Gregor on Ollie

Gregor Robertson was back in Grimsby last week and this is his article in today’s Times about the impact of Ollie.



Last Tuesday Ian Holloway got up at the crack of dawn to pay a visit to Grimsby’s bin men. He thanked them for their hard work in keeping the streets clean, for tackling fly-tipping in the area. He regaled them with one or two typically colourful stories, answered questions, mingled, posed for pictures. “You’ve got to have pride in where you live,” he told the Grimsby Telegraph. “I’d like to thank all the people who care, who make this such a great place to be.”

That evening, he led Grimsby Town to a buccaneering 4-2 victory against Newport County in Sky Bet League Two. It was a sixth win in 12: playoff form from a team that had won only five of their first 22 and, prior to Holloway’s arrival on New Year’s Eve, none since September. A thousand extra supporters have poured through the turnstiles at Blundell Park, as they have every week since his arrival. From 21st they have risen to 14th. Not even Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by playoff chasing Northampton Town could deflate the buoyant Mariners.

And what a fascinating union this is. Manager. Ambassador. Investor. The 56-year-old has bought £100,000 worth of shares, about 4 per cent of the club, and has a seat on the board. He has relocated with his wife Kim from the south west to the remote east. He told council staff at the Doughty Road depot on Tuesday morning that he has never felt as at home as he does in northeast Lincolnshire. There have been visits to charity shops, to schools to hand out tickets, a college to address students. There was even a tale on Saturday of Holloway telling someone to pick up litter in the street.

“I know what I want to do and I know why I want to do it,” says Holloway, who has spoken of “lost livelihoods,” of “investing in the people of Grimsby”. “It’s gonna take a while. But it’s about passion. I want to create something people enjoy whether they win, lose or draw. That’s absolutely vital. I’m part a game that gives you all these emotions. There’s nothing quite like it.

“The aim is to try and get up the divisions, then try to build a better team, try and get a new ground, try and help the people of the area have something to be really, really proud of — because I think they deserve it.”

Many in Grimsby can’t quite believe he is here. Holloway had been out of work for 19 months after spells at Millwall and Queens Park Rangers. He led Crystal Palace to the Premier League in 2013 but it is his success with Blackpool — another club in a neglected coastal town whom he led to the Premier League in 2009-10, that kindles hope of rejuvenation in Grimsby.

John Fenty, the majority shareholder, referenced that “track record of achieving success at unfashionable, underperforming clubs” after a deal was ironed out over fish and chips in Papa’s, a restaurant on Cleethorpes Pier. “I do not believe any manager in the whole of English football suits Grimsby Town as well as Ian Holloway,” Fenty said. “He is building something special and it feels like we are on the cusp of a magical period for the football club and wider community.”

What also feels inescapable is that there is something about the marriage which captures the political zeitgeist. Grimsby, where 70 per cent voted to leave the EU in 2016 and where a Conservative MP has just been elected for the first time in 74 years, expects investment, regeneration, a brighter future. It is hoped that the club’s relocation from the evocative but archaic Blundell Park, their home of 121 years, as part of proposed regeneration of Freeman Street in the town centre, will be a part of that.

Fenty, who is also deputy leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, has spoken of a “lack of political support” in previous attempts to relocate. But now, he says, there is a “very, very supportive Government wanting to support the northern towns”. “We are hugely optimistic,” he added, and it will be intriguing to see the extent to which the proposed new community stadium will be publicly funded.

Holloway’s arrival feels like part of a wider vision to make Grimsby Great Again. The appointment of his predecessor, Michael Jolley, a Cambridge graduate and former Burnley under-23 coach, was heralded as a step into a “modern, cutting-edge” future. Two years later, however, they have reverted to a charismatic, totemic leader. “He will have more freedom and autonomy to shape on-the-field matters than any other manager within the English Football League,” Fenty said. In an era of directors of football and head coaches, Holloway said: “This is old fashioned, and I absolutely love it.”

Saturday’s defeat by Northampton was a reminder that Holloway still has plenty of work to do.

