Ian Holloway

Quoted from grimsby pete

We have got 2 home games coming up,

So that means Anthony has 2 games to keep the job.

I would have Holloway in a heartbeat but also want Limbrick to succeed ,

Maybe we could have them both,

Fenty will not pay the required salary so lets hope AL  can turns things round.

Quoted from Poojah

There’s no doubt that Holloway’s quirky, cheeky chappie image has given him a bigger profile than he’d otherwise have, however his achievements in management shouldn’t be overlooked.

He’s won promotion three times, twice to the Premier League including once with a massively unfancied Blackpool side under crackpot ownership (even if they hadn’t gone fully rogue at that point). You simply don’t do that without a modicum of managerial talent.

Aside from those achievements, his time at Plymouth was also very well regarded. His most recent appointments at Champiobship clubs Millwall and QPR are probably best described as unspectacular, but they weren’t disastrous.

Over the course of his career his win % averages out at around 36%, including two goes in the Premier League where win percentages are always likely to be on the low side. To give that some context, Paul Hurst’s win % here was around 50%, but that includes four successive play-off finishes in the non-league. I believe he’d improve on his last three predecessors.

There’s probably no doubt that of all realistic options, Holloway is the most decorated and highest profile. That doesn’t mean much in terms of influencing future accomplishments but it probably does at least help in terms of player recruitment. It gives players a reason to select Town as their employer. At the minute there’s very little in our favour - geography, money and facilities are almost all going to work against us when competing with the vast majority of other League Two sides.

At the outset, the list of names being bandied about were largely a mix of either unproven young managers or experienced, out of work journeymen. Holloway falls very much towards the latter end, but if (and for me it remains a big if) he were to end up here I’d be confident that he’d arrive full of hunger and a desire to achieve. Why else take it? Financially I doubt he needs it - he already has gainful employment in cushy TV and radio roles.

It would also strongly suggest that we’d made commitments in terms of investment in the squad and club infrastructure. Again, if not, why come?

In terms of lifting the club and community out of what seems like a never ending malaise, his character and general approach would work well for me. Of course he’s well media trained - it’s his job at this moment in time - but I do think he would ‘get’ Grimsby Town FC. That only carries you so far, and people have little time for attempts at humour or a charm offensive when you’re losing (as Marcus Bignot soon found out) but in the short-term at least Holloway’s appointment would lift people and that can’t be a bad thing.

Would it work out? Who the fúck knows? Will Ancelotti work at Everton? Arteta at Arsenal? Even at the top level where money is plentiful there are no guarantees, even less so in the basement. But if your only other option is a man whose football league record to date extends to a point and a goal every six games, it has to be the best way forward. Doesn’t it?

Quoted from Ipswin

Before we all get excited about whether Fenty would give him the job or whether Holloway would be daft or hard up enough to take it how sure are we he's even applied?

There's desperate to get back into management and there's desperate enough to manage Grimsby Town, big difference

Can't see it myself

Quoted from Poojah

You’re completely right. I’m pulling figures out of the air, but if appointing Holloway would cost say £100k per year more versus Limbrick, you would cover the difference with roughly an additional 250 bums of seats per game.

Yeah, of course there are no guarantees but this is precisely the kind of calculated gamble we’ve not been very good at, or simply too risk averse to take at all.

I’m sure you could underwrite much of that risk by going with a low basic salary supplemented by really attractive performance bonuses, perhaps even linked to attendances. I don’t know for certain that this sort of thing isn’t already part of managers’ contracts here, but judging by the rudimentary way we approach things like season ticket incentives, I’d be surprised.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

Me too, and I don't think there is a will to land what would be a great coup for the club. He clearly wants to give the job to Anthony Limbrick which I find strange given his points and goals total while in the caretaker role. If Holloway somehow wants the job, it is a no brainer. This is a good club on it's knees, we need a lift. Limbrick won't do that, in fact attendances have been shocking. 2500 on a warm for the time of year Tuesday night not so long ago, not even 500 away on Boxing day for a localish game.

Get Holloway in and put thousands on the gate. Nothing against AL, but Holloway is simply a much better option for all sorts of reasons.

Quoted from gaz57

Why interview someone when you know they won't be cheap if you have no intention to give him the job.