Former Wanderer Dean Holden has revealed why he decided to take on an interesting challenge in Turkey.
Holden was hired assistant manager of Adana Demirspor earlier this year, following a stint with Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia. It was a difficult task to take on, with the team languishing at the foot of the table after a string of point deductions and off-field concerns. However, Holden saw it as an opportunity to test himself in difficult conditions, and he believes it will only help him better.
“I just felt that I could probably accelerate my learning far quicker coming here than going back to England,” he told Sky Sports at the time. “Many others were asking, ‘Are you sure you want to go there?’ I understand when they look at the table and see a club with zero points and major problems. “My next possible club may look at the victory rate and just perceive a negative. I saw the other side of things.
“I wanted to put myself in the most challenging circumstances possible. Will it work in another language? Can I make an impact? “Being brief and straightforward is essential when working with a translation. It’s all about making a connection with the player.” Holden previously managed Oldham, Bristol City, and Charlton before joining Al-Ettifaq to work with Gerrard, with whom he had played as a youth. “Steven’s career went one way, but mine, regrettably, went the opposite. “I had a career ahead of me with Jay-Jay Okocha, Bruno N’Gotty, Fernando Hierro, and Ivan Campo,” he reflected.
“Then I shattered my leg a week before the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium in 2000. I had it rebroken since it did not heal correctly.” The 45-year-old still has managerial ambitions and is ready to expand on his extensive expertise in the game. “I enjoy watching Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth; the way they play excites me. “The Premier League is all about possession, but that’s not the football I grew up watching and enjoying,” he said. “I’ll never forget playing with John Sheridan, and anytime he passed it, he’d ask, ‘Can you score?’
“I used to wonder what he was talking about, but now I’m so upset when I watch a midfielder who has the ability to put someone through on goal but prefers to go sideways. Much of modern football is like that. I know Russell Martin well, and he has been really helpful to me. When you see Vincent Kompany move from Burnley to Bayern Munich, you can understand why managers do it. But I always come back to, ‘Can you score?’ “Players prefer simple messages; I want runners in behind to provide room for the No.10. When we lose the ball, let’s go press and suffocate them.” Almost every drill is about a two-second reaction. I want to see a team that truly pursues the enemy.”
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