Keith Andrews counters Roy Keane 'bullsh*tter' jibe

Keane singled out Andrews for flak shortly into the current regime.

Manager Stephen Kenny and assistant manager Keith Andrews

Keith Andrews has hit back at Roy Keane’s “bullshitter” barb, stressing he quickly earned the respect of Ireland players in the role previously held by the Corkman.

Keane, who spent five years at Martin O’Neill’s assistant before Mick McCarthy and then Stephen Kenny assumed the Ireland manager’s job, singled out Andrews for flak shortly into the current regime.

“If I could make one point about the Irish staff,” he said in July 2020, just three months after Kenny and Andrews were fast-tracked into their post. “I’ve heard a lot of bullshitters over the last 10 years and Keith Andrews is up there with the best of them.” 

Andrews, like Keane a former Ireland midfielder, is a relative novice in coaching terms. The 41-year-old worked on the backroom staff at MK Dons and Ireland’s underage squads before stepping up to the Ireland seniors. His public profile since retiring was most pronounced as a pundit, operating with Sky Sports and Virgin Media on TV, as well as Newstalk radio.

That aspect of his career has been shelved in recent months to concentrate solely on flanking Kenny, especially as he’s onto his third No 3 in the space of 14 months.

In front of the mic, Andrews had been critical of Keane’s approach to the Ireland role over his infamous row with Jonathan Walters, contending he wasn’t living up to his responsibility as an assistant in the modern game.

Yesterday’s media appearance by Andrews, in place of Kenny, was his first since joining the FAI, offering a belated opportunity of replying to Keane’s insult.

"You might have to ask him why (he feels that way) but it didn't affect me in the slightest,” he said.

“I’m very passionate about this role with Ireland. My conscience would be very, very clean in terms of what I put into it because, apart from family life, it is actually the only thing and team I care about. I want to make this team and Irish football better, to have a team we are proud to watch.

"When you go into a new job, players pretty quickly suss you out if you are not up to the level. In terms of the preparation, it was obviously of a high level."

Criticism comes with the biggest job in Irish sport and Andrews went out to bat on plenty of occasions when the manager who launched his international career, Giovanni Trapattoni, faced flak for his archaic style. It’s a different story these days, with Andrews preaching the virtues of revolution under the Kenny era.

"In terms of previous regimes, that was their bag,” he said about his predecessors. “I travelled to the Euros 2016 as a fan. 

"That was their bag while this is our regime and how we see fit to put things into place.” 

The paying public – around 35,000 if revised expectations are realised – will see the latest instalment of that against a Lithuanian side ranked 137 in the world.

Séamus Coleman will likely step out, given the closeness of two games, and Nathan Collins could make his first start in a central defence alongside Shane Duffy and John Egan, who’ll take the armband.

Also in line to make his first XI is striker Will Keane. Man of the moment Chiedozie Ogbene is tipped to revert to his No 10 post slightly behind.