[19]
On 24 July 2014, Andrews completed a move to fellow Championship sideWatford, on a season-long loan deal.[20] He made his Watford debut from the start in theLeague Cup first-round tie atStevenage on 12 August.
On 2 February 2015, transfer deadline day, Andrews rejoined Milton Keynes Dons on loan for the duration of the season after his loan to Watford was cut short.[21]On 4 August, he retired from professional football to take up a role as their first team coach.[22]
Andrews made his full international debut for theRepublic of Ireland on 19 November 2008, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring a goal as part of a 3–2 home defeat in a friendly match againstPoland.[23] He played his first competitive match for Ireland, being unlucky to have a goal disallowed in a 2–1World Cup qualification group match victory overGeorgia.[24] He was also present in Paris forFrance 1–1 Ireland (18 November 2009).
After being ever-present in Ireland's midfield during their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, he missed the start of theirUEFA Euro 2012 campaign due to an injury-hitPremier League season. He returned to the Irish squad for theNations Cup games againstNorthern Ireland andScotland. He made an instant comeback to the Irish team with a good all round performance againstNorthern Ireland.
On 7 June 2011, Andrews scored his second international goal in a 2–0 victory over four-timeFIFA World Cup winnersItaly in a friendly game inLiège, Belgium.[25] His third international goal came in the shape of Ireland's first goal, a header, in the 4–0 victory in the first leg of theUEFA Euro 2012 play-off againstEstonia inTallinn, the second leg of which secured qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 with a 1–1 draw in Dublin.[26][27]
Andrews played every moment of Ireland's UEFA Euro 2012, until the very end of the final game when he was sent off against Italy. On 10 June 2012, in Ireland's first game ofGroup C againstCroatia, Andrews failed to score despite having a number of clear shots on goal and actually succeeding in hitting the woodwork; Ireland fell to Croatia by a score of 3–1.[28] Andrews's poor luck continued in the following game as Ireland crashed out of the tournament, falling toSpain by a score of 4–0 on 14 June 2012, before he was led off the field in a rage after receiving a red card in Ireland's final group game against Italy, a game the team lost 2–0. Thus Ireland finished the campaign bottom ofGroup C with no points, having conceded nine goals and equalling the worst performance by a team in European Championships history.[29] Nevertheless,The Irish Times said he was "arguably Ireland's best performer in the tournament".[30] Andrews was named as Irish Player of the Year for 2012.[31]
Following the end of his playing career, Andrews became assistant manager toMilton Keynes Dons head coachKarl Robinson, departing at the end of the2015–16 season as the side were relegated.[32] He later worked as assistant toStephen Kenny for both theunder-21 and seniorRepublic of Ireland national team until Kenny's departure in November 2023.[33]
He joined the backroom staff atSheffield United in December 2023 underChris Wilder,[34] before leaving at the end of the season when he was appointed set piece coach atBrentford.[35] Andrews was appointed as Brentford’s head coach on 27 June 2025, replacing long-serving managerThomas Frank.[36]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1999–2000 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | First Division | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | First Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2002–03 | First Division | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Championship | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 22 | 1 | ||
| Total | 65 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 0 | ||
| Oxford United (loan) | 2000–01 | Second Division | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Stoke City (loan) | 2003–04 | First Division | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Walsall (loan) | 2003–04 | First Division | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Hull City | 2005–06 | Championship | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 | 0 | |||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2006–07 | League Two | 34 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 8 |
| 2007–08 | League Two | 41 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 45 | 14 | |
| 2008–09 | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 76 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 87 | 22 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2008–09 | Premier League | 33 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 35 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 70 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 76 | 5 | |||
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2011–12 | Championship | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 20 | 9 | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2011–12 | Premier League | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 2 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2012–13 | Championship | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 27 | 4 | |
| 2013–14 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 29 | 4 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2013–14 | Championship | 31 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 | 1 | |
| Watford (loan) | 2014–15 | Championship | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | |
| Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 2014–15 | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | |
| Career total | 375 | 44 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 413 | 49 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2008 | 1 | 1 |
| 2009 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 November 2008 | Croke Park,Dublin, Ireland |  Poland | 2–3 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 7 June 2011 | Stade Maurice Dufrasne,Liège, Belgium |  Italy | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 11 November 2011 | A. Le Coq Arena,Tallinn, Estonia |  Estonia | 1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-off |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Brentford | 27 June 2025 | Present | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 045.45 | [39] |
| Total | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 045.45 | |||
Milton Keynes Dons
Republic of Ireland
Individual
Andrews, arguably Ireland's best performer in the tournament, received a second yellow card a minute from time and summed up the frustration of the campaign by furiously kicking the ball away as he trudged off and stormed down the tunnel.
