**Keith Andrews has opened up on the risks he has taken in his career that have led to him becoming the new Brentford head coach.**
[Andrews has replaced Thomas Frank in charge of the Bees](https://hayters.com/keith-andrews-says-he-feels-very-capable-of-guiding-brentford-to-success/), who departed for Tottenham after seven years at the club earlier this summer.
It is the Irishman’s first management job, but he insists it is a task he is ready for, having long prepared for it in his roles as a player, pundit and coach.
Among Andrews’ previous jobs include him being a regular pundit on Sky Sports’ EFL coverage but he says every job he has taken has been part of his ultimate goal of becoming a manager.
“I’ve got hundreds of warm-ups on my phone from 10 years ago when I would go and watch games in that capacity,” he said, reflecting on his time as a pundit.
“I was sat at the back taking ideas from what managers said after a loss, how they came across, how they greeted people when they came in the room. So it was deliberate in a way.”
On whether it opened any doors into coaching for him, Andrews responded: “Yeah, possibly. People see me speaking in a certain way about the game. I watch people on TV and I think you can tell pretty soon if they know the game or if they don’t.
“It certainly opened up conversations and opportunities that some I have taken, some I haven’t. But yeah, I would say to a point, yeah.”
Andrews became a set-piece coach at Brentford under Frank last summer, a move, along with others, he says came with risks but one he felt he would benefit from.
“I think I left MK Dons as a first-team coach in the Championship nine years ago, and every single person that I valued their opinion within the game told me to stay because jobs in football are very difficult to find,” he said.
“But I knew it wasn’t right for one reason or another and I needed to go in a different direction.
“I have been very deliberate about the path that I’ve taken to get to this point, none more so than 12 months ago, coming into a role that probably wasn’t top of my agenda, if I’m being honest.
“But it was the club, the environment. So I think you’ve got to make big decisions in whatever walk of life you’re in. I’m pretty comfortable making big decisions.
“I’m under no illusions this is going to be a difficult job, but I feel like the foundations that I’ve put in place give me the best possible opportunity to succeed, and the people around me.”