Holloway On The Move

[mrtoad]

IAN HOLLOWAY RESIGN

Ian Holloway has resigned as Plymouth Argyle manager, the club have confirmed.

It is believed the 44-year-old is having talks with Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric today about taking over at the Walkers Stadium. Holloway's resignation was confirmed in a statement on the club's website.

It reads: "Plymouth Argyle confirm that Ian Holloway has tendered his resignation as manager of the club. "The club has convened a board meeting for Friday this week where this will be considered. "In the meantime, Ian continues to be employed by the club and subject to the terms of his contract of employment. "No further comment will be made pending the board meeting this Friday."

Source: Western Morning News

Oh well, looks like he is off to Leicester at last.

[mrtoad]

HOLLOWAY EXIT FEARS

Western Morning News

11:00 - 21 November 2007

Plymouth Argyle could be on the brink of searching for a new manager for the fourth time in under four years. The Home Park club might be about to lose Ian Holloway to their Coca-Cola Championship rivals, Leicester City.

There was mounting evidence yesterday that the Pilgrims' boss had become the Foxes' first choice to replace former Argyle player Gary Megson as their manager, despite denials from both clubs on Monday.

Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric and his counterpart at Plymouth, Paul Stapleton, were quick to refute a claim made two days ago by BBC Radio Five Live that Holloway was on the brink of leaving the Pilgrims and taking charge at the Walkers Stadium. However, Argyle supporters have learned from bitter experience not to put total faith in such comments.

Back in March 2004, the Pilgrims saw Paul Sturrock walk out of the Home Park manager's office to take the helm at Southampton. Prior to the Scotsman's switch to the Hampshire side, media reports which had correctly named the Scot as the Saints' target had been denied by the Devon club.

Sturrock's successor, Bobby Williamson, survived until September 2005, when he was fired by the Pilgrims. Tony Pulis was Argyle's next manager, but he stuck around for even less time than Williamson did.

Pulis was tempted away from Home Park when the chance to return to his previous club, Stoke City, cropped up in June last year. That was when Holloway arrived at Argyle, but fans of the Pilgrims are now fearful that the Bristolian's stay in Devon might be coming to an end after only 17 months.

Holloway has been linked with Leicester, who are seeking their third manager of the season, on more than one occasion prior to this week's frenzy of speculation. There was also a report in a national newspaper earlier this month which claimed that the Bristolian was unhappy at Home Park because of the Pilgrims' bleak financial circumstances.

That story was vehemently denied by the Argyle boss, but this week he has been unavailable for comment about reports in the national media which have claimed that he might be on his way to Leicester. The rebuttal of Monday's BBC story which was issued by the chairmen of both the Foxes and the Pilgrims did little to diminish the impression that Stapleton might have to start yet another hunt for a manager sooner rather than later.

Although Mandaric has denied making an official approach for Holloway, several national newspapers published reports yesterday which claimed that Leicester and Plymouth have been holding informal talks over the amount of compensation which Argyle would receive for the loss of their manager. If the stories have any foundation, it seems that the Pilgrims can expect to be paid between £230,000 and £250,000 if the Bristolian does jump ship.

The reports in the national media also suggested that an annual salary of £400,000 - a big improvement on his Home Park pay - is on offer to Holloway from the Foxes. So is the promise of substantial funds to spend on players in the transfer market. So far this year the Argyle manager has been given more financial backing than any of his predecessors have over a similar period of time, but the Pilgrims' outlay on salaries and transfer fees is still paltry compared to the spending power of many of their Championship rivals.

Argyle have had five managers so far this century, but that total is less than the number of bosses Leicester have been through. Since Martin O'Neill left the East Midlands outfit in June 2000, the Foxes have had seven chiefs - not counting caretakers. They have seen two leave the club this season already: Martin Allen and Megson.

The sudden departure of Megson to Bolton Wanderers last month has led to the latest vacancy at the Walkers Stadium. Yesterday, former Portsmouth chairman Mandaric told the Leicester Mercury: "Even if I was interested in any manager with a club, I would not mention his name because that would upset things there. I have not even made an official approach to any club to ask permission to speak to anyone."

The City chairman has reportedly interviewed three managers who are without a club at present - Graeme Souness, Jean Tigana and Joe Royle - but that trio no longer seem to be in contention. Former Wigan Athletic boss Paul Jewell also ruled himself out of the running.

"Hopefully I can get this done by the weekend," Mandaric added. "It is important to get the right guy, but there is not a lot of choice at the moment."

