Martin O’Neill couldn’t resist sly digs at Keith Andrews despite first Premier League win

There's a bit of history here!

Earlier this summer, the former Republic of Ireland, Aston Villa and Celtic manager called out Andrews as a "vitriolic critic" and said "he will realise what management is all about" upon his appointment as Brentford manager.

O'Neill was referring to Andrews' time as a pundit during his reign as manager of the national team, where the former midfielder was critical of the management and style of football.

And after Andrews got his first Premier League win as manager, a 1-0 victory over Villa at the G-Tech Stadium, O'Neill couldn't resist a couple of sly digs.

After Andrews' post-match interview, where he praised the identity, resilience, character, togetherness and resolve of his side, O'Neill was asked about the manager's words, and questioned what 'identity' Brentford had having registered under 200 passes in the match with 24 per cent possession.

"A lot of buzzwords that have come into the game in the last 8-10 years, you kind of expect it now, transition and things like that," he said. "The game has changed, but it actually hasn’t changed that much in 50 years. And if you start going against that, you are considered a dinosaur.

"However, most important thing, he’s won the game, he’ll be absolutely delighted, but I’m not actually sure, maybe Kenny [Cunningham, co-pundit] can explain to me, what identity means in the side? But overall you’ve won the game, it’s a big game for them."

Asked about the performance, O'Neill added: "I thought it was a matter of just being solid more than anything else. I’d think they would want to be a bit more inventive, and attack more particularly in their own ground. The win was the most important thing."

Brentford take on Sunderland next in the Premier League, away from home on August 30th.