Bristol City have announced that Dean Holden, who took charge of the club on an interim basis following Lee Johnson's sacking back in the beginning of July, has been appointed as the club's manager on a permanent basis.
A club statement read:
"Bristol City are delighted to unveil Dean Holden as the club’s head coach.
Following a thorough selection process, Holden has been selected to lead the Robins and will take formal charge of the team when they report for pre-season training on Tuesday (August 11th). The 40-year-old took over in a caretaker capacity for the final five games of the 2019/20 season and City Chief Executive Mark Ashton said: “We are delighted to announce Dean as Bristol City’s head coach. We undertook a rigorous recruitment process and, while that rightly took time because of how important it was, we believe we have made the correct decisions about the head coach and the coaching structure.” Holden will be assisted by Keith Downing and Paul Simpson, who have more than 40 years coaching experience between them at all levels of the game. Downing (right) joins from the Football Association where he led England Under-19s to victory in the 2017 European Championship, while Simpson (left) steered England to victory in the Under 20s World Cup the same year.
Ashton added: “Dean has a clear vision of how he wants to take us forward and we believe that, along with the addition of Keith and Paul, we will have a coaching team that can deliver that vision. Everyone involved with the club should be excited about this next chapter for Bristol City.”
The appointment continues a four-year association with City for Holden, who said: “I am honoured to take on the role of head coach - it’s a very proud moment for me and my family. I’m excited about this opportunity and I’m delighted that the Board have selected me.
“I want to say we will go into every game wanting to win with attacking and exciting football. That’s what fans want. I know what it’s like to be a supporter. I love that our supporters care and are so passionate. I know what that’s like - it’s important to them and rightly so. I spent all my money as a kid following my team around the country home and away.
“What you see is what you get with me. I’ll be honest with the players, staff and the fans and I’ll graft as hard as I can to bring success to this football club.”