Dean Holden (Merged)

[Rocky]

[Sweeneys Penalties]

++I'll hold him to that. Dont let us down Steve

[IAmNick]

46 minutes ago, M.D said:

 

I Don't, I truly think he thought a top manager would jump at the chance to take the job under the  infrastructure he has in place at the club.

I think he has now found out that top people will not be interested in working under the current club structure and see right through it as a no go area. 

Yeah. I'm increasingly wondering if MA / JL went into the interviews, wide eyed and bushy tailed showing off the club, what they've put in place, and setting out their red lines for what they see as a well run and modern club.

A load of managers applied, saw the above, and basically baulked or weren't interested as a result.

The club now either have to appoint the one man they know will slot in to exactly what they want - Holden, or take it on the chin, and go back tail between their legs to a previous candidate who wasn't as enamoured by the Mark Ashton Bristol City show and agree to make some serious concessions in order to get them.

Tough choice! Stuck between a rock and a hard place perhaps.

[Loosey Boy]

7 minutes ago, Sweeneys Penalties said:

++I'll hold him to that. Dont let us down Steve

Talks about “bringing someone new into the club” - that discounts Holden then!

[Tin Soldier]

3 hours ago, Red DNA said:

You assume they like YES men because it suits your opinion, in reality they’re businessmen and they like MONEY - which comes from success, just not at all costs risking the progress we’ve made in the last 10 years or so  

We always were just punters even back in the ‘60s when I first went AG, and it was the working class in the standing areas and business men (suits..) in the best seats in the ground.

They do consider fans opinions but they are the ones with the power and the responsibility to take us forward in the way they think is best for everyone - not just to suit a few classless kids painting on some scabby old bedsheets. 

With the current COVID situation many clubs are fearful of the unknown in respect of income and funds for transfers so as SL is a money man - who despite already ‘giving’ us millions , would probably prefer not to risk losing money at this time so I think it will be Dean Holden. 

Your assumptions do not stack up, so why did they sack Johnson so quickly??

With no replacement to come in, no final 3, not even a wish list it appears. A complete shambles of a selection process IMO. Holden will be on a hiding to nothing.

 

[Kingswood Robin]

 

Perhaps there's split in the dynasty !

[steviestevieneville]

1 hour ago, Numero Uno said:

When Lansdown went on Talksport and made the statements you refer to he clearly felt that the process to acquire the next manager was going to play out a lot differently than it has done to date otherwise he wouldn’t have made them. There was no confusion over what was said, he made clear what the plan was/is.

I can only think something has gone belly up in the interim and the club, knowing the reaction to the appointment of a member of backroom staff as manager, are literally dithering on what to do next.

I agree. I do wonder what those hold ups were. He would of known of wages wanted by Hughton through his agent . You get the feeling any stumbling block would be how much input into transfers he’d want 

[Med/MadHatter]

One of my concerns over a Dean Holden appointment is that if he has been given the job because of financial concerns, then surely we cannot expect any player signings this summer either, other than "ones for the future" etc etc

[M.D]

5 minutes ago, IAmNick said:

Yeah. I'm increasingly wondering if MA / JL went into the interviews, wide eyed and bushy tailed showing off the club, what they've put in place, and setting out their red lines for what they see as a well run and modern club.

A load of managers applied, saw the above, and basically baulked or weren't interested as a result.

The club now either have to appoint the one man they know will slot in to exactly what they want - Holden, or take it on the chin, and go back tail between their legs to a previous candidate who wasn't as enamoured by the Mark Ashton Bristol City show and agree to make some serious concessions in order to get them.

Tough choice! Stuck between a rock and a hard place perhaps.

I do hope Im wrong..

If I'm not then with Holden on the cards I hope they are thinking on how they can change the structure and put DH in place to tread water for a year and get through the financial worries of covid and move forward in a years time with a new infrastructure and letting real football people guide the club forward.

Time will tell but I do hope they realise now.

[Med/MadHatter]

Does anybody else think that when Steve gets interviews with national media that he becomes all starry eyed with the flush of passing celebrity then gets a bit carried away with his talking, or does he really believe that City will make the Premier league? 

