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It was a difficult day for Keith Andrews' Brentford on Saturday, as Spurs dominated the Bees to stroll to a 2-0 win in North London.

Andrews' predecessor at Brentford, Thomas Frank, has been under fierce pressure at Tottenham in recent weeks. The optics of Frank losing to the team he left for Spurs over the summer could have been disastrous for the Dane.

In the end, however, it was an unexpectedly routine win for the home side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Goals from Richarlison and the under-fire Xavi Simons secured a 2-0 win for Spurs, on a night when they dominated the game by every statistical measure.

After a hugely impressive start to life in charge for Andrews, his Brentford charges have now lost three of their last four games, and the relegation zone is not too far away.

Speaking on Premier Sports post-match, Irishmen Damien Delaney and Chris Hughton debated whether Andrews should be concerned of the threat of relegation.

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Spurs 2-0 Brentford: Keith Andrews loses out to Thomas Frank

Speaking on Premier Sports post-match, Damien Delaney would admit he had checked Brentford's position in the table after Spurs' opener, and found himself surprised at where they said in the table.

"About 25 minutes in there I just popped on my phone to check just to make sure," Delaney said.

You do think they're mid table and they're fine.

They're seven points out of [the relegation zone] now, although they've played a game more.

Over Christmas, when you've got games bang-bang-bang back-to-back, you come out the other side in January for the first week in January in the FA Cup...it's only 2 or 3 points that can happen very, very quickly and now you're being mooted as a potential [relegation candidate].

At the start of the season, Keith Andrews' Brentford were widely tipped among the favourites for relgation, a label they appeared to have shirked by late October.

Recent weeks, however, have brought them back to the pack at the bottom of the table somewhat. They now sit in 14th, seven points above the relegation zone, though two of the four teams directly behind them have games in hand.

Brentford cannot get too comfy where they stand and, though he has no fear that Andrews' side will be relegated, Delaney was keen to stress as much in his post-match analysis.

Delaney described the Bees' performance as "un-Brentford-like," while Chris Hughton warned Andrews against being too dependent on striker Igor Thiago, who has scored 11 goals thus far this season.

"There can become a reliance on your number nine," Hughton said.

"If I'm looking at the season that he's had, [it's] very difficult to sustain that, for a club like Brentford to sustain that for a full season."

Delaney did say that he did not fear that Brentford would be relegated, but that Keith Andrews must be wary to run a steady ship during what is set to be one of the busiest periods of the year.

"Their home form is very strong, They'll always just have their noses out in front," Delaney explained.

"So I think they'll be fine, but Keith needs to get more out of that team away from home."

In his post-match interview with Brentford's in-house social media team, manager Keith Andrews would himself admit that his team had been well below their usual levels against Spurs.

"I think the reality is we didn't perform in the first half," Andrews said.

"We'll search as to the reasons why that was. The league is so demanding, the individuals that you come up against, the key moments within games, what you do with or without the ball, etc.

"You have to be at a certain level to compete in this league, and we weren't quite at that level. Our lads have been immense all season, the performance levels have been really consistent as we look to grow this team and take a new step.

"Unfortunately, today, we didn't hit the levels that we've become pretty consistent with."

Brentford have picked up just one win on the road this season, and have lost their last four away games on the bounce.

For Wednesday's game at Arsenal, Andrews heavily rotated his team - a decision Delaney joked may have backfired.

Keith Andrews has done a tremendous job at Brentford thus far, but the Premier League is infamously precarious for any teams in the bottom half.

Provided they can maintain their impressive home form, they should be safe with relative ease this season - even if they may be looking slightly nervously over their shoulder over the festive period.

While Ireland fans have long known about the talents of Troy Parrott, quite a few eyebrows in the world of football were likely to have been raised on the back of the player's exploits in recent days.

His brace against Portugal was one thing, but the hat-trick he scored to lead Ireland to a win over Hungary in Budapest was even more impressive. The AZ Alkmaar man showed a ridiculous amount of composure to score the two goals to power his side to the late comeback, booking their place in the World Cup play-offs as a result.

As a result, some are questioning why Parrott was not given more of an opportunity while coming through at his first professional club.

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Tim Sherwood Makes Troy Parrott Spurs Claim After Ireland Exploits

Troy Parrott joined Tottenham Hotspur as a 15-year old, going on to sign a pro contract with the club a couple of years later. However, first team opportunities were difficult to come by in North London.

