Officially Official: Keith Andrews Signs for Bolton

For various reasons, we over at Lion of Vienna Suite Mansions had to take a weekend off. We apologise and intend to be back in full force this week. Happy Monday!

After the usual infuriating amount of will-he-won't-he, Keith Andrews has put pen to paper and is officially a Wanderer. The Dublin boy has committed to Bolton for the next three years, coming in on a free after being released by West Brom at the end of last season. Andrews was a stand out player in the Republic of Ireland's admittedly brief Euro 2012 run, where he started all 3 games.

The midfield was a problem area last season (though keeper was just about the only non-problem area), finding the right combination proved to mystify Owen Coyle. Adding options is a good move from Coyle, in spite of the fact that the Trotters don' lack for personnel in that region. Of his new signing, Coyle had to say

"We are pleased to have been able to bring in Keith early in the transfer window as there were a number of clubs interested in signing him. He is highly experienced both in domestic and international football, and he will bring strength, competition and a goalscoring threat to our midfield."

Andrews scored a total of 11 goals last season for two different club, 9 for Ipswitch Town in the first half of the season, and a further é for West Brom after January. If his respective goal tallies are anything to go by, he feels much more at home in the Championship. While I'm loath to think about signing players more suited to the Championship, as I think the goal should be quick promotion, Andrews seemes to be a good move.

The man himself has already had a full interview with the official site and had this to say for himself"It's a very tough league, but if you have the right squad and right characters in the dressing room, you can be successful. And looking at our squad, I believe we have a fantastic group of players to tackle the Championship.

"I was aware of the manager's interest before the European Championships and I was obviously very flattered by that. Every time I have come across the manager he always seems like a very positive person. [Coyle] spoke to me at length and highlighted his vision for the club, saying how he wanted to get back up to the Premier League at the first opportunity.

"The good thing about the Championship is that the games come thick and fast. If you get three points, the next game can't come quick enough. Likewise, if you lose a game you know the next one is just around the corner to put things right. In some cases, the next match is just three or four days away. It's a very exciting league and I'm going into the new season with a lot of confidence that we can do very well."

"Playing in the Euros was a highlight in my international career, even though we didn't play anywhere near as well as we can. Having said that, we played against three top teams in the world and two of them will be contesting the final on Sunday. It was a fantastic experience to compete against players of the quality of Spain and Italy, and that will only help me in the future."

He seems quite enthusiqstic if nothing else. At 31, he's not a long term prospect by any means, but he should hopefully prove to be a good addition to the squad for the promotion bid. Welcome to the Reebok, Keith Andrews!