Ian Holloway is one of the most beloved characters in English football. He enjoyed an excellent playing career, beginning with a period playing for his boyhood club Bristol Rovers, along with Wimbledon, Brentford and Queens Park Rangers. Holloway has played over 600 games in professional football but is most remembered for his managerial roles: he began managing in 1996 when he took up a player-coach role at Bristol Rovers.
After leaving Bristol, Holloway managed Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth Argyle and Leicester City, before taking over at Blackpool in 2009. Blackpool were written off when he took over the club, and they were heavily backed to be relegated. However, nine months later Holloway had steered them to the Premier League through the playoffs. This was the first time in 30 years that the club would be playing with the top dogs. Holloway was a revelation in the Premier League for his honesty and witty answers. However, despite a solid start to the season they were unable to maintain their place in the top-flight and were relegated on the final day of the season after a defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
Holloway remained at the club and guided them to the playoff final, but they were beaten at Wembley by West Ham United. He ultimately decided to leave Blackpool in 2012 before joining Crystal Palace, subsequently guided the Eagles into the Premier League. Since then he has had roles at Millwall and Queens Park Rangers, before retiring from professional football. An experienced manager with decades of expertise and enough anecdotes to fill an encyclopaedia, Ian Holloway would make a brilliant guest speaker for any event.