[phantom]

14 minutes ago, Med/MadHatter said:

One of my concerns over a Dean Holden appointment is that if he has been given the job because of financial concerns, then surely we cannot expect any player signings this summer either, other than "ones for the future" etc etc

We were offering Steve G £50k pw five weeks ago, we are not short of money

7 minutes ago, Med/MadHatter said:

Does anybody else think that when Steve gets interviews with national media that he becomes all starry eyed with the flush of passing celebrity then gets a bit carried away with his talking, or does he really believe that City will make the Premier league? 

The answer to that question will be how often he pops up on BT sport over the coming weeks with Bristol in with a realistic chance of getting to the final

 

The other thing the longer into the week we go, it gives Holden time to come back from his holiday. Was the break planned or time for him to go and think about an offer on the table to him?

[southvillekiddy]

56 minutes ago, Street red said:

Holdens the one with the brown tongue

vile comment

[bcfc01]

15 minutes ago, phantom said:

We were offering Steve G £50k pw five weeks ago, we are not short of money

The answer to that question will be how often he pops up on BT sport over the coming weeks with Bristol in with a realistic chance of getting to the final

 

The other thing the longer into the week we go, it gives Holden time to come back from his holiday. Was the break planned or time for him to go and think about an offer on the table to him?

Nope - not according to Gerrard or his reps and the club contacted Rangers to say they had not contacted Gerrard or his reps.

Myth.

[ScottishRed]

10 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

Nope - not according to Gerrard or his reps and the club contacted Rangers to say they had not contacted Gerrard or his reps.

Myth.

Not so sure.

He was always going to say that if he was not interested.

The pressure up there is intense, if he said that his ‘people’ had spoke to another club he would be hounded out of Glasgow.

[bcfc01]

Just now, ScottishRed said:

Not so sure.

He was always going to say that if he was not interested.

The pressure up there is intense, if he said that his ‘people’ had spoke to another club he would be hounded out of Glasgow.

GMG resported that City contacted Rangers to assure them that no contact had been made.

[Chappers]

2 hours ago, steviestevieneville said:

How many times do people have to explain it.

we were in the midst of a global pandemic when LJ was sacked. Also in the middle of a pandemic when Steve Lansdown proclaimed he wanted a manger to take us to the next level and premier league football ASAP . Also during covid , he actively tried to prize Steven Gerrard from rangers and interview Chris Hughton .
He did all this knowing better than any of us how finances would be affected . 
So after raising expectations through the roof by HIS OWN actions . He’s now seemingly , not going to bother with a manager to take us to the next level at all , but one with no experience what so ever .

If you can’t understand why people are pissed off after all that then that’s a big worry.  

The pandemic response has changed significantly. When Lee was sacked it was slowly opening up the economy, trials of spectators at sport and ‘All over by Christmas’. Last week it changed to no further relaxation, sport trials postponed and looking for trade offs to open schools. They are also taking second spike more seriously and being a lot more cautious. 
This season is now looking very uncertain financially, and it may even be that a number of Championship clubs cannot afford to play behind closed door for too long. The appointment may well be dictated by events, caution and not wanting any kind of hefty long term financial commitment until there is some certainty for next season.

[redpole]

Can I just confirm, we are arguing, insulting fellow city fans on reports from the Evening Post that Holden is going to be manager. Have city confirmed this???? Is it going to happen???? A Evening Post reporter has stated that it will happen and everyone has turned on each other. Why?? Nothing has been confirmed yet. So why don’t we all wind our necks in and not insult each other! Let’s carry on the debate without insults?? There has been some great discussions about who next manager should be and why, let’s carry on.   
 

whoever gets the job, end of the day we know deep down we will get behind them cause end of the day it’s Bristol City and Bristol City is in our hearts no matter what. 

[Scrumpys Dietary Advisor..]

Undoubtedly, the top names on our list told the club that they would be the ones selecting players to be bought in and not MA who just gambles on getting a return with no thought of advancing the club

If we ever want to be taken seriously by better quality managers, we have to accept that they pick the players, after all, it's their reputation/job on the line...

