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Dean Holden - July 2025: now assistant manager at Hull City (p48)
Comments
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Am sure he will always be welcome in the Royal Oak.6
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Nice guy but we’d have gone down that season if he’d stayed in charge . Let’s not airbrush history because we all like him and he’s nice about us .Bedsaddick said:One we let go way too early in my opinion . Great bloke and tactically aware . Just never had the backing of the new owners.4 -
Lovely bloke, but the team had no idenity under him, he smacks me as a great coach, less so a manager9
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Which ultimately led to better times under Mickey 🍎🍎wmcf123 said:
Nice guy but we’d have gone down that season if he’d stayed in charge . Let’s not airbrush history because we all like him and he’s nice about us .Bedsaddick said:One we let go way too early in my opinion . Great bloke and tactically aware . Just never had the backing of the new owners.13 -
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Which ultimately led to better times under Mickey 🍎🍎wmcf123 said:
Nice guy but we’d have gone down that season if he’d stayed in charge . Let’s not airbrush history because we all like him and he’s nice about us .Bedsaddick said:One we let go way too early in my opinion . Great bloke and tactically aware . Just never had the backing of the new owners.
Don’t mind me, just flagging this post!!!!! 🤬😂14 -
Im not sure. He did a good job keeping us up the previous season and, my recollection is that we were hit by yet another set of injuries during that time of his tenure. Jones only stayed in his job because the owners kept him despite a horrendous autumn drop of form following injurieswmcf123 said:
Nice guy but we’d have gone down that season if he’d stayed in charge . Let’s not airbrush history because we all like him and he’s nice about us .Bedsaddick said:One we let go way too early in my opinion . Great bloke and tactically aware . Just never had the backing of the new owners.1 -
Interesting interview. I think everyone would agree that he seemed like a very good bloke and I know he was very nice to some people on here but there's some fascinating stuff in that interview. Firstly he made a comment about the signing of Alfie May 'which I wasn't prepared to play ball on'. Wonder what that's about. Is he saying he didn't want May but got him anyway or is there something else related to the transfer that did or didn't happen?
Also, I'm sure it wasn't a nice experience working for that lot at the time but I think he's talking some real cobblers about the way things were going before he was sacked. He'd done alright the season before but we were so terrible in the next season it was unreal. I honestly think if he'd picked the main first team we still would have lost to Newport. We barely beat Orient and then we repeatedly got picked off by teams late on because our fitness was terrible and we were leaving an exhausted kid as the only man back from corners. He overplayed kids who weren't ready, gave the players way too much freedom over the summer and preseason which meant they weren't conditioned to play and had absolutely no idea how to fix things when they went wrong. That selection against Oxford was a cry for help and he probably should have been escorted off the premises as soon as the teamsheet was revealed. I liked him as a bloke and he wasn't helped by some signings and injuries but getting turned over at home by Port Vale was already too much before the Oxford game happened. There were zero signs of it turning around and he was using 5 or 6 academy players in the first team every game who were nowhere near ready and in almost all cases those players still aren't. We weren't building anything except relegation momentum16 -
Because he didn’t have the board behind him and was brought in by Thomas . Not because of his lack of coaching ability. That’s not airbrushingwmcf123 said:
Nice guy but we’d have gone down that season if he’d stayed in charge . Let’s not airbrush history because we all like him and he’s nice about us .Bedsaddick said:One we let go way too early in my opinion . Great bloke and tactically aware . Just never had the backing of the new owners.0 -
I would imaging he’s a great man manager . He’s also very media savvy.Rothko said:Lovely bloke, but the team had no idenity under him, he smacks me as a great coach, less so a manager2 -
Think he’s found his niche as an assistant4
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I think he wanted him but GFP didn't. He was the only player bought by TS that window wasn't he?Garrymanilow said:Interesting interview. I think everyone would agree that he seemed like a very good bloke and I know he was very nice to some people on here but there's some fascinating stuff in that interview. Firstly he made a comment about the signing of Alfie May 'which I wasn't prepared to play ball on'. Wonder what that's about. Is he saying he didn't want May but got him anyway or is there something else related to the transfer that did or didn't happen?
