John Fallon: O'Neill and Andrews take contrasting path to final day glory
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews and Celtic boss Martin O'Neill. Pics: PA
They’re already talking around Celtic about a statue being erected to honour Martin O’Neill but his nemesis Keith Andrews also has a final weekend ahead to reach exalted status.
While O’Neill can complete an unlikely double on Saturday by overcoming his former player Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline, Andrews takes Brentford to Anfield the following day seeking their first-ever Champions League qualification.
Both Irishmen, they’re perceived as opposites, not solely through their 29-year age difference.
They’ve never worked together, or faced each other, but O’Neill hasn’t been slow to question his junior’s readiness for management, since switching from the pundit’s chair.
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His animosity stretches back to 2017 when Andrews suggested the Ireland manager was on such a seamless run, from Euro 2016 to a looming World Cup, that he’d come up smelling of Old Spice if his boot got stuck in dog dirt.
“I like Keith but, honestly, that is complete and utter bollocks,” came the rebuke.
O’Neill’s assistant at Ireland and later Nottingham Forest would go on to deride Andrews as a ‘bullshitter’.
Andrews, after a gradual progression through various assistant and set-piece specialist roles, is in his first managerial job whereas O’Neill deems this to be his last.
In fact, the 74-year-old thought his first temporary spell in October was his swansong until Wilfried Nancy’s short-lived stint triggered majority shareholder Dermot Desmond into issuing another plea.
Delivering Celtic their fifth title in a row isn’t remarkable but the way in which they clinched it was.
O’Neill ate into an eight-point deficit following Brendan Rodgers’s abrupt exit.
Another six-point gap had to be bridged upon his return, culminating in Saturday’s dramatic usurping of leaders Hearts at the death.
All was achieved by the Derryman sustaining the principles that brought him success from his embryonic phase at Leicester City and were later scoffed at as being antiquated when tougher times ensued with Ireland and Forest.
Matt Doherty was the first to call out the ‘old-school’ approach during their Ireland days, a criticism Andrews seemed to latch onto when a romantic return to the City Ground for O’Neill and Keane arrived within two months of being sacked by the FAI.
O’Neill has proven this season there’s no shame in relying on core methodologies.
He could be cast as the overseer in communicating the simplistic messages, complemented by the fleet of staff, including Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus.
Training ground and tactical work gets delegated and nobody is complaining.
Andrews, by contrast, immerses himself into the analytics of the game and delivers his own sessions.
Brentford’s squadron of staff was renowned before Andrews succeeded the departing Thomas Frank last summer and the flow of in-game information stems from two layers behind him.
For a man who penned a book last year, entitled ‘The Changing Game’, eschewing modernisms like expected goals (XG) and similar data jargon, O’Neill has done fine without necessarily evolving.
“Martin has such massive experience in football; knows how to manage people, knows how to manage a building,” purred Celtic captain Callum McGregor about O’Neill’s qualities.
“He gets people on the right track, gets people on the right frame of mind.
“He’s an unbelievable man-manager; really, really solid when the club needed him.” Those traits were foremost too during his Ireland era until the wheels came off in the final 12 months.
As it transpired, O’Neill’s shoe did get trapped in the mud when Denmark inflicted a 5-1 World Cup playoff second leg defeat and his tenure never recovered.
Ireland had a year from hell in 2018, winning just one of nine games, drifting into the abyss with four goalless performances by the end.
Some players were fed up with Keane, while strain was apparent between O’Neill and the media, particularly after the consolation of Declan Rice’s emergence hitting the buffers.
Anything O’Neill has said since dwells on the sour ending rather than the halcyon days of Paris and Lille at Euro 2016.
Focusing on being disrespected as a ‘northerner’ was strange, given his GAA background was just one of the reasons his candidature for the job was ideal.
That charm he exhibited during the better days can be seen again in his current role.
His post-match live jibes at pundits, some former players or enemies, have been taken in the spirit intended and presents the 74-year-old as a person relishing the type of comeback he feared was beyond him.
He may never be chums with Andrews but they’ve both made their homeland proud by operating off edicts different in execution but similar in rewards.
E: john.fallon@examiner.ie
Dilemmas face three League of Ireland managers when it comes to releasing their players for the upcoming international double-header.
Four home-based players getting debut call-ups to the Ireland squad is reflective of a thriving league but the first of the matches, at home to Qatar tomorrow week, is played either side of club fixtures.
Cork City, who have goalkeeper Conor Brann included, and Bohemians, with midfielder Dawson Devoy drafted in, have games next Monday and Friday. Bohs are due to face Shamrock Rovers, who have goalkeeper Ed McGinty and winger Adam Brennan granted maiden calls.
Players are due to report into Castleknock Hotel on Monday ahead of their first training the following day, making it possible both games that day could be rescheduled.
However, City’s First Division game at Treaty United is already a rearranged fixture from a rained off fixture on April 10. Manager Barry Robson may prefer to proceed with the game, giving Brann’s understudy David Odumosu his first appearance of the season.
Although no manager wants to block their player’s pinnacle of representing Ireland, this midway stage of the league is vital for clubs in both divisions. Only the second game, away to Canada on June 5, occurs during the international window.
