Keith Andrews gets set to join 6 others as an Irish Premier League Manager
With Keith Andrews becoming the new Brentford head coach, the former Irish international looks set to join a very exclusive club. When he takes charge of his first Premier League game against Nottingham Forest on August 17th, he will become only the 7th man from the Republic of Ireland to be appointed as a permanent manager or head coach in England’s top division.
But who are the other six men from the Republic of Ireland who have gone on to manage a Premier League club?
Below, we have listed them in order of the number of games they managed. Please note that this list does not include managers from Northern Ireland, meaning there is no place for the likes of Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers, or Kieran McKenna.
The 6 Irish internationals to have managed in the Premier League
1️⃣ Joe Kinnear
- Premier League games managed: 302
Joe Kinnear was a Premier League manager during the inaugural season of the division back in 1992/93. The Dubliner then led Wimbledon to a 6th-place finish in the 1993/94 season. He remained in charge of Wimbledon until his departure in 1999. He made a surprise return to a Premier League dugout when he was appointed Newcastle boss in September 2008. However, he left the role in February 2009 due to health reasons.
Overall, Kinnear’s Premier League win percentage was 32%, winning 97 of the 302 matches he managed.
2️⃣ David O’Leary
- Premier League games managed: 259
One of Ireland’s greatest-ever players, O’Leary enjoyed a stellar playing career at Arsenal, where his tally of 722 appearances still stands as a club record. He became a top-flight manager when he took over at Leeds United, following George Graham’s move to Spurs in 1998. Under O’Leary, Leeds finished 3rd at the end of the 1999/2000 season, thus qualifying for the Champions League. Their 2000/01 Champions League campaign saw them reach the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual runners-up Valencia. O’Leary left Leeds in 2002, never finishing outside the top 5 during his tenure.
The former Irish international then took charge of Aston Villa in May 2003. He led Villa to a 6th-place finish in his debut season, but a 10th and a 16th-place finish in the following two seasons led to his departure in July 2006.
O’Leary is the most successful Irish manager in Premier League history, with a win percentage of 43.2%. Overall, he won 112 of his 259 matches.
3️⃣ Chris Hughton
- Premier League games managed: 169
Chris Hughton has had a long and varied coaching and managerial career in English football. He spent many years as a coach at both Spurs and Newcastle before being appointed Newcastle’s permanent manager in 2009. Under Hughton, Newcastle gained promotion back to the top flight, but he was sacked after just 16 games of the 2010/11 season.
Hughton returned to the Premier League with Norwich for the 2012/13 season, leading the Canaries to an 11th-place finish in his first year. He was dismissed during his second season with Norwich in 17th place.
In 2017, Hughton managed Brighton during their debut Premier League season and remained at the helm for two seasons before being replaced in 2019. Overall, Chris Hughton won 42 of the 169 games he managed in England’s top division, giving him a win percentage of 25%.
With Keith Andrews becoming the new Brentford head coach, the former Irish international looks set to become part of a very exclusive club.
4️⃣ Mick McCarthy
- Premier League games managed: 138
McCarthy first became a Premier League manager in March 2003 when he took charge of Sunderland’s final nine games of the 2002/03 campaign. They were ultimately relegated, but the two-time Republic of Ireland manager led them back to the top flight for the 2005/06 season. A disastrous campaign followed, with Sunderland winning just 2 of the 28 games under his leadership. He was sacked in March 2006 but returned to the Premier League with Wolves in 2009.
He kept Wolves in the league for two seasons before being dismissed in February 2012. McCarthy won 27 of the 138 matches he managed in the Premier League, giving him a win percentage of 19.6%.
5️⃣ Owen Coyle
- Premier League games managed: 116
Coyle, who won 1 solitary cap for the national team back in 1994, led Burnley to the Premier League in 2009, earning the Clarets their first top-flight campaign in 33 years. He left Burnley in January 2010 to take over at Bolton. He kept Bolton up that season and repeated the feat in 2010/11. However, they were relegated at the end of the 2011/12 season; their last appearance in the Premier League to date.
Coyle managed 116 matches in the top flight, winning 33, giving him a win percentage of 28%.
6️⃣ Roy Keane
- Premier League games managed: 53
The most famous name on this list, Irish football’s most iconic figure, led Sunderland to Premier League promotion in 2007. They went on to secure survival with two games to spare. However, his second season proved tumultuous. Worsening relations with the club’s hierarchy and poor on-field performances led to the former Ireland and Manchester United captain stepping down in December 2008 with the club in 18th place.
That role at Sunderland was his first and only Premier League managerial job. Keane managed Sunderland 53 times in the league, winning 15, giving him a win percentage of 28%.
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Liam Lacey
Liam is a sportswriter from County Laois in Ireland who specializes in delivering content on GAA and Football matters (though he does see himself as somewhat of a tennis aficionado also!). Liam has written about All Ireland Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships, Premier League, Champions League and International Football offering expert opinion and match previews and predictions. Occasionally even getting some right!