# Ian Holloway
**Ian Scott Holloway** (born 1963 in Kingswood, Gloucestershire) is an English football manager and former player, known by the nickname "Ollie", who has managed eight clubs over a career of more than two decades and won promotion to the Premier League with both [Blackpool](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackpool) and Crystal Palace.[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) As a midfielder he made 675 league appearances across three spells at Bristol Rovers as well as for Wimbledon, Brentford, Torquay United on loan, and Queens Park Rangers.[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) He is currently manager of Swindon Town in League Two, a post he took up on 25 October 2024.[2](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ian-holloway/bilanz/trainer/1524)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963, Kingswood, Gloucestershire, England[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ian-holloway/bilanz/trainer/1524) |
| Playing career | 675 appearances: three spells at Bristol Rovers, plus Wimbledon, Brentford, Torquay United (loan), and QPR[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) |
| Clubs managed | Bristol Rovers, QPR (twice), Plymouth Argyle, Leicester City, Blackpool, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Grimsby Town, and later Swindon Town[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ian-holloway/bilanz/trainer/1524) |
| Honours | Promotion to the Premier League 2009-10 (Blackpool) and 2012-13 (Crystal Palace); promotion from Division Two 2003-04 with QPR[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/) |
| Blackpool record | 162 games, 62 wins, 38.27% win rate, May 2009 to November 2012[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/) |
| Crystal Palace record | 47 games, 15 wins, 31.91% win rate, November 2012 to October 2013[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/) |
| Writing | *Ollie: The Autobiography of Ian Holloway* (2007, updated 2009); *How to Be a Football Manager*[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) |
## Playing career
Holloway began his career at his hometown club Bristol Rovers and returned there three times over a playing career that also took in Wimbledon, Brentford, a loan at Torquay United, and Queens Park Rangers.[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) He followed manager Gerry Francis to [Loftus Road](https://www.edgepedia.org/loftus-road) in 1991 and spent five years at QPR, making 147 appearances and becoming a firm favorite with the fans.[4](https://cdn.hattersheritage.co.uk/archive/2005-06%2BSeason%2BDONE/Matches/M4744%2BLuton%2BTown%2Bv%2BQueens%2BPark%2BRangers/Programme/Programme.pdf) In May 1996 he returned to Bristol Rovers for a third time, this time as player-manager, and retired as a player thereafter.[4](https://cdn.hattersheritage.co.uk/archive/2005-06%2BSeason%2BDONE/Matches/M4744%2BLuton%2BTown%2Bv%2BQueens%2BPark%2BRangers/Programme/Programme.pdf) • [5](https://www.townenders.com/profile.php?person_code=HOLLOWAI)
## Early management: Bristol Rovers and QPR
**Bristol Rovers.** After a difficult start, Holloway led the club to the Second Division play-offs in 1998, where they lost to Northampton Town in the semi-finals, and they narrowly missed a play-off place in 1999-2000.[4](https://cdn.hattersheritage.co.uk/archive/2005-06%2BSeason%2BDONE/Matches/M4744%2BLuton%2BTown%2Bv%2BQueens%2BPark%2BRangers/Programme/Programme.pdf) His Bristol Rovers managerial record over the spell from 13 May 1996 to 29 January 2001 was 247 games with a 36.44% win rate.[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/)
**QPR.** He returned to Loftus Road in February 2001, taking over from the departing Gerry Francis with QPR fighting relegation to Division Two.[4](https://cdn.hattersheritage.co.uk/archive/2005-06%2BSeason%2BDONE/Matches/M4744%2BLuton%2BTown%2Bv%2BQueens%2BPark%2BRangers/Programme/Programme.pdf) In a first spell running from 26 February 2001 to 6 February 2006 he took charge of 252 games, winning 100 of them (39.68%), and won promotion from Division Two in 2003-04, one of the three major honors of his managerial career.[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/)
## Plymouth, Leicester, and the move to Blackpool
Holloway managed Plymouth Argyle from 28 June 2006 to 21 November 2007, winning 28 of 71 games (39.44%).[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/) He then took over at Leicester City on 22 November 2007; in 32 games his side won 9 (28.13%), and [Leicester](https://www.edgepedia.org/leicester) were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in their 124-year history.[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/) • [6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/ian-holloway-blackpoolfc-premier-league/) He left in May 2008 and spent about twelve months out of work.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/premier-league/allardyce-hails-holloway-the-shoestring-ferguson-2089022.html)
