Holloway returns to Bloomfield Road

Glassman said:
We had 3 seasons ... The best football ever ... My youngest was 9/10 at the time, he remembers all the games and reminisces about the football we played. I'd have Holloway back tomorrow with Critch as his number 2 ..
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I'd have Holloway back tomorrow and ditch the Critch completely,.
 
The best two managers I've seen for Pool were Stan Mortensen and King Billy Ayre. They both got the very best out of the squads they had. Ian Holloway was just behind them in my opinion.
🧡UTMP🧡
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
Up to you innit, the only people you should be angry with are the Oystons.
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No. My belief is that he mortgaged his morality while out blasting game birds on KO's wife's estate and chose his side in moments like that. He's not for me, the football in those months was something else for a while, but in the long run something about his character rings 100 percent hollow. That's why he's reduced to flogging himself round these days as a low budget rentaquote trying to keep himself relevant.
 
Henshman said:
The best two managers I've seen for Pool were Stan Mortensen and King Billy Ayre. They both got the very best out of the squads they had. Ian Holloway was just behind them in my opinion.
🧡UTMP🧡
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There is a misplaced myth about Billy Ayre. He was great. We loved him.

But to suggest he was better than Ian Holloway is something Billy would laugh at you himself if he were alive.
 
All I’d like to say on this is that the Oystons got where they did by deceiving and manipulating people. Ollie wasn’t the only one. Belokon was taken in at the start. There are dozens of intelligent people out there who fell for their bull for many many years. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but sometimes you just have to move on.
 
The best manager Blackpool have had playing by far the best football we have ever played. It wasn't about the players ultimate ability but it was about the mentality and the playing style we approached games with.
You hear the line 'playing the Blackpool way' very often but for me THAT is the Blackpool way. Win lose or draw, approaching every game like that.
 
We played & beat Leeds United at home & we played absolutely brilliant football, Warnock was Leeds manager, & stated after the match that he would be happy to finish 1 position behind Blackpool , because that would mean they also got automatic promotion (or words to that effect)
 
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mull said:
Don't forget , there were expert pundits ? who said we'd be lucky to win a corner in the Prem. Never mind a game .
Ollie blew that out the water from the first match onwards . Dynamic , attacking , swaggering , unpredictable stuff. The excitement with each game was unbelievable . Also that he very nearly pulled us back up the next year . No tippy tappy crappy pissy passy across the back ad nauseum those 3 seasons
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Agree with all that mull but one caveat would be that the game has evolved since then.

However im not expert enough (or at all) to assess whether or not Ollie's brand of football would achieve similar results now. Maybe others have a view on this ?

Not sure we would do as well.
 
Mark_GT said:
No. My belief is that he mortgaged his morality while out blasting game birds on KO's wife's estate and chose his side in moments like that. He's not for me, the football in those months was something else for a while, but in the long run something about his character rings 100 percent hollow. That's why he's reduced to flogging himself round these days as a low budget rentaquote trying to keep himself relevant.
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Did Ollie go shooting with koko ? Id be very disappointed if that were true.
 
I'm 51 in a couple of weeks.

Until 2007 I'd only seen us in the bottom two divisions.

We were promoted to the top flight of English football, three seasons later.

To have witnessed us go up the PL, hold our own and the following season come so close to repeating the feat is as close to a footballing miracle as you're likely to see.

I was lucky my eldest was old enough to be part of it, my youngest didn't. I would give almost anything to have that happen again to share it with him.

Ian Holloway, for all his wrong headed opinions of our previous owners; created a style of football which at times was beyond anything I've seen in tangerine. It was breath taking and I have memories which will stay with me until I die because of him.

The only legacy we have of those seasons is the yearning for that brand of football to return.

I'd give him the Freedom of the town, build a statue and switch the illuminations on for what he did for us.
 
AngelBFC said:
Did Ollie go shooting with koko ? Id be very disappointed if that were true.
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I remember him doing an interview where he was proudly prattling on about him and some players being invited up to the estate. He even said he had bought all the Norfolk tweeds etc to look the part.

