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While we all are awaiting the return of “The Special One”, another very special manager is coming back to the Premiership. The top flight of English football was dull last year. The Championship race was one-sided, the relegation battle was virtually non-existent and no one really sparkled up those press conferences.
With Jose Mourinho, Paulo di Canio and good old Ian Holloway in the mix, at least the last pointer will be different this year.
Ian Holloway is not as sophisticated as Jose Mourinho but he is just as good when it comes to pressers if not better. He speaks what he wants and when he wants without much consideration.
In 2010-11, Holloway managed to bring Blackpool to the Premier League after winning the Championship Playoffs. On their first game in the Premier League, Blackpool thrashed Wigan 4-0 and that too away from home. Like Blackpool’s bright orange shirt, Holloway’s persona too was bright and outspoken.
He was very firm on certain issues. For instance, when asked about his opinion on whether the players should be booked for taking off their shirts during a goal celebration, he said “They enjoy it and the young ladies enjoy it too. Of course they’d have to go and watch another game because my lads are as ugly as sin”.
When Holloway took over Crystal Palace, a lot of the Premier League fans were hoping that they would get promoted. And so they did, through the finals of the Championship playoffs after finishing 6th in the second division.
Holloway is someone who just talks what he things straight out. He is someone who tells you that he is feeling sad because he won’t make as much money as before after getting relegated. He is someone who tells you that a fellow manager looks like a Toad from a cartoon. He is someone who can directly quote that that the FA are cavemen for not using the technology. I only wish that these were made up. He has in fact said these things.
More than anything Ian Holloway is a man who can take things with a hint of humor. Many of our managers have become polite, politically correct businessmen these days. But not Holloway. When his former team’s fans blamed that he was the reason that their club did so badly, Holloway replied “Apparently it’s my fault that the Titanic sank.”
Holloway is so awesome that he uses excellent analogies to explain things to people. When he thought that the January transfer window was idiotic, he commented that “When my wife’s shopping, we need some milk and bread on a regular basis. We can’t but it all at the start and then wait until January, because it would go off!”.
You would think that after all this, he might be the master of subtlety. When he was managing QPR a few years back, Holloway said “In my playing days we had some right good looking b**tards, but this lot are the worst I’ve ever seen. They all look like dogs.”
Now, I will no longer switch off my television after the match gets over. The real entertainment starts after the 90 minutes. Win or lose, you always do come up with something mind boggling.
Here’s to the man with incredible wit and courage. The premiership has missed you. Welcome back Ollie!
