In this winter of managerial discontent, Keith Andrews and Régis Le Bris are proving capable frontmen for stable, carefully structured football operations. The Irishman’s exemplary rookie season as a head coach continued with Brentford’s commanding win against Le Bris’s Sunderland. The visitors’ west London trip will undoubtedly be remembered for Enzo Le Fée’s failed attempt to dupe Caoimhín Kelleher from the penalty spot. Within minutes of that, the finishing of Igor Thiago took the game beyond reach.
Aside from their goalless New Year’s Day reunion with Thomas Frank, Brentford have been turning on the style. Bees fans dream of European travel next season. “I know I’m out here, the one speaking all the time, and the face, but it’s not all about me,” Andrews said. “It’s about the people that we have in the club, the talented individuals, staff, players and how hard we’ve worked – and how much we’ve stuck together because at different football clubs, I think I may well have struggled.”
