By Aidan Fitzmaurice

Copyright independent

O’Neill has repeatedly expressed his unhappiness with what he saw as harsh criticism from Andrews, in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, of O’Neill’s Ireland side.

Speaking to the Guardian last week, O’Neill said Andrews was “not my favourite person”, only the latest in a series of barbs about the Dubliner as O’Neill has also made comments about Andrews on Talksport and in other interviews.

The Ulsterman is in Dublin this weekend for promotional work on his new book and while he did not mention Andrews in an appearance on RTÉ’s Late, Late Show last night, O’Neill had another dig at him today on Newstalk – on the same day Andrews led his club to that win at home to Manchester United.

Asked why he felt the need to keep up his verbal assault on Andrews over comments that were made almost a decade ago, O’Neill initially said: “I don’t any more”.

But he went on to say why Andrews’ analysis hurt. “The criticism at the time… Keith had not, with respect, played at the top level in the game, that’s fine and he’s still entitled to his opinion,” the Northerner told Off The Ball.

“But he was saying that we relied on set pieces, then [said] when you put a couple of forwards on that’s not the right way to do it. This was a man who hadn’t really done it.

“Then he got his opportunity alongside Stephen Kenny and it didn’t work out, even though he kept saying that the team was being prepared by elitists, that they had ‘elite preparation’ and then they go and lose to Luxembourg.

“If you are talking the talk you have to walk the walk. That was the whole point. This whole thing about set-pieces, now Brentford throw it longer than Rory Delap but it doesn’t matter. He is starting now into a difficult business.

“He’s not short of self-confidence, if he had a tenth of the ability that his confidence suggested he had, he’d be alongside Guardiola.”