Also, I'm sure it wasn't a nice experience working for that lot at the time but I think he's talking some real cobblers about the way things were going before he was sacked. He'd done alright the season before but we were so terrible in the next season it was unreal. I honestly think if he'd picked the main first team we still would have lost to Newport. We barely beat Orient and then we repeatedly got picked off by teams late on because our fitness was terrible and we were leaving an exhausted kid as the only man back from corners. He overplayed kids who weren't ready, gave the players way too much freedom over the summer and preseason which meant they weren't conditioned to play and had absolutely no idea how to fix things when they went wrong. That selection against Oxford was a cry for help and he probably should have been escorted off the premises as soon as the teamsheet was revealed. I liked him as a bloke and he wasn't helped by some signings and injuries but getting turned over at home by Port Vale was already too much before the Oxford game happened. There were zero signs of it turning around and he was using 5 or 6 academy players in the first team every game who were nowhere near ready and in almost all cases those players still aren't. We weren't building anything except relegation momentum1 -
which is great as a number 2, but not the ultimate decision makerBedsaddick said:
I would imaging he’s a great man manager . He’s also very media savvy.Rothko said:Lovely bloke, but the team had no idenity under him, he smacks me as a great coach, less so a manager2 -
Great interview that with a Class act in Dean Holden1
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Exactly that. But the only thing that pays for him - including the cost of covering virtually every away game - is the money from subs. So if anyone else is able to afford a sub, please sign up, the content is really top class, and as @WSS says, it's our content, content for us.WSS said:
Yep. Excellent article.Henry Irving said:Great interview on Rich Cawley's substack this morning.
Lucky enough to have met him a couple of times; lovely guy and really delighted for his success
That’s why you pay Rich’s subscription - he’ll get the stuff that nobody else would be interested in other than us.10 -
I have to reluctantly agree with @Garrymanilow assessment of Deano above. However I'd offer what I think is an important caveat. He is still young, and if I'm not mistaken this was his first gig as manager, right? Well everywhere, in managerial sectors of all kinds, people with "something about them" can suffer when they are promoted too quickly, especially a high profile role where you have no mentors above you. I remember looking at his experience record at the time he came in and hoping it would work out. But in that article I really like what he tells us about his thirst for learning, even from outside football. He doesn't quite say it, but I think he now realises he was chucked in too early. I'd be quite optimistic that he will take a manager gig again in 2-3 years, and make a success of it. I'm sure too, that he'll take a good luck at his potential new bosses, before signing up.3
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On this - is being a very nice guy actually being a good man manager at elite level sport?Rothko said:
which is great as a number 2, but not the ultimate decision makerBedsaddick said:
I would imaging he’s a great man manager . He’s also very media savvy.Rothko said:Lovely bloke, but the team had no idenity under him, he smacks me as a great coach, less so a manager
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No, he'd managed Oldham and Bristol City before as well as being caretaker at Stoke. His managerial career started 7 years before he joined usPragueAddick said:I have to reluctantly agree with @Garrymanilow assessment of Deano above. However I'd offer what I think is an important caveat. He is still young, and if I'm not mistaken this was his first gig as manager, right? Well everywhere, in managerial sectors of all kinds, people with "something about them" can suffer when they are promoted too quickly, especially a high profile role where you have no mentors above you. I remember looking at his experience record at the time he came in and hoping it would work out. But in that article I really like what he tells us about his thirst for learning, even from outside football. He doesn't quite say it, but I think he now realises he was chucked in too early. I'd be quite optimistic that he will take a manager gig again in 2-3 years, and make a success of it. I'm sure too, that he'll take a good luck at his potential new bosses, before signing up.4 -
Passes the not a w⚓️ test. But not a good tactical manager for Charlton.Pleased he is doing well, but we have a much better setup now , in fact leagues apart.Cannot believe how shite we were back then.I need to sober up, so might just watch some games back on CATV to remind myself of those days.1
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He’s great at playing good cop to a disciplinarian head coach but he’s not cut out to be the main man IMO.8
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Agreed. Think hes excellent as an assistant being the bridge between the players and the manager and a good coach. But ultimately not right for the top job due to being too close to the players and not good enough tactically. Glad he's doing well up in Hull.2
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How I miss Stockley waving his arms at teammates and running like he is in quicksand.fenlandaddick said:Passes the not a w⚓️ test. But not a good tactical manager for Charlton.Pleased he is doing well, but we have a much better setup now , in fact leagues apart.Cannot believe how shite we were back then.I need to sober up, so might just watch some games back on CATV to remind myself of those days.5 -
cantersaddick said:Agreed. Think hes excellent as an assistant being the bridge between the players and the manager and a good coach. But ultimately not right for the top job due to being too close to the players and not good enough tactically. Glad he's doing well up in Hull.
Amazed he got a gig with Gerrard out in Qatar, I hope he got a contract that set him up for life.
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He was a classy centre half in a charity match I watched at the Valley.