## Blackpool, 2009-2012
Holloway was appointed Blackpool manager on 21 May 2009.[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/) He used the year out of the game to reassess his approach and develop a philosophy of attacking football, and in his first season in charge Blackpool won promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs, beating Cardiff City in the 2010 final at Wembley.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/ian-holloway-blackpoolfc-premier-league/) • [8](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/10276476/ian-holloways-five-step-guide-to-winning-the-play-offs) Working on a small budget, with a reported wage ceiling of £10,000 a week, his side's promotion was praised by fellow manager [Sam Allardyce](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-allardyce) as an achievement comparable to the best work of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/sep/13/newcastle-united-blackpool-premier-league) • [7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/premier-league/allardyce-hails-holloway-the-shoestring-ferguson-2089022.html)
**Attacking philosophy.** In the Premier League, Holloway set his unfancied side up in an attacking 4-3-3 with considerable positional interchanging, and he pointedly rejected safety-first long-ball football, saying he wanted his team to play like World Cup winners Spain: "You've got to look at Tiki-Taka, you've got to look at Spain... I want my team to be more like Spain."[9](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/sep/13/newcastle-united-blackpool-premier-league) The approach produced a celebrated away win over Newcastle United in September 2010, and Blackpool became widely admired even though they were relegated at the end of the 2010-11 season with 39 points.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/sep/13/newcastle-united-blackpool-premier-league) • [10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18133431)
Blackpool returned to the Championship play-off final in 2012 but lost 2-1 to West Ham United at Wembley.[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18133431) Across his three and a half years at the club he managed 162 games, winning 62 (38.27%), and Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston later called him the most successful manager in the club's history.[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/) • [11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/20176036)
## Crystal Palace and promotion, 2012-2013
On 3 November 2012 Holloway left Blackpool and agreed to become Crystal Palace manager on a four-and-a-half-year contract.[11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/20176036) He said the move suited him to be nearer his family, who live near Bath.[11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/20176036) • [1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) His Palace side reached the 2013 Championship play-off final, his third play-off final in four years, and beat Watford 1-0 after extra time at Wembley on 27 May 2013, with the veteran striker [Kevin Phillips](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-phillips-english-footballer), signed on loan from Blackpool, scoring the only goal from a penalty.[12](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/22592831) • [13](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/22657109) It was his second promotion to the Premier League in three years.[14](https://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/the-best-play-off-finals-for-drama/166598)
After the club won only one of their opening eight Premier League games, he left by mutual consent on 23 October 2013, less than a year into the job.[15](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/features/voices-of-wembley-ian-holloway/) • [16](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3aa91794ce44546e95a40427340171a3f1395f79.pdf) His Palace record was 47 games with 15 wins (31.91%).[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/)
## Millwall, QPR again, and later clubs
Holloway was appointed Millwall manager on 7 January 2014. His 62 games there produced 14 wins (22.58%), and on 10 March 2015, after a 4-1 home defeat by Norwich City left the team second from bottom of the Championship, he was sacked for the first time in his managerial career.[3](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/)
In November 2016 he returned to QPR for a second spell, which ran to May 2018.[17](https://www.fotmob.com/players/208928/ian-holloway) The reappointment rested on his record of getting teams promoted from the Championship; fourteen managers had held the job between his two spells at the club.[18](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/football-league/why-queens-park-rangers-reappointed-ian-holloway-and-what-awaits-him-back-at-loftus-road-a7412596.html) He later managed Grimsby Town, where a coach who worked under him described drawing on his experience of taking two clubs, Blackpool and Crystal Palace, into the Premier League.[19](https://www.playmakerstats.com/files/TMD_DIGITAL_SPREADS.pdf)
