Bristol City fans have installed 'Ashton Out' and 'Holden No' banners outside Ashton Gate after it was reported yesterday that Dean Holden was the frontrunner to take charge of the club permanently. 

It has been a month since Lee Johnson was sacked by the Robins after defeat to Cardiff City and a permanent replacement is yet to be appointed.

A string of names have been linked to the job, such as Chris Hughton, ex-Wigan boss Paul Cook, and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, but Gregor MacGregor from the Bristol Post reported yesterday that Holden – who was Johnson's assistant and became the caretaker boss for the last few weeks of the season – is the preferred candidate.

That news has drawn some furious reactions from City with many taking to Twitter to voice their frustrations and others taking action by installing banners outside the ground.

The banners call for Holden not to be handed the permanent job and for owner Steve Lansdown to sack CEO Mark Ashton.

Ashton was appointed by the Robins in January 2016, soon after the sacking of Steve Cotterill and not long before Johnson was brought in.

With the start of the Championship season just five weeks away, you'd imagine the Robins will look to put an end to the uncertainty soon.

Can you remember the score from each of these 12 Bristol City matches from the 2019/20 season?

 

 

The Verdict 

City's manager search has dragged on for a month now. That is perhaps understandable as the club look to make the right choice at what could be a pivotal moment for them but to turn to the caretaker boss after all that time seems strange.

The 2020/21 Championship looks wide open and I can understand the frustration from these Robins fans because appointing Holden feels like a missed opportunity and a disappointing choice.

That's not to say he won't be a success but rather that with the likes of Cook and Hughton thought to be in the running, the BS3 outfit look to have missed out on a chance to install a proven boss that could help them take the next step.

This amount of unrest before the manager has even been appointed does not bode well moving forward, that is for sure.