Dean Holden: 'I was a dead man walking as soon as I refused to resign after Charlton Athletic takeover talks collapsed'

Former Addicks boss admits he was 'on the floor' after his 2023 dismissal

Dean Holden is now, after Hull City’s 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday, a Premier League coach.

But 33 months earlier the Mancunian admits he was left “on the floor” after being sacked by Charlton Athletic.

Holden was the first managerial casualty of the 2023-24 EFL campaign. The Addicks squeezed to a 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient on the opening day but lost their next five matches, including a 3-1 reverse at Newport County in the EFL Cup. Charlton confirmed on August 27 that they had parted company with Holden, assistant Danny Senda and goalkeeping coach Glyn Shimell.

Dean Holden/Picture: Paul Edwards

Holden then had a spell as a coach for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq, managed at the time by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, before taking on an assistant role at Turkish club Adana Demirspor.

The 46-year-old returned to the English game at the start of July 2025, accepting an assistant head coach role working under Sergej Jakirovic, also freshly appointed, at Hull City.

That decision paid off handsomely as the Tigers, despite the constraints of a transfer embargo, sealed a return to England’s elite division for the first time since 2017.

But Holden, speaking to South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition earlier this week, can still vividly remember the heartbreak he felt when he lost his job in SE7.

“You roll with the punches,” he said. “I’ve done it my whole life, to be honest. I obviously made some good decisions after leaving Charlton which have led me now to the Premier League.