Grimsby are a club that quickly gets under your skin. Their supporters put the fan in fanatical. The sound of the Mariners’ one word chant, “Fish!”, reverberating around Wembley Stadium during the 2016 National League playoff final — my final game in professional football — will live with me forever. Supporters had raised £100,000 to fund the signing of striker Omar Bogle after defeat by Bristol Rovers on penalties in the same final a year earlier, so there was something poetic about Bogle’s two goals against Forest Green Rovers sealing a return to the Football League after a six-year exile. The football club is an enormous part of people’s lives in Grimsby.

Saturday was a reminder, however, that this is a long-term project. “We huffed and puffed, but they certainly blew our house over, didn’t they?” Holloway said, before admitting that six changes to Tuesday’s winning team may have been too many.

Yet, hope blossoms. “Football is so wonderful that no matter where you start, no one can tell you where you’re going to end up,” Holloway said. “That’s all in your hands. And I can’t wait to keep trying to build. Without a fanbase, without supporters, without people enjoying coming to the game, and enjoying the way you’re trying to play, it’ll die out eventually. You won’t even bother turning the telly on if it goes to pay per view.

“And if you get too far away from the lads who are wearing the shirt, you definitely won’t want to do it. So at this level, where I am, right now, I’m loving every minute of it. The passion … it’s all marvellous, in a way.”

Thanks for that RRFC  very good read.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Gregor Robertson was back in Grimsby last week and this is his article in today’s Times about the impact of Ollie.



Last Tuesday Ian Holloway got up at the crack of dawn to pay a visit to Grimsby’s bin men. He thanked them for their hard work in keeping the streets clean, for tackling fly-tipping in the area. He regaled them with one or two typically colourful stories, answered questions, mingled, posed for pictures. “You’ve got to have pride in where you live,” he told the Grimsby Telegraph. “I’d like to thank all the people who care, who make this such a great place to be.”

That evening, he led Grimsby Town to a buccaneering 4-2 victory against Newport County in Sky Bet League Two. It was a sixth win in 12: playoff form from a team that had won only five of their first 22 and, prior to Holloway’s arrival on New Year’s Eve, none since September. A thousand extra supporters have poured through the turnstiles at Blundell Park, as they have every week since his arrival. From 21st they have risen to 14th. Not even Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by playoff chasing Northampton Town could deflate the buoyant Mariners.

And what a fascinating union this is. Manager. Ambassador. Investor. The 56-year-old has bought £100,000 worth of shares, about 4 per cent of the club, and has a seat on the board. He has relocated with his wife Kim from the south west to the remote east. He told council staff at the Doughty Road depot on Tuesday morning that he has never felt as at home as he does in northeast Lincolnshire. There have been visits to charity shops, to schools to hand out tickets, a college to address students. There was even a tale on Saturday of Holloway telling someone to pick up litter in the street.

“I know what I want to do and I know why I want to do it,” says Holloway, who has spoken of “lost livelihoods,” of “investing in the people of Grimsby”. “It’s gonna take a while. But it’s about passion. I want to create something people enjoy whether they win, lose or draw. That’s absolutely vital. I’m part a game that gives you all these emotions. There’s nothing quite like it.

“The aim is to try and get up the divisions, then try to build a better team, try and get a new ground, try and help the people of the area have something to be really, really proud of — because I think they deserve it.”

Many in Grimsby can’t quite believe he is here. Holloway had been out of work for 19 months after spells at Millwall and Queens Park Rangers. He led Crystal Palace to the Premier League in 2013 but it is his success with Blackpool — another club in a neglected coastal town whom he led to the Premier League in 2009-10, that kindles hope of rejuvenation in Grimsby.

John Fenty, the majority shareholder, referenced that “track record of achieving success at unfashionable, underperforming clubs” after a deal was ironed out over fish and chips in Papa’s, a restaurant on Cleethorpes Pier. “I do not believe any manager in the whole of English football suits Grimsby Town as well as Ian Holloway,” Fenty said. “He is building something special and it feels like we are on the cusp of a magical period for the football club and wider community.”

What also feels inescapable is that there is something about the marriage which captures the political zeitgeist. Grimsby, where 70 per cent voted to leave the EU in 2016 and where a Conservative MP has just been elected for the first time in 74 years, expects investment, regeneration, a brighter future. It is hoped that the club’s relocation from the evocative but archaic Blundell Park, their home of 121 years, as part of proposed regeneration of Freeman Street in the town centre, will be a part of that.

