Bristol City’s 1-0 defeat to Cardiff shortly after the resumption of Championship football spelled the end of Lee Johnson’s 4 year stint in charge at Ashton Gate. Despite being popular with many Robins fans for his time as a player during his father Gary’s successful reign in the BS3 hotseat, many supporters on the red half of Bristol felt that the club, whilst secure in the Championship, was never going to challenge for promotion under Johnson.
The news of Johnson’s departure was met with a wave of optimism from fans, hoping that the next man in charge would be the one to take Bristol City into the top six of the Championship, and beyond. One name seemed to be on the lips of every City fan, a man by the name of Chris Hughton.
It’s easy to see why any Championship club would want Hughton, currently out of work, in charge of footballing affairs. His track record of getting clubs out of the division and into the Premier League is undeniable, and here is a club, with a very wealthy owner, recently redeveloped stadium and sizable fanbase which Hughton could copy and paste his winning formula on to. Surely, this was a match made in heaven and it was only a matter of time until the unveiling of Hughton, or another tried and tested Championship campaigner.
Fast forward to the 10th August 2020, some six weeks after that defeat in South Wales, and it was finally time for the club to announce the identity of the new boss. And it wasn’t Chris Hughton.
Instead, Bristol City had opted to appoint Dean Holden, former assistant to Johnson and caretaker manager since his departure, to his first ever job managing first team affairs. Judging by the mood on club forums and social media, news of the former Oldham and Chesterfield defenders appointment has not gone down well with a large number of supporters. Ahead of the announcement there was even a hastily constructed “Holden Out” banner spotted outside Ashton Gate Stadium. Stranger still, was the attitude displayed on the clubs official Youtube channel by Chairman Jon Lansdown and Chief Exec Mark Ashton, who immediately seemed to be on the defensive when interviewed about the appointment. Further awkwardness would be on display later that evening, when Ashton was interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol regarding the appointment.
Perhaps Bristol City have uncovered a future managerial gem, and only time will tell if they have or not. Normally, when a caretaker manager (or interim head coach, as the kids say these days) gets the full time gig, it'll be because of an upturn in form following their predecessors reign, however City's season ended with more of a whimper than a blaze of glory. To supporters, this looks like the club have gone for the cheap option, and is symptomatic of a lack of ambition from the top brass.
The news of Johnson’s departure was met with a wave of optimism from fans, hoping that the next man in charge would be the one to take Bristol City into the top six of the Championship, and beyond. One name seemed to be on the lips of every City fan, a man by the name of Chris Hughton.
It’s easy to see why any Championship club would want Hughton, currently out of work, in charge of footballing affairs. His track record of getting clubs out of the division and into the Premier League is undeniable, and here is a club, with a very wealthy owner, recently redeveloped stadium and sizable fanbase which Hughton could copy and paste his winning formula on to. Surely, this was a match made in heaven and it was only a matter of time until the unveiling of Hughton, or another tried and tested Championship campaigner.
Fast forward to the 10th August 2020, some six weeks after that defeat in South Wales, and it was finally time for the club to announce the identity of the new boss. And it wasn’t Chris Hughton.
Instead, Bristol City had opted to appoint Dean Holden, former assistant to Johnson and caretaker manager since his departure, to his first ever job managing first team affairs. Judging by the mood on club forums and social media, news of the former Oldham and Chesterfield defenders appointment has not gone down well with a large number of supporters. Ahead of the announcement there was even a hastily constructed “Holden Out” banner spotted outside Ashton Gate Stadium. Stranger still, was the attitude displayed on the clubs official Youtube channel by Chairman Jon Lansdown and Chief Exec Mark Ashton, who immediately seemed to be on the defensive when interviewed about the appointment. Further awkwardness would be on display later that evening, when Ashton was interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol regarding the appointment.
Perhaps Bristol City have uncovered a future managerial gem, and only time will tell if they have or not. Normally, when a caretaker manager (or interim head coach, as the kids say these days) gets the full time gig, it'll be because of an upturn in form following their predecessors reign, however City's season ended with more of a whimper than a blaze of glory. To supporters, this looks like the club have gone for the cheap option, and is symptomatic of a lack of ambition from the top brass.
Whilst City aren’t the biggest club in the Championship, the supporters frustration will stem from watching clubs of similar stature regularly grace the top six in the division, or enjoy stints in England’s top flight. It has been 40 years since the team, from one of the biggest cities in England, was amongst the elite, and the closest the Robins have been since was a 2008 Play Off Final defeat to Hull City.
In owner Steve Lansdown, City have one of the wealthiest owners in English football. Nobody can dispute that the club is in much better state than when he took it over, but supporters must feel, given his seeming unwillingness to personally fund player transfers, like they are being driven along the motorway in a Ferrari, by a very cautious driver who is happy to trundle onward at 50 mph.
Some may argue that the prudent way in which the club is being run is advisable given the absolute circus some clubs have turned themselves into by gambling unsustainable sums on players with little reward. Instead, the long term future of the club has been invested in, and it is thanks to Lansdown, who wrote off £71m of debts in 2019, that City supporters never had to endure points deductions for financial irregularities and haven’t had to worry about the clubs mere existence, since coming close to oblivion way back in 1982.