Neither Holloway nor Argyle's assistant manager, Tim Breacker, were present at Harper's Park when the Pilgrims' first-team squad returned to training yesterday morning after a long weekend away from work.

Breacker was on his way to Kent, where he watched Argyle midfielder Dan Gosling in action for England's Under-18 side in a friendly against Ghana at Gillingham. Holloway is understood to have made a brief visit to Home Park yesterday morning, after which he is believed to have held discussions with Stapleton.

In the absence of Holloway and Breacker, Argyle coaches Des Bulpin and Geoff Crudgington plus physiotherapist Paul Maxwell took charge of yesterday morning's training session. The word from within the camp was that the Pilgrims' players were saddened and dismayed at the possibility of another change of management at the club. None of the club's players or staff were prepared to speak on the record about the speculation, however.

There was no official comment on the situation yesterday from Stapleton or anybody at Home Park, nor from anyone at Leicester City. If Holloway does leave Plymouth, speculation about a return to Argyle for Sturrock - now in charge of financially troubled Swindon Town - would be inevitable.

Well, I for one would not be in the least bit suprised to see Sturrock return, although I fear it may be a backward step. Managers going back for a second time are not know for being very succesful, e.e Howard Kendall - Everton, Mike Walker - Norwich.

Anyway, it's becoming an interestiung couple of weeks with all the managerial moves.

[mrbojangles]

I've seen Holloway on Soccer Am (SkySports) loads of times, he's absolutely barmy. A cracking sense of humour, i'm sure the lads at Plymouth will miss him.

[mrtoad]

I've seen Holloway on Soccer Am (SkySports) loads of times, he's absolutely barmy. A cracking sense of humour, i'm sure the lads at Plymouth will miss him.

He's totally barking MrBoj, I think he'll do a great job at Leicewster, but it's a real shame for PLymouth that he has gone, as they were starting to inch up the championship, and they really do have the potential in terms of support to get into the EPL, when you compare them against the likes of Wigan, Blackburn, Reading, Derby.

In the end, obviously the financila package was too good to turn down, and if he wants to secure his future then you can't blame him. I'm pretty certain if results weren't going well the club wouldn't remain loyal.

[mrtoad]

MrBoj, here's a few of his quotes,

I'm as chuffed as a badger at the beginning of the mating season."

"To put it in gentleman's terms if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, some weeks they're good looking and some weeks they're not the best. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She weren't the best looking lady we ended up taking home but she was very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much, let's have a coffee"

- on the "ugly" win against Chesterfield. This is perhaps Holloway's most famous quote.

"It's like the film Men in Black. I walk around in a black suit, white shirt and black tie where I've had to flash my white light every now and again to erase some memories, but I feel we've got hold of the galaxy now. It's in our hands."

- Holloway on QPR's financial situation.

"It was lucky that the linesman wasn't stood in front of me as I would have poked him with a stick to make sure he was awake."

- Holloway states his opinion about the linesman's performance in a game against Bristol City.

"I call us the Orange club - because our future's bright!"

- on QPR's potential.

"He's been out for a year and Richard Langley is still six months away from being Richard Langley, and I could do with a fully fit Richard Langley."

- on midfielder Richard Langley's injury rehabilitation.

"It's all very well having a great pianist playing but it's no good if you haven't got anyone to get the piano on the stage in the first place, otherwise the pianist would be standing there with no bloody piano to play."

- after being criticised for using defensive players in midfield.

"I am a football manager. I can't see into the future. Last year I thought I was going to Cornwall on my holidays but I ended up going to Lyme Regis."

- asked whether QPR would be able to beat Manchester City.

"You can say that strikers are very much like postmen: they have to get in and out as quick as they can before the dog starts to have a go."

"I always say that scoring goals is like driving a car. When the striker is going for goal, he's pushing down that accelerator, so the rest of the team has to come down off that clutch. If the clutch and the accelerator are down at the same time, then you are going to have an accident."

"I've got to knock that horrible smell out of my boys, because they smell of complacency."

"I have such bad luck at the moment that if I fell in a barrel of boobs I'd come out sucking my thumb."

"Every dog has its day, and today is woof day! Today I just want to bark!"

- Holloway after securing promotion to the Championship.

"When my wife first saw Marc for the first time, she said he was a fine specimen of a man. She says I have nothing to worry about, but I think she wants me to buy her a QPR shirt with his name on the back for Christmas."