Fenty, who is also deputy leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, has spoken of a “lack of political support” in previous attempts to relocate. But now, he says, there is a “very, very supportive Government wanting to support the northern towns”. “We are hugely optimistic,” he added, and it will be intriguing to see the extent to which the proposed new community stadium will be publicly funded.

Holloway’s arrival feels like part of a wider vision to make Grimsby Great Again. The appointment of his predecessor, Michael Jolley, a Cambridge graduate and former Burnley under-23 coach, was heralded as a step into a “modern, cutting-edge” future. Two years later, however, they have reverted to a charismatic, totemic leader. “He will have more freedom and autonomy to shape on-the-field matters than any other manager within the English Football League,” Fenty said. In an era of directors of football and head coaches, Holloway said: “This is old fashioned, and I absolutely love it.”

Saturday’s defeat by Northampton was a reminder that Holloway still has plenty of work to do.

Grimsby are a club that quickly gets under your skin. Their supporters put the fan in fanatical. The sound of the Mariners’ one word chant, “Fish!”, reverberating around Wembley Stadium during the 2016 National League playoff final — my final game in professional football — will live with me forever. Supporters had raised £100,000 to fund the signing of striker Omar Bogle after defeat by Bristol Rovers on penalties in the same final a year earlier, so there was something poetic about Bogle’s two goals against Forest Green Rovers sealing a return to the Football League after a six-year exile. The football club is an enormous part of people’s lives in Grimsby.

Saturday was a reminder, however, that this is a long-term project. “We huffed and puffed, but they certainly blew our house over, didn’t they?” Holloway said, before admitting that six changes to Tuesday’s winning team may have been too many.

Yet, hope blossoms. “Football is so wonderful that no matter where you start, no one can tell you where you’re going to end up,” Holloway said. “That’s all in your hands. And I can’t wait to keep trying to build. Without a fanbase, without supporters, without people enjoying coming to the game, and enjoying the way you’re trying to play, it’ll die out eventually. You won’t even bother turning the telly on if it goes to pay per view.

“And if you get too far away from the lads who are wearing the shirt, you definitely won’t want to do it. So at this level, where I am, right now, I’m loving every minute of it. The passion … it’s all marvellous, in a way.”

Great stuff. Cheers RRFC.

Thanks for sharing TRRFC

Was Gregor at Saturday's match; I thought I bumped into him at the back of the Main Stand at 2.40ish, but couldn't place who it was at the time!?!?

As well as being one of my own favourite players during that last season in non league, and being a thoroughly nice guy, he is also an exceptionally good journalist.
Unlike other sports writers he doesnt concentrate on the over glamourised Premier League Clubs, but  concentrates mainly on the lower leagues, and all his articles are a joy to read. His articles are on his website https://gregor-robertson.com/category/my-work/
I dont buy the Times myself but a mate who does always keeps me Gregors articles.  Thanks for posting the article,

Spot on!

Quoted from Perkins

As well as being one of my own favourite players during that last season in non league, and being a thoroughly nice guy, he is also an exceptionally good journalist.
Unlike other sports writers he doesnt concentrate on the over glamourised Premier League Clubs, but  concentrates mainly on the lower leagues, and all his articles are a joy to read. His articles are on his website https://gregor-robertson.com/category/my-work/
I dont buy the Times myself but a mate who does always keeps me Gregors articles.  Thanks for posting the article,

I love this section

Grimsby are a club that quickly gets under your skin. Their supporters put the fan in fanatical. The sound of the Mariners’ one word chant, “Fish!”, reverberating around Wembley Stadium during the 2016 National League playoff final — my final game in professional football — will live with me forever. Supporters had raised £100,000 to fund the signing of striker Omar Bogle after defeat by Bristol Rovers on penalties in the same final a year earlier, so there was something poetic about Bogle’s two goals against Forest Green Rovers sealing a return to the Football League after a six-year exile. The football club is an enormous part of people’s lives in Grimsby.

Very enjoyable read. Good subject. Well written.

Gregor to write the book of the story of our resurgence. Later to be made into a film.

Enjoyed that
Cheers

Another top article from Gregor today talking to Mark Crossley about coming out of football and how he relieves subsequent mental health battles.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/art.....9baeac3f08de1acb10da