The Dubliner would be shipped off on loan to a number of EFL clubs, before eventually signing for AZ Alkmaar on a permanent deal in the summer of 2024. He has since gone from strength to strength in the Netherlands, before now making a major breakthrough at international level.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood questioned the club's treatment of Troy Parrott during his time in London, suggesting they have spent vast sums of money on less talented players in recent seasons.

Unfortunately for Troy, he's had to leave Tottenham to do that. I've got a big question for anyone who decided to let Troy Parrott go...

I'm not sure he had a fair opportunity to prove himself, he's had to go to AZ to do that. He's not just all of sudden appeared in these last two games for the Republic of Ireland, he's been banging in goals like you wouldn't believe in Holland.

We know it's an easier platform over there, but he never got the opportunity to show his quality for Tottenham. He never got a fair crack at the whip...

Tottenham have signed players for 60, 50, 40 million playing in Troy's position. I can tell you now, they're not as good as Troy Parrott.

Tottenham should have saved their money, give this kid an opportunity, and spend it elsewhere...

That boy, hopefully from his sake, will come back and haunt them. At the moment he is going the right way about it.

Spurs have spent big on a number of forwards in recent seasons, with the likes of Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, and Matyhs Tel failing to impress at the club despite arriving for substantial fees.

Troy Parrott was given very few first team opportunities at Spurs, while many of his loans spells in the lower leagues were not as successful as had been hoped. He certainly looks like a new player since moving to the continent, with the striker unlikely to have any regrets over how the last few years of his career have played out.

If he keeps scoring goals at his current rate, it won't be long before some big clubs around the continent come calling for his services.

Having arrived as a much heralded alternative to the Glazer family, it has not take long for Manchester United supporters to reconsider their enthusiasm for Jim Ratcliffe.

The 72-year old has not exactly exuded competence since arriving at Old Trafford, making a number of questionable decisions. The first one involved the decision to keep Erik ten Hag as manager at the end of the 2023/24 season, only to then sack him a few months later.

Ratcliffe would also spend a long period of time attempting to poach Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United, only to get rid of him a few months after his arrival. Couple that with some unpopular spending cuts at the club, as well as a rise in ticket prices, and you can understand why many are unhappy with the Manchester United minority owner.

As it turns out, other clubs are also having their problems with Jim Ratcliffe at the minute.

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Spurs Are Reportedly Suing Manchester United's Jim Ratcliffe

The Telegraph are reporting that Tottenham Hotspur are suing Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS for £11.1million due to the alleged breach of a contract signed back in 2022.

It is claimed that Ratcliffe's firm signed a £17.5million deal with Spurs to promote the Ineos Grenadier as their “official 4x4 vehicle partner”. However, they failed to make a £5million due on the deal last year, with Spurs now suing for what they believed was the remainder of the money owed on the contract.

In a statement to The Telegraph, an INEOS spokesperson said:

Ineos Automotive was a partner of Tottenham Hotspur from 2022, expanding on a partnership agreement that Ineos Group had in place with the club since 2020.

We had a contractual right to terminate our partnership contract and in December 2024 exercised that right.

A messy situation.

It remains to be seen what the ultimate outcome of this process will be.

St Patrick’s Athletic star Mason Melia has signed for Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur. He has departed the Incihore club for a League of Ireland record sale of €1.9 million rising to €4 million with adds on.

The former St Joseph Boys striker has smashed the League of Ireland record sale becoming the first player in the league's history to be sold for an initial fee of over €1 million with St Pats also having a 20% sell on clause in the deal.

Spurs have beaten off serious interest from Premier League rivals Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton. Celtic and Bayer Leverkusen were also heavily linked. Man City attempted to sign Melia last summer and send him to affiliate club Lommel SK in Belgium until he was 18 but the player preferred the option of playing in the League of Ireland.

The 2024 PFAI Young Player of the Year will stay at St Pats until January 2026 meaning he will play the full season with Pat’s who are favorites to win the League of Ireland and will compete in the Conference League qualifiers.

Melia has scored 10 goals in 54 appearances across all competitions for St Pat’s and made history as the youngest-ever goalscorer in the League of Ireland when he netted against UCD in June 2023.

