Hollowhead  (merged)

Good piece by Rod Liddle  in today’s Sunday Times, some of it I’ve quoted here..


Beware the charms of Ian ‘Hollowhead’, the manager with midas touch in reverse
Rod Liddle
Sunday April 11 2021, 12.01am, The Sunday Times

There is a minute’s silence at most games these days. If the authorities ever run out of people to mourn, perhaps they will adopt my suggestion of a minute’s silence for all clubs who have been visited by Ian Holloway and are now, as a consequence, on a respirator, the clock ticking.

The latest mugs to buy into the man’s idiotic, grandstanding spiel are poor old Grimsby Town, who are desperate to consolidate in the Football League rather than rejoin those gently declining northern sides that will soon make up the entirety of the National Leagues.

Holloway arrived with the usual fanfare in December 2019. This was a superbly run club, he said. Not only would he be manager but he’d also take a seat on the board, invest £100,000 of his own money in their future and move house from Bristol to Lincolnshire. The fans — and you can blame them for this, given the bloke’s track record — were very optimistic. In the summer Holloway went about his important and familiar work of getting rid of all the good players and replacing them with people who were not any cop at playing football.

The results, as you might expect, bore testimony to his unique managerial approach. Down and down Grimsby went. Holloway did not put £100,000 of his own money into the club and still less did he up sticks from Bristol. Instead, he gave a series of ever more bizarre and querulous press conferences after the defeats piled up. Among other things, he blamed Covid for Grimsby’s lack of success, perhaps believing that — contrary to popularly held opinion — the virus afflicted not the entire world but just a small area of northern Britain immediately to the south of the Humber estuary.

Holloway left exactly one year after he had arrived (and three days after he had said he wasn’t going anywhere) with Grimsby deep in the relegation battle, third from bottom having played more games than the two clubs beneath them. They are now bottom, seven points from safety in League Two. After yesterday’s defeat at Bradford City they seem sure to be travelling to Boreham Wood next season.

They have my unrelieved sympathy. Holloway managed my club, Millwall, for a short time and was — by both common assent and indeed the stats — the worst manager in the club’s history. He pretty much ensured we would be relegated. Fans of Plymouth Argyle and Queens Park Rangers might wish to add their own reminiscences of Holloway at this point. He will be on the lookout for another side to ruin, as we are speaking. “By the pricking of my thumbs/Ian Hollowhead this way comes.” Beware all of you.

Of the clubs above poor benighted Grimsby, Southend United — who have also had a horrid time of it recently — look most likely to succumb. Colchester United and Barrow (promoted last season) sit just above them but keep your eyes on Walsall, who have been sliding downwards for some time. The worst form of the clubs towards the bottom is owned by Barrow’s promotion partners, Harrogate. But 50 points should be enough to give them another year in the Football League.

Brilliant article from Rod as always.

No punches pulled by Rod Liddle in his headline article in the Times.

Beware the charms of Ian “Hollowhead” the manager with Midas touch in reverse.  (This is the headline).

Every detail we know of is there.  And so much more.  Getting rid of all the good players,  Replacing them with players not a cop at playing football.

Down and down Grimsby went. Boardroom and share issues covered.

The most damming:  besides Covid only affecting Grimsby,   Need a minutes silence for all the clubs that have been visited by Ian Holloway and are now, as a consequence, on a respirator.

Priceless.  There are other well-informed assessments.

If Holloway was known to be so duff and a BS merchant, what happened to our due diligence checks?

Excellent.

I think he took Leicester down to L1 too didn't he? Must be one of their lowest ever league positions so arguable the worst manger they had had in a very long time.

Spot on

Friggin hate bullshitters,
  just one left

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

No punches pulled by Rod Liddle in his headline article in the Times.

Beware the charms of Ian “Hollowhead” the manager with Midas touch in reverse.  (This is the headline).

Every detail we know of is there.  And so much more.  Getting rid of all the good players,  Replacing them with players not a cop at playing football.

Down and down Grimsby went. Boardroom and share issues covered.

The most damming:  besides Covid only affecting Grimsby,   Need a minutes silence for all the clubs that have been visited by Ian Holloway and are now, as a consequence, on a respirator.

Priceless.  There are other well-informed assessments.

If Holloway was known to be so duff and a BS merchant, what happened to our due diligence checks?

What happened to those on here who gave themselves the old 5 knuckle shuffle at the thought of him coming here?

He doesn’t beat around the bush great stuff from Liddle.

Great article.

Interesting that the only people left thinking Holloway is any good are either fools or those who haven’t had the misfortune of him managing or attempting to manage their team.

Came here for one reason and one reason only...and it was intercourse all to do with football.

Quoted from arryarryarry

What happened to those on here who gave themselves the old 5 knuckle shuffle at the thought of him coming here?

I’m one of those, Arry. Not sure why people would pretend they weren’t excited by the appointment, because 90% of us were made-up with it.