## Swindon Town
Holloway was appointed Swindon Town manager on 25 October 2024, with the club bottom of League Two at the time of his arrival that December; results then improved and the club rose toward the top of the division.[2](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ian-holloway/bilanz/trainer/1524) • [20](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gc-media-assets-v2.gc.swindontownfcservices.co.uk/9db4d150-2079-11f0-9328-4585f0c76fdb.pdf) In April 2026 he received a two-match touchline ban for misconduct after a red card in a defeat by Colchester United, and the following week Swindon missed the League Two play-offs after a 2-1 home defeat by Chesterfield, a result he described himself as "devastated" by.[21](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpwp5512904o) • [22](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy02njgddyxo)
## Style and public profile
Holloway's teams are associated with attacking football and flexible formations rather than rigid 4-4-2; at Blackpool he explained that he liked 4-3-3 because stretching opponents across the pitch made them work harder, and he disliked long balls lumped down the middle.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/sep/13/newcastle-united-blackpool-premier-league) He is also known as one of the more quotable figures in English football management, and his managerial career spans 24 years, eight clubs, and just shy of a thousand games in charge.[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/)
He has written two books: *Ollie: The Autobiography of Ian Holloway*, co-written with [David Clayton](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-clayton) and first published in 2007 with an update in 2009, and *How to Be a Football Manager*, which was shortlisted for Sports Entertainment Book of the Year at the 2023 Sunday Times Sports Book Awards.[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/) He is married to Kim, has four children, and lives near Bath.[1](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/)
## References
1. [Ian Holloway, Hachette UK contributor page](https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-holloway/)
2. [Ian Holloway, Transfermarkt manager profile](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ian-holloway/bilanz/trainer/1524)
3. [Ian Holloway Manager Statistics, ManagerStats](https://www.managerstats.co.uk/managers/ian-holloway/)
4. [Luton Town v QPR match programme, Hatters Heritage archive](https://cdn.hattersheritage.co.uk/archive/2005-06%2BSeason%2BDONE/Matches/M4744%2BLuton%2BTown%2Bv%2BQueens%2BPark%2BRangers/Programme/Programme.pdf)
5. [Ian Holloway profile, TownEnders (Swindon Town)](https://www.townenders.com/profile.php?person_code=HOLLOWAI)
6. [Organising an attack, The Coaches' Voice](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/ian-holloway-blackpoolfc-premier-league/)
7. [Allardyce hails Holloway, the shoestring Ferguson, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/premier-league/allardyce-hails-holloway-the-shoestring-ferguson-2089022.html)
8. [Ian Holloway's five-step guide to winning the play-offs, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/10276476/ian-holloways-five-step-guide-to-winning-the-play-offs)
9. [Ian Holloway wants Blackpool to play like world champions Spain, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/sep/13/newcastle-united-blackpool-premier-league)
10. [Blackpool boss Ian Holloway tells players to get over Wembley pain, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18133431)
11. [Ian Holloway appointed as Crystal Palace manager, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/20176036)
12. [Crystal Palace 1-0 Watford (aet), BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/22592831)
13. [Championship play-off final: Watford need to enjoy it, says Zola, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/22657109)
14. [Sky Bet EFL play-offs: best play-off finals for drama, Sporting Life](https://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/the-best-play-off-finals-for-drama/166598)
15. [Voices of Wembley: Ian Holloway, Crystal Palace FC](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/features/voices-of-wembley-ian-holloway/)
16. [Ian Holloway after-dinner speaker profile PDF](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/3aa91794ce44546e95a40427340171a3f1395f79.pdf)
17. [Ian Holloway stats and career, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/208928/ian-holloway)
18. [Why Queens Park Rangers re-appointed Ian Holloway, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/football-league/why-queens-park-rangers-reappointed-ian-holloway-and-what-awaits-him-back-at-loftus-road-a7412596.html)
19. [Masterclass interview PDF, PlaymakerStats](https://www.playmakerstats.com/files/TMD_DIGITAL_SPREADS.pdf)
20. [Swindon Town follow-ups document](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gc-media-assets-v2.gc.swindontownfcservices.co.uk/9db4d150-2079-11f0-9328-4585f0c76fdb.pdf)
21. [Ian Holloway: Swindon Town manager given two-match touchline ban, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpwp5512904o)
22. [Ian Holloway: Swindon Town boss 'devastated' to miss out on play-offs, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy02njgddyxo)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Managers and coaches › English managers and coaches*
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