- on QPR's new Danish striker Marc Nygaard.

"Paul Furlong is my vintage Rolls Royce and he cost me nothing. We polish him, look after him, and I have him fine tuned by my mechanics. We take good care of him because we have to drive him every day, not just save him for weddings."

- on veteran striker Paul Furlong.

"We need a big, ugly defender. If we had one of them we'd have dealt with County's first goal by taking out the ball, the player and the first three rows of seats in the stands."

- after a defeat against Notts County.

"You never count your chickens before they hatch. I used to keep parakeets and I never counted every egg thinking I would get all eight birds. You just hoped they came out of the nest box looking all right. I'm like a swan at the moment. I look fine on top of the water but under the water my little legs are going mad."

"There was a spell in the second half when I took my heart off my sleeve and put it in my mouth."

"I don't see the problem with footballers taking their shirts off after scoring a goal? They enjoy it and the young ladies enjoy it too. I suppose thats one of the main reasons women come to football games, to see the young men take their shirts off. Of course they'd have to go and watch another game because my lads are as ugly as sin."

- about the new rule restricting footballers from removing their shirts during a match.

"Sometimes when you aim for the stars, you hit the moon."

"I believe in what I am doing totally and once people speak to me they do too - I could sell snow to the Eskimos."

"We've got a good squad and we're going to cut our cloth accordingly, but I think the cloth that we've got could make some good soup, if that makes any sense".

- Despite popular belief, Holloway was in fact misquoted as saying "soup" but actually said "suit".

"I want to try and spread the support with my Bristol connection. Rovers are in the bottom division so why can't I try and convert some of them into Argyle fans? We're in the West Country so it's not that far away. Only two and a half hours away in a slow car, an hour and a half in a fast one - or 10 minutes in a rocket! As long as you aimed it right, you'd be down here really quickly. Don't land it on the pitch, though, because you'd ruin it!"

"It was a bit cheeky wasn't it? But I don't think it was that bad. It would have been worse if he'd turned round and dropped the front of his shorts instead. I don't think there's anything wrong with a couple of butt cheeks personally. (...) If anybody's offended by seeing a backside, get real. Maybe they're just jealous that he's got a real nice tight one, with no cellulite or anything."

- on Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton mooning Everton fans

"Hasney's bust his hooter. He can smell round corners now."

- on an injury sustained by central defender Hasney Aljofree

""Sir David Beckham? You're having a laugh. He's just a good footballer with a famous bird. Can you imagine if Posh was called Lady Beckham? We'd never hear the end of it!"

- on rumours about a possible knighthood for David Beckham.

"If I was in there I wouldn't try to be everybody's friend. I'd have to say 'Excuse me, hang on a minute, I think you're wrong there. Don't raise your voice at her like that, don't get like that. It's just an Oxo cube, we got it wrong and we're all in this together'. It's like the Witches of Eastwick. They need Jack Nicholson to come in and sort them right out."

- on the bullying of Shilpa Shetty on Celebrity Big Brother 2007.

"We threw everything at them. The kitchen sink, golf clubs, emptied the garage and threw it at them. Unfortunately, it was not enough, but at least my garage is tidy."

- after Argyle's defeat to Watford in the FA Cup quarter-final, 2007.

[mrbojangles]

"I have such bad luck at the moment that if I fell in a barrel of boobs I'd come out sucking my thumb."

"I don't see the problem with footballers taking their shirts off after scoring a goal? They enjoy it and the young ladies enjoy it too. I suppose thats one of the main reasons women come to football games, to see the young men take their shirts off. Of course they'd have to go and watch another game because my lads are as ugly as sin."

- about the new rule restricting footballers from removing their shirts during a match.

"Hasney's bust his hooter. He can smell round corners now."

- on an injury sustained by central defender Hasney Aljofree

"We threw everything at them. The kitchen sink, golf clubs, emptied the garage and threw it at them. Unfortunately, it was not enough, but at least my garage is tidy."

- after Argyle's defeat to Watford in the FA Cup quarter-final, 2007.

Brilliant, especially these

[chavy]

"I have such bad luck at the moment that if I fell in a barrel of boobs I'd come out sucking my thumb."

"I don't see the problem with footballers taking their shirts off after scoring a goal? They enjoy it and the young ladies enjoy it too. I suppose thats one of the main reasons women come to football games, to see the young men take their shirts off. Of course they'd have to go and watch another game because my lads are as ugly as sin."

