Bristol City sack trio following Holden appointment
McAllister made 210 appearances for the Robins as a player
Written by Simon Austin — August 14, 2020
BRISTOL CITY have sacked Assistant Manager Jamie McAllister, Head of Analysis Sam Stanton and Senior Analyst Luke Coles following the appointment of their new managerial team earlier this week.
On Monday, the Robins announced that Dean Holden was stepping up from assistant to succeed Lee Johnson as manager.
His assistants are Paul Simpson and Keith Downing, who have moved over from the Football Association, where they enjoyed great success with the England age group teams.
McAllister made 210 appearances as a defender for City before becoming their Youth Development Phase lead in October 2015. In March 2017 he was promoted to become Johnson’s assistant.
Chief Executive Mark Ashton said: “Macca gave fantastic service as a player and a coach and was part of some special moments for this club. We are all grateful for what he has done for Bristol City and we would like to wish him all the best for the future.”
Stanton joined in September 2013 when the club were in the lower reaches of League One, helping them to build one of the best analysis departments outside of the Premier League.
In an interview in March 2019, Holden said Stanton was “as vital a member (of the team) as the star player.”
Coles, who also works as a performance analyst for the Wales national team, had served in Stanton's department for the last four years.
City have now undergone significant changes to their backroom staff in each of the last five seasons, despite the fact that Johnson had been the third longest-serving manager in the Football League before his departure in July following four-and-a-half years at the club.
He was replaced by Holden, who had five caretaker games in charge (two wins, two draws and one defeat) at the end of 2019/20.
In June 2019, Head of Sports Science Rhys Carr and goalkeeping coach David Coles were sacked. The previous summer, Head Physio Steve Allen left after almost five years and in March 2017 it was assistant John Pemberton who exited. In March 2016, Director of Football Keith Burt was fired.
City returned for pre-season training this week with Simpson and Downing taking lead roles on the grass. Simpson had worked for the FA since October 2016, when he had joined them as a national specialist coach.
In February 2017, he was appointed England U20s boss and led them to a World Cup triumph later that year. Downing joined the FA in July 2015 and took over the U19s in August 2016, going on to win the Euros a year later.
