Roy Keane criticism did not faze me, says Ireland assistant Keith Andrews

Keith Andrews has insisted being dismissed as a “bulls*****r” by Roy Keane on his return to the international stage as a coach did not affect him at all.

Former Republic of Ireland assistant manager Keane delivered a withering assessment of his latest successor when Stephen Kenny asked Andrews, who won 35 caps for his country, to join his staff, telling the Sunday Independent: “I’ve heard a lot of bulls******s over the last 10 years and Keith Andrews is up there with the best of them.”

Asked about the former Ireland skipper’s comments, Andrews said: “In terms of how it affected me, it didn’t affect me in the slightest.

“My conscience would be very, very clear in terms of what I put into it because, apart from family, it is actually the only thing I care about in terms of making this team better, in terms of making Irish football better, in terms of giving us a team we are proud to watch.

“I have obviously been a fan, I’ve been a player – it is my only team. It is the only team I care about, so no, it didn’t affect me.

“When you go into a new job, players pretty quickly suss you out if you are not up to the level.”

Andrews will be in the dug-out at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday evening as he and Kenny attempt to guide their players to an eighth game without defeat against Lithuania, something which looked a distant prospect when the new management team failed to win any of their first 10 fixtures.

When you go into a new job, players pretty quickly suss you out if you are not up to the level- Keith Andrews

There is little doubt that progress has been made, but that more is required, and the assistant manager admits Ireland will have to be “collectively brilliant” on a sustained basis if they are to get to where they want to