As for COVID restrictions, given the strain that this is going to put on the rest of the championship, I would argue that we may NEVER have a better opportunity to get out of this division (the right end). One top quality managerial appointment could make all the difference so surely this is the time to splash the cash, get a top name in and give them control...

Trouble is, this goes back to the days when SL gave the manager his head and we ended up with a squad of about 50 odd that McInnes couldn't believe and SL said never again. 

Steve Lansdown, if you want a top manager, you have to trust them to know what they are doing and that they will buy the right players to do the job (and not adopt the scattergun principle that we currently use)...

 

[Dolman Block B]

12 minutes ago, redpole said:

Can I just confirm, we are arguing, insulting fellow city fans on reports from the Evening Post that Holden is going to be manager. Have city confirmed this???? Is it going to happen???? A Evening Post reporter has stated that it will happen and everyone has turned on each other. Why?? Nothing has been confirmed yet. So why don’t we all wind our necks in and not insult each other! Let’s carry on the debate without insults?? There has been some great discussions about who next manager should be and why, let’s carry on.   
 

whoever gets the job, end of the day we know deep down we will get behind them cause end of the day it’s Bristol City and Bristol City is in our hearts no matter what. 

Sadly I don’t think that will be the case if the club give DH the head coach job 

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

2 minutes ago, Scrumpys Dietary Advisor.. said:

Almost certainly the top names on our list told the club that they would be the ones selecting players to be bought in and not MA who just gambles on getting a return with no thought of advancing the club

If we ever want to be taken seriously by better quality managers, we have to accept that they pick the players, after all, it's their reputation/job on the line...

As for COVID restrictions, given the strain that this is going to put n the ret of the championship, I would argue that we may NEVER have a better opportunity to get out of this division (the right end). One top quality managerial appointment could make all the difference so surely this is the time to splash the cash, get a top name in and give them control...

Trouble is, this goes back to the days when SL gave the manager his head and we ended up with a squad of about 50 odd that McInnes couldn't believe and SL said never again. 

Steve Lansdown, if you want a top manager, you have to trust them to know what they are doing and that they will buy the right players to do the job (and not adopt the scattergun principle that we currently use)...

 

“Almost certainly”???

[Scrumpys Dietary Advisor..]

4 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

“Almost certainly”???

Ok, "undoubtedly" then...

[Mr Popodopolous]

1 hour ago, Med/MadHatter said:

One of my concerns over a Dean Holden appointment is that if he has been given the job because of financial concerns, then surely we cannot expect any player signings this summer either, other than "ones for the future" etc etc

I'm not expecting a great amount of incoming players tbh. I hope to be proven wrong

(Mind you I wonder if a new man, the right man would significantly minimise the need for significant incomings this season).

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

2 minutes ago, Scrumpys Dietary Advisor.. said:

Ok, "undoubtedly" then...

How about “Possibly...” ?

[ScottishRed]

21 minutes ago, Chappers said:

The pandemic response has changed significantly. When Lee was sacked it was slowly opening up the economy, trials of spectators at sport and ‘All over by Christmas’. Last week it changed to no further relaxation, sport trials postponed and looking for trade offs to open schools. They are also taking second spike more seriously and being a lot more cautious. 
This season is now looking very uncertain financially, and it may even be that a number of Championship clubs cannot afford to play behind closed door for too long. The appointment may well be dictated by events, caution and not wanting any kind of hefty long term financial commitment until there is some certainty for next season.

Utter nonsense.

Covid will affect all clubs BUT there is every chance that FFP will be amended short term.

We have the richest Englishman that owns a football club, do you really think that a mangers salary will be an issue?

Particulary after his comments when LJ was sacked.

[Scrumpys Dietary Advisor..]

4 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

How about “Possibly...” ?

No, I'm sticking with undoubtedly

2 minutes ago, ScottishRed said:

Utter nonsense.

Covid will affect all clubs BUT there is every chance that FFP will be amended short term.

