Opinion: Charlton Athletic should consider rivalling Sheffield United and Brentford for coach’s services | OneFootball

Dean Holden is currently one of the favourites to replace Ben Garner as Charlton Athletic manager according to Alex Crook at talkSPORT.

The 43-year-old has been out of work since leaving Stoke City earlier this season, where he had been working under Michael O’Neill and oversaw one match in caretaker charge following the Northern Irishman’s sacking.

Brentford and Sheffield United have been trying to bring Holden onto their coaching staff according to MailOnline, which would suggest it would be something of a coup to bring him to The Valley, given the admirers he has in higher places.

Holden is unproven as the main figure in the dugout, brief stints at Oldham Athletic and Bristol City do not reveal enough about his managerial ability to pass sweeping judgments, but his experience as a coach arguably trumps that of Ben Garner’s, and his appointment could address growing relegation fears in SE7.

The Addicks have undergone a major change stylistically this season, with Garner implementing a more possession-based brand of football, completely different to Johnnie Jackson’s direct methods last term, potentially making the task of a new manager slightly more difficult, inheriting a group of players assembled by several managers to play a range of styles.

That said, Holden’s background has been so varied, that his adaptability to the situation could be a strength, having for instance been assistant manager to Lee Johnson and Michael O’Neill who do not play similar styles of football, while gaining the admiration of someone like Thomas Frank, who again has different ideas when it comes to style of play.

Quiz: What shirt number are these 25 current Charlton Athletic players?

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CRAIG MACGILLIVRAY

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The Addicks could benefit from Holden’s desire to be a number one again, when it would seem that he could be plying his trade higher up the English football ladder, but as a coach rather than a manager.

It will be interesting to see if the club can get this one over the line, given the unusual circumstances behind the scenes that Holden would have to crack on in with and the quality of the squad he would inherit, compared to the likes of Sheffield United and Brentford.

If the Addicks get their next managerial appointment wrong, a relegation battle against dropping to League Two is on the cards, and with that in mind, Holden’s EFL experience could be very important in ensuring that matters do not get worse on the pitch in the short term.

He is possibly the best appointment that Addicks supporters can hope for, given the significant decrease in the appeal of the job in recent years.