He used to watch the under 21 games there and 2 of his sons did too.0 -
I think this is a fair summary of his failings. I also think tactically both him and Appleton were so poor at coaching us without the ball, it was like we didn’t pay any attention to it. Compared to Jackson and then later Jones where we were at the very least a hard team to play throughGarrymanilow said:Interesting interview. I think everyone would agree that he seemed like a very good bloke and I know he was very nice to some people on here but there's some fascinating stuff in that interview. Firstly he made a comment about the signing of Alfie May 'which I wasn't prepared to play ball on'. Wonder what that's about. Is he saying he didn't want May but got him anyway or is there something else related to the transfer that did or didn't happen?
Also, I'm sure it wasn't a nice experience working for that lot at the time but I think he's talking some real cobblers about the way things were going before he was sacked. He'd done alright the season before but we were so terrible in the next season it was unreal. I honestly think if he'd picked the main first team we still would have lost to Newport. We barely beat Orient and then we repeatedly got picked off by teams late on because our fitness was terrible and we were leaving an exhausted kid as the only man back from corners. He overplayed kids who weren't ready, gave the players way too much freedom over the summer and preseason which meant they weren't conditioned to play and had absolutely no idea how to fix things when they went wrong. That selection against Oxford was a cry for help and he probably should have been escorted off the premises as soon as the teamsheet was revealed. I liked him as a bloke and he wasn't helped by some signings and injuries but getting turned over at home by Port Vale was already too much before the Oxford game happened. There were zero signs of it turning around and he was using 5 or 6 academy players in the first team every game who were nowhere near ready and in almost all cases those players still aren't. We weren't building anything except relegation momentumWhere I do feel sorry for him though is he clearly had a plan based around a 3-5-2 with Leaburn and May up front but never actually got the chance to use it before he was sacked. If Leaburn hadn’t got injured at welling then I think things could have gone differently for him but he was still never the right man to take us back3 -
Following your post I remembered something about Bristol City at least, so I looked up his Wikipedia, and, well, I'm not sure his Oldham thing is quite what I had in mind when wrote "gig as manager". But I'd probably agree with those who suggest the good cop in the good/bad cop double act best suits him. But we see only a fragment of these situations. I was really confident that after a time to reflect and take stock, Chris Powell would get a similar gig with a club of similar stature and show Duchatelet how wrong he was. But that has never really happened, and I don't know what to make of that either. He's got "Champions, 101 points. 50% smaller player budget than the 4th placed club" on his CVfenaddick said:
No, he'd managed Oldham and Bristol City before as well as being caretaker at Stoke. His managerial career started 7 years before he joined usPragueAddick said:I have to reluctantly agree with @Garrymanilow assessment of Deano above. However I'd offer what I think is an important caveat. He is still young, and if I'm not mistaken this was his first gig as manager, right? Well everywhere, in managerial sectors of all kinds, people with "something about them" can suffer when they are promoted too quickly, especially a high profile role where you have no mentors above you. I remember looking at his experience record at the time he came in and hoping it would work out. But in that article I really like what he tells us about his thirst for learning, even from outside football. He doesn't quite say it, but I think he now realises he was chucked in too early. I'd be quite optimistic that he will take a manager gig again in 2-3 years, and make a success of it. I'm sure too, that he'll take a good luck at his potential new bosses, before signing up.1 -
Dean Holden’s last XI before he was sacked:

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Was manager when the club was a three ring circus. I think anyone would have failed. Top top bloke and I have nothing but respect and admiration for how he conducted himself whilst at Charlton. Glad he’s getting success as number two at Hull. He deserves it.8
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He'd probably be perfect as assistant to NJ funnily enough, the good cop half of the routine and the more laid-back balancing act to Jones’s manic energy. Though this takes nothing away from Fleming who is doing that job very well at present of course.cantersaddick said:Agreed. Think hes excellent as an assistant being the bridge between the players and the manager and a good coach. But ultimately not right for the top job due to being too close to the players and not good enough tactically. Glad he's doing well up in Hull.3 -
Given what he had available that’s not too bad? Though appreciate the kids were very young.The Red Robin said:Dean Holden’s last XI before he was sacked:
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Going to disagree slightly. I think NJ needs someone who will push back a bit, I don’t see that being Deanos strengththenewbie said:
He'd probably be perfect as assistant to NJ funnily enough, the good cop half of the routine and the more laid-back balancing act to Jones’s manic energy. Though this takes nothing away from Fleming who is doing that job very well at present of course.cantersaddick said:Agreed. Think hes excellent as an assistant being the bridge between the players and the manager and a good coach. But ultimately not right for the top job due to being too close to the players and not good enough tactically. Glad he's doing well up in Hull.0


