We have the richest Englishman that owns a football club, do you really think that a mangers salary will be an issue?

Particulary after his comments when LJ was sacked.

Completely agree...

[Mr Popodopolous]

@Scrumpys Dietary Advisor..

Although another way of looking at it is that top or traditionally top managers at this level may find work at this level increasingly harder to come by, what with a combination of new club structures, FFP, possible salary caps and of course Covid.

If a new manager wants the final say hire manager, manager signs players for good money, results don't come and manager sacked. Rinse and repeat!

This doesn't fit with regulations such as FFP, salary caps or just the upheaval and instability of the old ways- how can it? Interesting to see how this develops during the coming years.

A salary cap @ScottishRed this is possible too. This would act as a significant spike on ambition/expenditure if introduced in 2020/21 to replace FFP.

This is still a live issue, which way will the vote go I wonder.

[ScottishRed]

1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

@Scrumpys Dietary Advisor..

Although another way of looking at it is that top or traditionally top managers at this level may find work at this level increasingly harder to come by, what with a combination of new club structures, FFP, possible salary caps and of course Covid.

If a new manager wants the final say hire manager, manager signs players for good money, results don't come and manager sacked. Rinse and repeat!

This doesn't fit with regulations such as FFP, salary caps or just the upheaval and instability of the old ways- how can it? Interesting to see how this develops during the coming years.

A salary cap @ScottishRed this is possible too. This would act as a significant spike on ambition if introduced in 2020/21 to replace FFP.

Fair comment @Mr Popodopolous But whilst that is not in place we need to get a top HC in place.

[Jacki]

1 hour ago, IAmNick said:

Yeah. I'm increasingly wondering if MA / JL went into the interviews, wide eyed and bushy tailed showing off the club, what they've put in place, and setting out their red lines for what they see as a well run and modern club.

A load of managers applied, saw the above, and basically baulked or weren't interested as a result.

The club now either have to appoint the one man they know will slot in to exactly what they want - Holden, or take it on the chin, and go back tail between their legs to a previous candidate who wasn't as enamoured by the Mark Ashton Bristol City show and agree to make some serious concessions in order to get them.

Tough choice! Stuck between a rock and a hard place perhaps.

Spot on and exactly my reading of the situation. 

[mozo]

34 minutes ago, Chappers said:

The pandemic response has changed significantly. When Lee was sacked it was slowly opening up the economy, trials of spectators at sport and ‘All over by Christmas’. Last week it changed to no further relaxation, sport trials postponed and looking for trade offs to open schools. They are also taking second spike more seriously and being a lot more cautious. 
This season is now looking very uncertain financially, and it may even be that a number of Championship clubs cannot afford to play behind closed door for too long. The appointment may well be dictated by events, caution and not wanting any kind of hefty long term financial commitment until there is some certainty for next season.

Another way to view this is to see it as an opportunity to speculate when the market is in paralysis. Now is the time that you get bargains, or that you can steal a march on clubs that are cutting their cloth in the way that you describe.

Look at how Chelsea, Man United and Man City are still going for it whilst other clubs back off.

[E.G.Red]

12 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

I'm not expecting a great amount of incoming players tbh. I hope to be proven wrong

(Mind you I wonder if a new man, the right man would significantly minimise the need for significant incomings this season

 

8 minutes ago, ScottishRed said:

Utter nonsense.

Covid will affect all clubs BUT there is every chance that FFP will be amended short term.

We have the richest Englishman that owns a football club, do you really think that a mangers salary will be an issue?

Particulary after his comments when LJ was sacked.

When SL made his comments the full impact of COVID hadn’t been fully realised. The losses both on and off the field have severely impacted the finances of the club. Not only crowds at football & the revenue from refreshments etc but the losses from the concerts and other corporate functions. Also no doubt SLs own finances have been impacted. Look at Arsenal who are making 53 staff redundant do you think Bristol City will be immune from the financial wake up call, and I think this may have an impact on the final choice of manager unless the salary is relatively low and then you get bonuses for top 6 & automatic promotion.