Melia, who hails from County Wicklow, started off at Newtown Juniors before moving to St Joseph’s Boys, who will both also benefit from any moves in the future.

The news was confirmed by the Tottenham Hotspur academy as well as by St Pats.

Melia will join former St Patricks Athletic player Josh Keeley in the Spurs family, though Keeley is currently on loan with Leyton Orient.

Spurs fans on social media were pretty excited by the move.

The official League of Ireland launch is tomorrow at Dublin's Mansion House, and it will be fascinating to get the thoughts of Stephen Kenny on the move.

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It looks as though Troy Parrott's time at Spurs is about to draw to a close, with the Irishman on the verge of joining Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

The Dubliner joined the Premier League side back in 2017, arriving in North London with massive expectations. The hype around Parrott only continued to build with his exploits in the Spurs youth teams, going on to make his Premier League debut as a 17-year old.

However, he would never manage to nail down a spot in the first team squad. Loan spells at the likes of Millwall, Ipswich Town, and Preston North End would follow, experiencing varying levels of success at each.

His career looked in danger of stalling just 12 months ago, although he would find his feet against after joining Excelsior Rotterdam. His tally of 17 goals and five assists last season was enough to draw the interest of a number of clubs this summer, with AZ Alkmaar now winning the race for his signature.

In saying that, quite a few Spurs fans have been complaining over one aspect of the deal.

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Spurs Fans Not Impressed With One Aspect Of Troy Parrott's Move

Spurs will receive a fee of €8million for Troy Parrott, a reasonable amount considering that he was unlikely to be part of Ange Postecoglou's plans and had just 12 months remaining on his contract.

However, quite a few of the club's supporters seem unhappy with the transfer fee. Considering his form last season in the Eredivisie, they were hoping that Spurs could recoup a bit more money for the sale of the Ireland international.

The fee received by Spurs does seem pretty fair considering the player's contract situation, although considering he is a proven performer in the Dutch league, they might have been hoping for a slightly bigger amount from a club in that country.

Looking at Troy Parrott's age and track record in the Netherlands, you would have high hopes that he will be a success at AZ Almkaar. He will also have the opportunity to play in European competition this season, with the club having qualified for the Europa League after their fourth-placed finish in the 2023/24 campaign.

It is certainly an exciting move.

On the back of a stellar loan campaign at Excelsior Rotterdam last time out, it will be important for Troy Parrott to maintain that momentum as he heads into the 2024/25 season over the coming months.

The Dubliner's career had looked in danger of stagnating in recent years, becoming an afterthought at Spurs and experiencing mixed results during his various loan spells in the EFL. However, his time in the Netherlands has reversed this trend.

Parrott thrived in the Erdevisie, scoring 17 goals and registering five assists for Excelsior. While the club would ultimately relegated via the play-offs, it was a massively impressive campaign for the forward from a personal prospective.

He must now choose his next move wisely. Some had expected that he would be given an opportunity to stake his claim for a place at Spurs next season, although that looks unlikely as things stand.

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Troy Parrott Not Training With Spurs Amid Rumours Of Dutch Bid

Spurs returned to pre-season training in recent days, with their squad members not currently on international duty reporting to the club's case to get preparations for next season underway.

Troy Parrott was among that group.

However, it seems as though he has not been taking part in group sessions with the rest of the squad.

He was not listed among the first team and academy prospects that took part in training released by Football London this week. The Irishman also did not appear in any of the official training images or clips shared by the club.

The reasons for that are unclear, with it being possible that some sort of injury prevented him from taking part.

In saying that, well connected Spurs reporter Paul O'Keefe has said on Twitter that while the reasons for Parrott's absence have not been confirmed, it could be down to a pending bid from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

It has previously been reported that a number of Dutch clubs were interested in signing Troy Parrott this summer on the back of his performances with Excelsior, with the likes of Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, and AZ Alkmaar all linked.

The comments from Paul O'Keefe would suggest that AZ's interest is the most concrete as things stand, with the groundwork perhaps being laid ahead of a potential bid over the coming days or weeks.

Parrott recently spoke about how he felt that Dutch league was better suited to his skillset than the English game, something that will likely influence his decision when choosing his next club.

After making quite a progress last season, he will be keen to build upon those successes once the new campaign kicks off later this summer.