This from Birdguides, illustrating just part of the problem in Bowland and associated areas:

More Hen Harriers disappear in 'suspicious' circumstances​

The disappearance of two Hen Harriers in May has been described as a 'huge blow' by the RSPB.
An adult male Hen Harrier, known as 'Rush', went missing from the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire on 4 May after its satellite tag stopped transmitting. The last fix from Rush's transmitter placed him over a grouse moor.
Two weeks later, on 17 May, a second tagged bird vanished in the Clapham area of North Yorkshire, situated just north of the Bowland AONB. Land here is a mix of farmland with areas managed for gamebird shooting.
These two birds are in addition to the 21 Hen Harriers that were reported as either killed or missing across northern England in the last year, including one found dead in the Yorkshire Dales National Park with its head pulled off.
 
Mark_GT said:
I remember him doing an interview where he was proudly prattling on about him and some players being invited up to the estate. He even said he had bought all the Norfolk tweeds etc to look the part.

This from Birdguides, illustrating just part of the problem in Bowland and associated areas:

More Hen Harriers disappear in 'suspicious' circumstances​

The disappearance of two Hen Harriers in May has been described as a 'huge blow' by the RSPB.
An adult male Hen Harrier, known as 'Rush', went missing from the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire on 4 May after its satellite tag stopped transmitting. The last fix from Rush's transmitter placed him over a grouse moor.
Two weeks later, on 17 May, a second tagged bird vanished in the Clapham area of North Yorkshire, situated just north of the Bowland AONB. Land here is a mix of farmland with areas managed for gamebird shooting.
These two birds are in addition to the 21 Hen Harriers that were reported as either killed or missing across northern England in the last year, including one found dead in the Yorkshire Dales National Park with its head pulled off.
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I find it pathetic.
Dressing up in tweeds and all that to kill wildlife for fun .Middle /working classes wanting to feel like royalty just because they’ve made a few quid .
Getting a thrill from blowing living creatures apart .
Not my kind of people. It’s a bit sadistic imo.
Clay pigeon shooting no problem.

Anyway back to the football and Holloway. Pages 14-21 are good in the preview of this book by Ian Ridley. If you want the rest you have to pay.

 
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Seasider1953 said:
We played & beat Leeds United at home & we played absolutely brilliant football, Warnock was Leeds manager, & stated after the match that he would be happy to finish 1 position behind Blackpool , be cause that would they also got automatic promotion (or words to that effect)
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That was the best 90 minutes of football I have ever witnessed any Blackpool team play. It was mesmerising. Think we trounced Boro the game before in similar style.
 
Just watched it. I've always been a Holloway fan and the bit at the end when Harry Lyons took him onto the pitch was a bit of a tear jerker.
But it's history now and we move on. I certainly wouldn't want him back to spoil those special memories.
 
No doubt the football was sensational in Holloways tenure and I will be forever grateful for those three years, they really were the best trip.
The way he left us after all he said about leaving Plymouth and then doing exactly the same to us shows he was disingenuous as a character.
Then in the biggest battle the club has ever faced he went against the majority of the fans (mushrooms excepted) and sided with the enemy.

I can’t forget that, he has many qualities but he chose his side and he lacks integrity

So whist I admire him for the football we played in his stewardship and he clearly has great love for his family, he is flawed in my eyes.

I would forgive easily if he used hindsight and apologised for how he left (not leaving, that was understandable) and for not seeing the bigger issues with the oystons and taking their side when the battle really raged
 
Macseasider said:
That was the best 90 minutes of football I have ever witnessed any Blackpool team play. It was mesmerising. Think we trounced Boro the game before in similar style.
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I was trying to find a report of the Middlesbrough match in the local (Middlesbrough) press, that I remember reading which praised us to the hilt. I’m sure it’s been on here before too. It was typical of how the club was perceived, not just by us fans but by outsiders who just liked watching good football. We were being likened, with not too much tongue in cheek, to the likes of Barcelona.
 
What’s often forgotten is that he came within an ace of regaining promotion at the first attempt. I will take the Dobster’s mis-kick to the grave with me. Pool could have had three in the first 20 mins, and another three in the second half. Halcyon Days indeed !
 
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