Given that we live in a day and age when most football clubs seem to be in a perpetual cycle of one crisis ending, and another beginning, most supporters would give their right arm for an owner that brings the same kind of stability that the Robins enjoy. Whilst it might not be the most exciting way to do business, perhaps playing it safe will eventually see City become a Premier League club as those around them falter. After all, legendary Formula One commentator Murray Walker wasn’t kidding when he remarked, “To finish first, first you have to finish.”
However, next seasons race for promotion may be the most unpredictable in recent memory. Staying with the racing car analogies for a moment, of the relegated clubs from the Premier League, one has a flat tyre and no driver, one doesn’t look like it’ll get out of second gear, and the other is driven by a madman. Meanwhile, the promotions of Leeds and West Brom leave the division lacking any traditionally huge clubs for the rest to compete with, whilst beaten Play Off semi finalists Swansea and Cardiff weren’t overly impressive this term, and serious questions remain over whether Brentford will be able to replicate or build on last seasons near miss.
With the door seemingly wide open for any one of a number of clubs to seize the opportunity, it seems all the more remarkable that Bristol City have appointed a boss without a track record of getting sides promoted. For a club of the Robins stature, it seems like this season would be the best year to push the boat out, spend a bit of extra money, without trying to go toe to toe financially with the giants of the English game that have found themselves in the Championship in recent seasons.
It of course remains to be seen whether Chris Hughton will be associated with a club in next seasons Championship promotion race. It seems perfectly plausible that a manager with his CV might not want to return to the second tier and stake their reputation on achieving something they’ve already achieved several times before. However if another Championship club can acquire the services of Hughton for next season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see bookmakers slashing odds on that club achieving a top six finish.
As for Dean Holden, everything I’ve read about him suggests he is a good coach and an even better person who deserves a slice of luck after going through some personal difficulties that we won’t be talking about here. However, if results at the start of the season are indifferent or worse, it will be interesting to see whether fans give him time to turn things around, or whether he will become a focal point for Robins supporters frustrations with the board’s slow and steady approach to running the club.
In owner Steve Lansdown, City have one of the wealthiest owners in English football. Nobody can dispute that the club is in much better state than when he took it over, but supporters must feel, given his seeming unwillingness to personally fund player transfers, like they are being driven along the motorway in a Ferrari, by a very cautious driver who is happy to trundle onward at 50 mph.
Some may argue that the prudent way in which the club is being run is advisable given the absolute circus some clubs have turned themselves into by gambling unsustainable sums on players with little reward. Instead, the long term future of the club has been invested in, and it is thanks to Lansdown, who wrote off £71m of debts in 2019, that City supporters never had to endure points deductions for financial irregularities and haven’t had to worry about the clubs mere existence, since coming close to oblivion way back in 1982.
Given that we live in a day and age when most football clubs seem to be in a perpetual cycle of one crisis ending, and another beginning, most supporters would give their right arm for an owner that brings the same kind of stability that the Robins enjoy. Whilst it might not be the most exciting way to do business, perhaps playing it safe will eventually see City become a Premier League club as those around them falter. After all, legendary Formula One commentator Murray Walker wasn’t kidding when he remarked, “To finish first, first you have to finish.”
However, next seasons race for promotion may be the most unpredictable in recent memory. Staying with the racing car analogies for a moment, of the relegated clubs from the Premier League, one has a flat tyre and no driver, one doesn’t look like it’ll get out of second gear, and the other is driven by a madman. Meanwhile, the promotions of Leeds and West Brom leave the division lacking any traditionally huge clubs for the rest to compete with, whilst beaten Play Off semi finalists Swansea and Cardiff weren’t overly impressive this term, and serious questions remain over whether Brentford will be able to replicate or build on last seasons near miss.
With the door seemingly wide open for any one of a number of clubs to seize the opportunity, it seems all the more remarkable that Bristol City have appointed a boss without a track record of getting sides promoted. For a club of the Robins stature, it seems like this season would be the best year to push the boat out, spend a bit of extra money, without trying to go toe to toe financially with the giants of the English game that have found themselves in the Championship in recent seasons.
It of course remains to be seen whether Chris Hughton will be associated with a club in next seasons Championship promotion race. It seems perfectly plausible that a manager with his CV might not want to return to the second tier and stake their reputation on achieving something they’ve already achieved several times before. However if another Championship club can acquire the services of Hughton for next season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see bookmakers slashing odds on that club achieving a top six finish.
As for Dean Holden, everything I’ve read about him suggests he is a good coach and an even better person who deserves a slice of luck after going through some personal difficulties that we won’t be talking about here. However, if results at the start of the season are indifferent or worse, it will be interesting to see whether fans give him time to turn things around, or whether he will become a focal point for Robins supporters frustrations with the board’s slow and steady approach to running the club.
Nice one. Captures the disappointment in many / the majority of fans’ eyes. I think it’s one that we now have to judge on what happens, not the theory or CV. Let’s see which players leave, which ones come in over the remainder of the window (still 2 months left!), and then how we play and the results we get in the first 6-10 games in that same period. Once the window is over, it’s down to Dean and his new assistants to manage what tools he’s been left with.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Sums the feelings of a lot of us up in a coherent way. I sincerely hope that Dean does turn out to be a gem.
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