Brentford manager Keith Andrews has been targeted with bizarre criticism by former Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill following the Bees' dominant win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday. Andrews' team dominated proceedings against a struggling United side and handed them their third defeat of the 2025-26 season.
O'Neill's feud with Andrews continue
O'Neill's feud with Andrews dates back to the time when the former Northern Ireland midfielder was in charge of the Republic of Ireland side and Andrews kept criticising him as a Sky Sports pundit. O'Neill has publicly stated that he does not like the new Brentford boss and has taken the spat to a next level by labelling him as a below-par head coach.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'He’d be alongside Guardiola'
Appearing on RTE's Late, Late Show last night, O'Neill said: "I don’t any more. The criticism at the time… Keith had not, with respect, played at the top level in the game, that’s fine and he’s still entitled to his opinion. But he was saying that we relied on set pieces, then [said] when you put a couple of forwards on that’s not the right way to do it. This was a man who hadn’t really done it.
"Then he got his opportunity alongside Stephen Kenny and it didn’t work out, even though he kept saying that the team was being prepared by elitists, that they had ‘elite preparation’ and then they go and lose to Luxembourg."
He added: "If you are talking the talk you have to walk the walk. That was the whole point. This whole thing about set-pieces, now Brentford throw it longer than Rory Delap but it doesn’t matter. He is starting now into a difficult business. “He’s not short of self-confidence, if he had a tenth of the ability that his confidence suggested he had, he’d be alongside Guardiola."
Brentford piled on United's misery
On the night O'Neill verbally attacked Andrews, his Brentford side delivered a dominating performance against Ruben Amorim's United as they beat the Premier League giants 3-1. Benjamin Sesko finally opened his account by scoring his maiden goal for the Red Devils in the first half, but Bruno Fernandes' missed penalty cost United crucial three points.
Getty/GOALUnited told replace Amorim with Southgate
Amorim's journey at Old Trafford, since joining them in November 2024, has been a nightmare so far and things have not improved in the 2025-26 campaign, despite spending heavily on rebuilding the squad in the summer. Several experts have expressed their displeasure over Amorim's way of running the team, while ex-Chelsea star Joe Cole has urged them to bring in former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate to replace the Portuguese.