Pressley named Dundee head coach after Brentford exit

Steven Pressley has been appointed as the Scottish Premiership club’s new head coach, replacing former Coventry City and Falkirk City manager.

The former Scotland international left Brentford last week after four years as the club’s head of individual player development, claiming it was time for a “new challenge.”

Only on Sunday did it become clear that Linfield had permission to speak with Dundee after his 10-year reign as the Irish Premiership side’s sixth league champion.

Former St Mirren assistant David Longwell has also joined the club as a technical manager with a focus on player development as part of a restructuring of the Dens Park football department. He left after the season as caretaker manager with National League side Fylde.

According to Dundee, Pressley “brings with him a shared core value of player development and a rounded approach to winning football” with managing director John Nelms adding that he “broughs a shared core value of player development and a rounded approach to winning football.”

At the end of the 2004-2005 season, Pressley took his first steps into management as caretaker for two games while he was still a player with Heart of Midlothian. In February 2008, he was appointed Scotland manager George Burley’s assistant.

In his first position as full-time manager, he suffered relegation with Falkirk, but he then helped Coventry avoid relegation in League One despite the club becoming a bankrupt.

After a poor run of form, he was eventually fired, and he held the positions of league two leaders Carlisle United, Fleetwood Town, and Pafos, a Cypriot top-flight club.

Nelms stated on his club website that Steven will be installing a framework that delivers on the message that the senior players and the development players make a cohesive unit.

David comes to us with a distinguished history of helping both players along the border develop as well as north.

With the amount of young emerging talent, it is crucial that the football department’s restructuring will emphasize this even more. “Player development has always been at the forefront of our club.

Working closely with technical director Gordon Strachan and head coach Steven Pressley will be his main priority, according to Pressley. Within the first team setup, David will also play additional roles.

Longwell has worked for St. Mirren, Orlando, New York, Shrewsbury Town, and Burnley as an academy manager.

He took over as caretaker manager for Shrewsbury and Fylde in February as they began to lose ground after five months as an assistant to St Mirren. From December 2014, he took over the position.