Holloway can’t get out of jail
DRESSED in a black threequarter length overcoat and a pair of gloves, Ian Holloway came to Yorkshire on Saturday resembling an undertaker.
His Millwall side’s hopes of staying in the Championship are in danger of falling into terminal decline after a 1- 0 defeat which left them rooted in the relegation zone. But where there is life, there is hope for the Lions.
They fought to the death against a renascent Leeds and might have pilfered a point late on.
Holloway being Holloway, he used the post- mortem into Millwall’s 15th Championship defeat of the season to launch an astonishing rant against West Yorkshire Police.
Only 234 Millwall fans made the trip due to having to exchange vouchers for tickets at Woolley Edge services, where a police escort led them to Elland Road in a bid to prevent trouble.
Holloway said: “I’m fuming that my fans aren’t allowed here and I’ve just kicked up all sorts of stink about it. For me, the West Yorkshire Police are treating us like 10 or 15 years ago and it’s wrong – just wrong!
“We’re no different to anybody else. Let us come up here, don’t corral people, because we’re two proud clubs and you should do your job and that’s policing.
“We’re a very proud club, so are Leeds and I’ve had banter with their fans. I even conducted their song and helped them to sing it because it’s great and we’re all football people. So why can’t you deal with a Saturday afternoon?”
The restrictions on Millwall fans travelling to Leeds are in place after serious outbreaks of violence surrounding this fi xture in 2007.
Then, rival hooligans clashed and police offi cers were injured amid some of the worst violence seen at Elland Road.
Holloway said: “It was fashionable to go and have a fi ght somewhere years ago but it ain’t any more.
“Society was wrong back then, not Millwall, and I want some respect for my fans. My team needed a bit of extra support here and it might have made the difference. How many Leeds fans were there? About 24,000 – and we’ve got 200.
“That’s why I’m so proud of my boys and our fans who bothered to come.
“If I was being labelled like that, do you think I would buy a ticket and go and stand in a service station somewhere? “I don’t think so and I’d like to put two fi ngers up to whoever is telling me to do that.”
Holloway’s last trip to West Yorkshire saw his team beaten 4- 0 at Bradford in an FA Cup third- round replay last month, denying them a plum tie at Chelsea.
Millwall fans will not forgive that failure easily.
Holloway overhauled his underperforming squad in January, shipping out eight players while bringing in eight new signings but the Lions have not won at home since last October. Holloway needs to rectify that if he is replicate last season’s remarkable feat and keep Millwall up.
At least his players will have more support at The Den than on Saturday.
After Alex Mowatt’s defl ected fi rst- half freekick settled the match in Leeds’ favour, Millwall defender Dan Harding said: “Hopefully we can start picking up points at home now, we really need to.
“One of the main attractions about this club is the passion, almost bordering on fanatical, of the supporters.
“I have played against Millwall a few times and it can sway the opposition.”
Holloway, when not distracted by the police, would no doubt concur. MAN IN BLACK: Holloway hollers