- about the new rule restricting footballers from removing their shirts during a match.

"Hasney's bust his hooter. He can smell round corners now."

- on an injury sustained by central defender Hasney Aljofree

"We threw everything at them. The kitchen sink, golf clubs, emptied the garage and threw it at them. Unfortunately, it was not enough, but at least my garage is tidy."

- after Argyle's defeat to Watford in the FA Cup quarter-final, 2007.

Brilliant, especially these

we could do with him at the CG. Not sure if our lads could understand the foreign accent though

[mrtoad]

Foxes begin talks with Holloway

Leicester have started negotiations with Ian Holloway over the vacant manager's role at the club.

Holloway handed in his resignation at Plymouth on Wednesday and the Home Park club appear to have accepted it to allow him to talk with the Foxes.

A Leicester spokesman said: "He has arrived and is holding talks."

The Foxes are searching for their fourth permanent manager of 2007 following spells under Rob Kelly, Martin Allen and Gary Megson.

Nigel Worthington also had a spell in charge as caretaker manager.

Frank Burrows and Gerry Taggart are currently in temporary charge.

Chairman Milan Mandaric wants to unveil a new boss before the club's next game - which is away to Bristol City on 24 November.

"We need to sort it out quickly - over the next week or 10 days during this (international) break," Mandaric told the club website.

"We need a manager to come in and sort us out and get us on a winning streak and that must happen immediately.

"I will keep working on the shortlist to get someone on board who can do that."

Out-of-work trio Joe Royle, Peter Reid and Graeme Souness have already been interviewed for the position.

Maybe Holloway is going to wait around and see if he gets a call from the FA.

[mrtoad]

GREEN ARMY WANTS ANSWERS

BILL SOBEY

Western Morning News

11:00 - 22 November 2007

Plymouth Argyle supporters unanimously declared Ian Holloway's decision to resign as manager at Home Park a bitter disappointment for the club yesterday.

Holloway's 17 months in charge of the Pilgrims have been nothing less than memorable for everyone connected with the club, but his departure, possibly to take the manager's job at Championship rivals Leicester City, has left many fearing what lies ahead for Argyle.

"The future for Argyle is now in some doubt in my view," said Mick Pengelly, a Plymouth Argyle supporter for more than 40 years.

"We have a good squad there now, but how many of those will be tempted to go to Leicester? Argyle have built up a really good set-up in terms of youth development as well, and that, again, may be decimated because of Holloway's possible interest in taking various people to Leicester."

The Argyle faithful are still deciding who should take the blame for Holloway's departure. Western Morning News readers writing to the newspaper's website suggested the former manager should have shown more commitment.

"There is no "loyalty" in football, as we all see constantly," said Merv Plummer, writing from Brussels, Belgium. "However, I had thought that Ian Holloway was different."

Bob Glanville from Whimple, Devon, added: "Having supported Argyle for over 50 years, suffering many disappointments along the way, especially when expectations were raised, I really did believe that with Ian Holloway we had found a manager with the ability and loyalty to provide stability and take the club forward."

Other supporters such as London-based media executive Kevin Ball say a lack of ambition from the Argyle board of directors and an unwillingness to seek new investment left Holloway no choice. He said: "I'm waiting to hear both sides of the story, I don't think there's smoke without fire. Ollie wears his heart on his sleeve and he was declaring his undying love for the club only recently.

"The board now need to be really honest with themselves. [The last manager] Tony Pulis went on record saying the board were determined to do things their own way and that there isn't enough money to sustain a Championship club, let alone a Premiership challenge."

Most Argyle fans agree that Holloway did good job for the club and are happy to talk about their favourite memories from the Bristolian's time at the helm. The Pilgrims' run to the quarter finals of the FA Cup and Holloway's tactical battle with then Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello in a pre-season friendly are often talked about in revered tones.

Marketing director Malcolm Sheryn remembers the Pilgrims' 2006 pre-season tour to Austria with particular fondness. He said: "I went to see the Real Madrid game and I remember when he bought about 200 of us a pint in a pub.

"You tend to remember those times, he dipped his hand into his own pocket - he was just an all-round good guy. It was always going to be a sad day when he left because there is always an end to a manager."

The Green Army are now turning their attention to who might succeed Holloway. Some would like a manager with similar charisma such as former Leicester boss Martin Allen, others want a successful player from the past like Paul Mariner, but most people say there is one obvious choice.

However, 26-year-old Matt Cook from Plymouth warns against returning to current Swindon boss Paul Sturrock, who guided Argyle up from the old Third Division.

