Caoimhín Kelleher: The best thing Keith Andrews has done is to stay the same
BLACK AND WHITE: 'The most important thing is to feel that way and be good to go every week. I’d never had that before,' says Caoimhín Kelleher on being a real No 1
As if Brentford wasn’t already liberally sprinkled by the Irish legion, along comes renowned chef Anna Haugh to their training ground last week to serve up a spread of traditional delicacies.
Captain Nathan Collins was recommending Brazilian striker Igor Thiago to feast on the Irish beef while Caoimhín Kelleher vouched for the apple tart. Manager Keith Andrews watched his players amble by with full plates, proud to have gained a few converts.
In the background there’s Stephen Rice, who Andrews appointed to his former role of set-piece specialist when prompted to head coach last summer. Another assistant, Kevin O’Connor, predates the current crop, making the first of his 501 appearances in 2000.
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He’s been omnipresent along the Bees’ rise from the fourth division to the top 10 of the Premier League.
Victory at Anfield Sunday could potentially clinch European football for the first time in the club’s history.
Kelleher’s record of 10 clean sheets is just one of the reasons why the unheralded west Londoners have flourished.
It momentarily seemed the bookies were justified to decree Andrews as favourite for the sack when Kelleher had conceded three goals by half-time of his debut at Nottingham Forest but come New Year’s Day. Aston Villa, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United were among their scalps.
Andrews deservedly flanks Mikel Arteta on the Premier League’s Manager of the Year shortlist.
Once Kelleher completed his culinary delights in the cafeteria, there's plenty to digest after a first season since the Cork man finally fled Liverpool after almost a decade - but first some clarity around recent comments from another Irishman. While a guest of Andrews during his sabbatical from coaching, Damien Duff subsequently reported on TV how he’d encountered Kelleher during his visit.
"It was good to hear Caoimhín talk at last because when I was with him in the squad five years ago, I don't think I ever had a discussion with him," said Duff, who, along with Andrews, was an Ireland assistant coach during the first eight games of Stephen Kenny’s reign in 2020.
Kelleher smiles at the reminder before delivering one of his classic dry one-liners: “Maybe Duffer wasn’t speaking to me.” He gets the narrative without necessarily agreeing with the sentiment.
Back then, he was a callow understudy for Liverpool and Ireland who’s since blossomed with the responsibility of being No 1.
“As you mature, you become more vocal,” the 27-year-old surmises. “When starting out as a goalkeeper at 14, I was advised that as you get older, you need to be yourself and who you are. It’s not in my personality to be the guy that roars and shouts. That’s just not me. The right coaches will tell you to be the best version of yourself. That’s not going to change for me.
“The club is great for having guests in to see how we run on a daily basis and Duffer seemed to really enjoy it,” added the custodian from Mahon.
“He’d done so well at Shelbourne and got a bit stressed with all the media attention so it was nice to have a break. Coming over here was probably a breath of fresh air for him.”
Brentford also formed a release valve for Kelleher. Liverpool, through those famous Carabao Cup final heroics against Chelsea, and penalty save from Kylian Mbappé in the win over Real Madrid, provided the platform to show his readiness.
A full season with the Bees, for whom he missed just one league game, has shown his consistency.
“As a footballer, you want to play every week but things don’t work out because it’s not always within your control,” he said of an unwillingness by Jürgen Klopp and then Arne Slot to allow him depart prior to last summer.
“The biggest thing for me was being patient to make the best of a situation I was dealt. I still trained hard every day, going about it in the right way.
“Being around top players at Liverpool only helps that but I needed to leave.”
He’d actually signed for Thomas Frank just days before the manager was lured to Tottenham after Kelleher had headed off an international duty with Ireland. There were no concerns about the managerial change affecting his status.
“I’d heard whispers about the manager leaving but I signed for Brentford not just one person,” he asserts. “It was moreso for the club and their track record of developing players. There are building blocks here that make it such a well-organised club.
“I’d never expected Keith to get the job but I was really happy because I’d such a good relationship with him already. That encouraged me even more that we could do good things at the club but I was buzzing for him too It was important for that someone to be internal because he knew what the club culture was all about.”
Being an assistant for so long with Ireland, Sheffield United and Brentford didn’t guarantee success when Andrews emerged into the foreground of frontline management.
“The best thing Keith has done is to stay the same,” his first-choice goalkeeper explains. “He always had those personal relationships like a manager, always good with his words and speaking in front of groups. Taking the step up has been second nature to him.”
Kelleher has coped similarly seamlessly with his elevation.
“I don’t think it could have gone better,” he admits. “I had belief that I could perform consistently at this level. I feel more experienced and confident from playing week in, week out. It’s also nice that I’m playing every game because it gives you that match sharpness.
"The most important thing is to feel that way and be good to go every week. I’d never had that before. Building up these games has stood to me. There’s still a lot to work on but I’ve really enjoyed it. We didn’t really set a clean sheet target but as a team we wanted to be more defensively solid by conceding fewer shots and goals. Clean sheets gives you a platform to gather results and points.
“Losing your manager and a few key players before the season starts is bound to affect any team but the way we’ve dealt with it has been really promising.”
Maintaining stability on the home front helps. All he’d known beforehand was living in Cork and Liverpool until relocating to a city of 10 million inhabitants. London is the birthplace of his first two children, as that one absence in February against Burnley was essential to be with his partner Eimear for the delivery of twins.
“It’s been different but not been too bad,” he says about fatherhood. “I’m doing my nightshifts but they’ve been good as gold. London isn’t a bad place to live because there’s a lot of things to do and we’ve a good network around us. If you’re happy off the pitch, it translates into your performances.”
His sole source of unhappiness, from a football perspective at least, is having to watch several friends and teammates at next month's World Cup from afar. Prague continues to persecute the mind when recalled but being part of an Irish generation starved of previous success offers context.
“It was devastation at the time but a few of the lads spoke in the dressing-room about not forgetting how far we’ve come,” he revealed. “To go from losing in Armenia in September to that position was a major positive. We gave the country and football a lift. Everyone was getting behind us in a way that hadn’t been there for a couple of years.
“A lot of us have been around the squad since being younger and you could feel when going home the shift in terms of excitement and encouragement. That moment in Hungary last November was so big for everyone. That support gives us a bit more belief as a team and we want more of those moments.
“Budapest probably overshadowed a statement win against Portugal, ranked fifth in the world. Let’s not forget that as a small nation we can produce wins against top nations. Our squad is in a good place for what’s ahead.”
Bookending his season at Anfield and the upcoming anniversary will amplify to Kelleher the sudden death of Diogo Jota. It was his friend’s heartfelt social media post that supplied an insight as to the Portuguese’s character.
“That’s what took us by surprise,” he recalls about Jota's closeness to his Celtic colleagues. “He was Portuguese but was interested in stuff you wouldn’t expect from a normal Portuguese. That was definitely an early connection and the relationship grew from there. He was similar to Irish and Scottish, loving his horse racing and darts. He was big into darts, even if he wasn’t great at throwing them! We have amazing memories from the fun on race days out.
“It’s very sad and puts things into perspective about real devastation.”
Kelleher’s penchant for darts was publicised during a Sky Sports special at Liverpool’s training ground, featuring a full walk-on and personalised shirt donning his nickname ‘the Irishman’.
Parental duties have curbed that hobby, temporarily at least.
“I haven’t played for a while because I don’t have time now,” he confessed. “I had a dart board at home in Liverpool but it got lost during the house move down south.
"Maybe Eimear has hidden it from me...”
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