Dirk Heesen appointed First Team Coach

Dutchman joins Hasselbaink & Oldfield as part of new-look managerial set-up

Heesen will be in the dug-out for Brighton match tonight (Tuesday)

QPR are pleased to confirm the appointment of Dirk Heesen as the club’s new First Team Coach.





The 46 year-old Dutchman joins Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s new-look backroom staff with immediate effect, and will be in the dug-out alongside the R’s gaffer and Assistant Manager David Oldfield for the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday evening.





A delighted Hasselbaink told www.qpr.co.uk: “I know Dirk from Holland. He has been a manager with FC Oss there and did really well with them. Last year he was a coach in the top league in Holland with Willem II, and then he moved to work in China.





“He has been a coach for 14 years so has a lot of experience.





“He used to play as a centre half, and I wanted to bring someone in who has been a defender. I wanted that contrast in the backroom team, that different way of thinking.





“But that does not mean he is a defensive coach, he isn’t. He just has that different way of thinking, which is good for us. You need that contrast. At times, they come with different questions, and that is important.





“I am really looking forward to him working with us, and pushing the players.”





A seasoned performer in the Dutch leagues during his playing days, Heesen represented a number of clubs, most prominently ADO Den Haag, for whom he made over 250 appearances.





He turned his hand to coaching in 2002, firstly as Assistant Coach at FC Oss. In February 2010, Heesen was promoted into the top job, before spending further spells at Team WCS and Willem II.





Prior to his arrival at Loftus Road, he spent time in China with Guangzhou Evergrande.





We’ll catch up with our new First Team Coach over the coming days, but in the meantime – welcome, Dirk!





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