‘THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO SUCH A HUGE FOOTBALL CLUB AS STOKE IS SUPER EXCITING FOR ME AS A COACH...’

Dean Holden has taken his second chance to join Stoke City’s coaching staff as Michael O’neill’s new assistant manager. He talks to about his career on the pitch, on the touchline and his hopes for success with the Potters...

DEAN Holden was in talks to join Michael O’neill’s coaching team last summer before he became manager at Bristol City. The former defender took his chance at Ashton Gate, where he had been assistant to Lee Johnson, and had seven enjoyable, challenging months at the helm where he had to deal with injuries, form, more injuries and everything else that comes with being in charge.

He left in February and O’neill sounded him out again and the opportunity has now come as a replacement for Billy Mckinlay, who had been weighing up his long-term future at the club as he is based in the south.

So Holden is an assistant again, fresh from a rare seven-week break during the 25 years he has spent in football, and back on the grass helping to prepare Stoke for tomorrow’s visit of Preston (12.30pm).

“It’s come full circle in the sense that I actually met up with Michael last summer and had a conversation about joining Stoke City then as part of his coaching staff,” he said. “Within a couple of days, Bristol City had offered me the head coach role.

“I spoke to Michael and he agreed it was too good an opportunity to turn down, for a young coach to be head coach at a fantastic club. Luckily he didn’t hold that against me.

“Then we came here on the second day of the season. I thought Stoke played well that day, but we got a good result from it.

“When I lost my job six or seven weeks ago we got back in touch and we talked about the possibility of maybe working together again at some point. When Billy left it happened really quickly.

“I couldn’t wait to get down here. I’d had six or seven weeks at home reflecting on the madness of this last 12 months and as well as some great time spent with my wife and kids I couldn’t wait to get back in. To have the opportunity to come to such a huge football club is super exciting.”

Holden has been a youth coach, first-team coach, assistant manager and manager over the past few years since hanging up his boots.

He is sure he will be a better number two for what he has been through this season.

“Being an assistant for three or four years under Lee Johnson to then walk in those shoes for seven months as a manager is the best experience you could possibly have,” he said. “I have no doubt that I’ll be a better assistant manager and more well equipped for this job having done that.

“To have an insight into what goes into the life of a manager 24/7 is fascinating. The amount of things that are on your mind from picking a team to having to talk to the owners, media and agents is relentless.

“That’s why you need good support staff around you to be able to delegate and trust. That’s what I had at Bristol City and hopefully it’s what Michael feels he has here.

“The most important thing for me is that, second day in today, I’ve been made to feel so welcome. From the guy on the security gate to reception there is a family feel about the place and there’s a buzz about the place.

“There’s a good set of players here and I’m looking forward to get working with some good youngsters. It helps when the sun’s shining as it is at the moment.

“It’s important now that we finish the season strongly and try to get some momentum going into next year. It’s been such a transitional season.”

Holden had been with Bristol City for the best part of five years and if getting the boot isn’t nice, he is making sure he learns from what he did well or otherwise.

Not that you would necessarily know when he was down and when he was thrilled.

He said: “People look at me at parties and ask what’s wrong when I might be having the time of my life. My face doesn’t naturally always give that impression.

“I’d like to think I’m quite level headed, always have been. When we score I can lose it for a few seconds, but I try not to get too high or too low. I try to take it all in my stride. It was such a great learning experience.

“I didn’t see it like that, I saw it as my next opportunity. But looking back in hindsight, to be given seven months in that role – if you don’t learn from those experiences you’re an idiot.

“The phone was mad for a week and then it went quiet for about a month and that’s when I got to work. I wrote a lot down, trying to go deep into everything from the first day in the job to the last day. What did I do well, what could I do better?

“That’s an ongoing process and hopefully it all leads to honest reflection and trying to be better at your job. I’m not a guy who thinks he’ll have all the answers all the time but I’ll certainly strive to get them if I’ve not got them.

“Hopefully that sets me up well as an assistant to Michael and working with Rory (Delap) and the other guys.”

It will be a new important partnership on the touchline at Stoke – and they will still be getting to know each other better too.

Holden said: “A couple of times when I was playing up in Scotland and I was doing a Uefa pro licence up in Glasgow and Michael was one of the people who came in and did a guest presentation, along with Sir Clive Woodward and Alistair Campbell.

“Michael did a brilliant one on his experience with the Euros and his success with Northern Ireland, showing some of the data behind it and how he got a country to believe, I suppose, from being where he were