Brentford have appointed Damien Duff as assistant manager after a search that stretched back more than nine months, ending a long wait to fill a role the club had been hunting for across all of last season. Duff will now back up Keith Andrews as Brentford try to take another step after narrowly missing out on Europe.

The appointment gives Brentford a coach they believe fits both the detail and the pace of the Premier League. Duff’s presentation impressed the club with its tactical understanding and clear ideas on how a team should be set up, while his honesty and willingness to give an opinion stood out during a process in which Brentford spoke to a number of candidates.

That search had been running in the background for much of the campaign, and Brentford had made no secret of the fact that Europe was the target. Phil Giles said early in the season that qualification was achievable, but the club finished just short. With that in mind, the assistant-manager role mattered more than a routine staff change. Brentford wanted someone who could support Andrews and sharpen the coaching edge without altering the structure that has carried them this far.

That is where Duff separated himself. Brentford’s technical department were struck by how focused he was on the key details in coaching, and they felt his clarity made him a strong fit for top-flight work. He also has a strong relationship with Andrews, which helped in a setup built around collaboration rather than a single voice. The club accepts, though, that forthright opinions can carry risk in a collegiate environment. Directness can sharpen standards, but it can also create friction if the balance is wrong.

Duff also had a personal connection to the place before the job was even offered. He visited Brentford’s training centre in west London in May and felt at home around the Irish accents in the building and the noise from the aircraft overhead, a setting not unlike the AUL Complex beside Dublin Airport where he grew up. Brentford’s training centre sits a few miles from Heathrow Airport and directly under the flight path, and for Duff that was part of the appeal rather than a distraction.

He has already described the chance to work in the Premier League for one of the most forward-thinking clubs in the division as too good to turn down. Brentford now get a coach they believe can help with the next jump; the test is whether that blend of honesty, detail and tactical belief can turn a near miss into something bigger.