OLLIE’S BACK!
Ian Holloway returns to the dugout with Queens Park Rangers
WITH vastly experienced managers like Neil Warnock, Steve Bruce, Steve McClaren, Kenny Jackett and Paul Lambert all reappearing in the Championship this term, it was surely only a matter of time before Ian Holloway joined them.
And it came to pass on Friday when Holloway was appointed QPR manager for the second time on a two-and-a-half year deal. He may well have been enjoying life as a pundit on Sky Sports, but the lure of the dugout proved too strong.
Not many clubs could have persuaded Holloway to give up the mic, but he does have an emotional attachment to the R’s.
It goes back to his playing days. In a career that spanned almost two decades, the terrier-like midfielder spent five years with QPR. That stint in the early 90s was a fruitful time for the west Londoners.
If there is one other club that has played a massive part in Holloway’s career, it’s been Bristol Rovers. The Bristolian had three spells there as a player and also began his managerial career with the Pirates.
But then, in 2001, he rejoined QPR as manager and spent five years in charge at Loftus Road. Although he couldn’t keep the R’s up in 2000/01 after being appointed manager for the last few months of the season, he led them back to the second tier in 2004 and continued as boss until 2006 when he was put on gardening leave after being linked with the vacant Leicester job.
Since then, Holloway has had stints in charge of Plymouth, Leicester, Blackpool – who he led to promotion to the Premier League in 2009/10 – Crystal Palace and Millwall. After being sacked by the Lions in March 2015 with the club in relegation trouble, Holloway has been out of management – and imparting television viewers with his wit and wisdom. But now the popular manager is delighted to be back in business with the R’s, who sacked manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink after last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest left them a lowly 17th in the Championship.
Former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood had been heavily linked with the post, but his financial demands were thought to have put the R’s off and he has joined Swindon as director of football (see back page).
Honoured
Ex-Derby boss Paul Clement and former MK Dons manager Karl Robinson were also linked with the post, but Holloway has been the man entrusted to restore QPR’s fortunes. The 53-year-old said: “I feel honoured, privileged and proud. It's a huge moment for me and I am delighted to be back here. “I feel this is the right time for me. I feel like I'm back home now and I can't wait to get started. “My job is to try and help this squad improve and create an environment that the players can succeed in, especially at Loftus Road, where the fans love to see players express themselves. I want to try and galvanise this squad and make my owners smile. Hopefully this is the start of something here.”
Director of football Les Ferdinand believes Holloway’s experience is a massive plus.
“Ian is QPR through and through and knows both what it takes and what it means to manage this club,” he said. “He knows the club inside out, but more important than that, he knows the Championship inside out. He’s managed hundreds of games at this level and has enjoyed great success, too.”
Meanwhile, Hasselbaink is looking to the future after the sudden end to his 11-month QPR reign.
The 44-year-old former Burton Albion boss said in a statement: “Whilst I am extremely disappointed that my time as manager of QPR has come to an end, as I still believe we were on course to achieve our targets, I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by the board.
“With regard to my future, I hope to have many more years as a football manager and I will take what I have learned during my time at QPR with me into my next challenges.”