Ian Holloway in my eyes will always be a superhoops legend! I've just finished reading his autobiography, Crikey I thought I've had a **** life...The guy is absolutely so so genuine it beggars belief. He will always love the R's and Bristol Rovers, Fantastic read! Reading about the tragic death of his father aged 59, his long battle with glandular fever, his wife's battle against cancer, his kids problems....Dave Basset, Steve Perryman and co who said he was Crap! and then there's Gerry Francis his best mate who reignited his career...Superhoops Legend....Love ya Ollie
This club will always owe Ollie a huge debt. how he managed to stop our slide when the administrators had cleared out virtually the whole team is incredible, he didn't deserve to be treated the way he was by Paladini.
This seems like a good opportunity for everyone's favourite Ollie story - there are plenty to go around. Mine would be after our trip up to Leeds in 2004, and they tonked us 6 - 1 after we took the lead in the 2nd minute. Training Monday morning was cancelled, and the team went Paintballing. Who else would have done that?
I remember after one particularly poor performance from Paul Furlong if my memory is right, having missed a hatful of chances, Holloway's comment was "If he'd fell into a barrel of tits today he'd have come out sucking his thumb!"
Strangely enough it is called simply "Ollie". It is a good read. I found it one year at the airport as I was going on holiday. Perfect.
I exchanged emails with Ollie when he left QPR to wish him good luck when he took over at Plymouth, I told him that he had blue and white blood running through his veins and that there would always be a part of him at Loftus Road, he wished me and Gary Waddock good luck and his last sentence was COYR's. Top man and a great Manager,
Everything I hear about the man just impresses me more. It is so sad that he won't be bringing Blackpool to Loftus Road this season. He would have been as choked as us.
The tv programme on stress relief that he did for the bbc was an excellent watch. It tied all of the reasons for his stress together - job, family, etc - and in the end he started painting as a way to relax. Wonder if he still paints? Certainly many of his press conferences are masterpieces......
