Ian Holloway hopeful key Blackpool and Crystal Palace factor can be replicated with Swindon Town

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Former Blackpool boss Ian Holloway will take charge of his first game in football since 2020 this weekend.

The 61-year-old was announced as Swindon Town manager last week, and will return to the dugout on Saturday for the Robins’ FA Cup first round tie against Colchester at the County Ground.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Holloway is a legendary figure on the Fylde Coast, having guided the Seasiders to the Premier League via the play-offs back in 2010, during a successful three-year stint at Bloomfield Road.

The 61-year-old achieved the same feat with Crystal Palace in 2013, this time by winning the Championship, and believes the same factor at both clubs inspired the success he enjoyed.

“I want the fans to understand how difficult it is to play here (at Swindon) at the minute with the fact we haven’t won that many times in a long time,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports’ Chris Hull.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Let’s try and get something moving, and they’re a massive part of it.

“(Crystal) Palace is an unbelievable set up with the fans. They don’t watch the game, they’re jumping up and down shouting. Blackpool, they helped my teams be successful.

“Here at the moment, we need optimistic people coming in, we need optimism around the ground, and hopefully I can help to bring that.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We’ve got to build this, you give someone confidence, you give them a platform, and then it becomes habits.”

Holloway admits his approach to certain things have changed since his days with Blackpool, as he aims to change the fortunes of Swindon - who currently sit 22nd in League Two.

“I’ve got until the end of the season to try and make a difference here,” he added.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The players will see that, they’ll see how calm I am. They’ll see what I put on for them to try and learn, and I’ll ask questions - they need to find the answers.

“Maybe if you ask my Blackpool lads, I would tell them, but I need them to come to me about it these days.

“It’s sharing what I’ve learnt over the years. The game is so wonderful, it can be so expressive, and I’ve missed the creativity in it. It only takes one spark for someone to believe they can do something better than they could ever dream they could.”

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.