Mr Cook said: "He's probably the favourite for the job but I'm not sure they should go back there, to be honest. He would have big expectations to live up to from the past.

"If the board were going to be really ambitious maybe they could see if Martin Jol fancies a job down in the Westcountry! But realistically I think someone like [Cardiff manager] Dave Jones would be ideal."

Whoever the board selects to fill Holloway's shoes, it is clear they face a difficult task finding somebody who means more to the Green Army.

[mrtoad]

ARGYLE VIEWPOINT WITH RUPERT METCALF

11:00 - 22 November 2007

Only nine days ago, Ian Holloway said: "Ask anybody who has ever met me, ask anybody who knows me, how I feel about Plymouth Argyle. They'll tell you the truth. If you need me to say it again, I'm in love with the place.

"I think this is an absolutely magnificent football club. You should ask my players, who I'm trying to talk into staying here, how Ian Holloway feels about Plymouth Argyle, and I think they'll tell you the truth."

Those 'truths' now look somewhat tarnished. Holloway submitted his resignation as manager of the Pilgrims yesterday and, once a compensation payment has been sorted out, he is expected to take the helm at the Devon club's Coca-Cola Championship rivals, Leicester City.

Argyle's supporters are asking some searching questions right now. How can what looked like a genuine love affair turn so sour within a fortnight? How can Holloway say such words and then walk out?

The quotes from the Bristolian were delivered to a handful of journalists in the Pilgrims' media centre the day after a national Sunday newspaper had claimed that Holloway had grown disillusioned with life at Home Park.

The story claimed that the Argyle boss felt let down by the board of directors for not giving him sufficient financial support in the transfer market, and for exploiting his loyalty. It correctly, as it has transpired, predicted his departure from Plymouth.

Holloway refuted the story with the comments which have been repeated here, and he did likewise when he was asked about a story in another national Sunday newspaper which suggested that he was on the shortlist for the Leicester job. "Not a scrap of truth in it," was his verdict on that report.

It was no surprise, it has to be admitted, to read about Holloway being linked with jobs at other Championship clubs. He may have spent only 17 months at Home Park, but he boosted his track record in his time in Devon. He lifted Argyle to 11th place in the Championship last season, and he leaves the side in seventh position this term.

Nor, assuming he does end up at Leicester, will he be the first manager to abandon Argyle in favour of a club with deeper pockets. Tony Pulis did it last year, and so did Paul Sturrock in 2004. (The latter had the added attraction of a job in the top flight). But what has shocked the 'Green Army' is the way Holloway has quit so soon after declaring his faithfulness to the Pilgrims so passionately.

Understandably, there is hostility towards Holloway from the club's fanbase at present. The supporters feel he has been hugely disloyal. We have not yet heard Holloway's side of the story, however.

To be honest, we may not do for a while. He always defended the record and the performance of the Pilgrims' boardroom when he was quizzed about transfer-market prospects and other financial matters by the media. He was loyal in public to his employers, and his departure may not mean that dishing of dirt is inevitable.

Holloway was apparently refused permission on Tuesday to talk to Leicester about what they might have to offer. That may have been a major factor in his decision to resign. He said what he had to say, from a professional point of view, when he was asked early last week about the link with the Foxes, but the speculation about his disillusionment now seems like it may have contained some truth as well.

'No smoke without fire' is the saying which might fit the bill. Maybe he feels he was made promises which weren't kept, but it's doubtful we'll ever know the full story until the updated version of his autobiography appears.

The despair and dismay among Argyle fans - and the players - will take time to fade. What the team need the next time they take to the field, however, is not an atmosphere full of vitriol but a display of support for the side and the club. Managers come and go. Nobody is indispensable.a href="mailto:[email protected]" class="lblue" [email protected] /a

The problem at PLymouth is the location and the difficulty in attracting players to far South West. I feel a bit for the fans, as they have made some great progress in the last couple of years, and other than Bobby Williamson who was total <deleted>, all the other managers in recent times have gone onto "bigger clubs". It will be interesting to see what happens, but it just shows how much we can seriously believe what managers, players and directors a like say.

[chavy]

See he's gone to Leicester then........hope he likes chicken tika masala et al.

[mrtoad]

See he's gone to Leicester then........hope he likes chicken tika masala et al.

He'll feel right at home being a Gashead. The Indian area - Easton is right in Gashead territory, just near the old Eastville site.