Big time Blackpool

Everyone wants to be Ian Holloway's friend at the moment it seems.

After Blackpool's fairytale win in the Championship play-off, the Seasiders' manager has had to quickly adjust to his new life in the Premier League - as his phone has not stopped ringing.

The incredible game at Wembley, where Blackpool saw off Cardiff by the odd goal in five, was billed as 'The £90m match' - the richest game in football history - and suddenly everybody wanted a piece of Holloway.

"I've got some of the most famous agents in the world ringing me," Holloway told BBC Sport.

"They've never bothered with me in the past, and they'll have a shock because I've told them we won't be spending the sort of money they're talking about.

"What they won't realise is that we'll do the thing we've always done. I'm looking for good people, quality people, not people who want to pick up a big wage."

Holloway's amazing success, in which he led a team tipped for relegation from the Championship into the promised land, has been built on team spirit and he is not about to see those carefully laid foundations ripped apart by a bunch of prima donnas with pound signs in their eyes.

That's not to say he won't be bringing any new faces in, but first he has to sit down with chairman Karl Oyston and work out what funds are available to him.

"Basically there are two things I need to know - is there a transfer kitty and budget and what is my overall playing budget?" Holloway explained. "Once I've been told those things, I can go to work."

Several players, including Hameur Bouazza and Daniel Nardiello, have already been released, while the loan players who played such a key part in Blackpool's promotion, including DJ Campbell, Stephen Dobbie, Barry Bannan and Seamus Coleman, have all gone back to their parent clubs. (BBC Sport)

Holloway pledges to attack top flight

IAN Holloway won't change his style in the Premier League – his Blackpool side will continue to play all-out attack.

His Seasiders took the Championship by surprise with their adventurous 4-3-3 formation.It left them a little open at the back, but they were so potent going forward that they backed themselves to score more than the opposition.

It paid off big-time in the three play-off games as Pool came from behind each time to win.

Holloway said: "Next year we will try to attack the Premier League. I don't want to defend it, that's no good. We'll try to play entertaining football and score goals."I had a year out of football and time to think about what went wrong in my previous job. I was too fearful before in the way I managed and I decided I didn't want the players at my next club to be like that.

"Instead I wanted them to be fearless and to attack. And I wanted to entertain the fans who pay their money to watch. I don't want to bore my way to a 1-0 win. I want to win 5-4 instead. (Blackpool Gazette)

Blackpool's road to riches: The future's, er, tangerine as Olly's Barmy Army party with pride

Like some walking, talking, animated picture postcard, Blackpool announced their unexpected arrival in the Premier League in typical seaside style on Monday.

The open-top bus carrying manager Ian Holloway and his Wembley heroes made its way south down the famous promenade, from Blackpool Tower, where the club's colours fluttered from the flagstaff, and Bloomfield Road, where Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal will be among the opponents next season, towards the town's South Pier and Blackpool Pleasure Beach beyond. The sun glinted across the sea, the seagulls circled in the cloudless blue skies overhead and the people of this Lancashire resort lapped it up.

When the bus had finally made its way through the tangerine throng to Waterloo Headland, where the crowd had been watching a replay of Saturday's Championship Play-off final victory over Cardiff, the irrepressible Holloway did not need much encouragement to take the mic.
Waiting for quiet, he said: 'Where have you been all season? We have some season tickets for next year and we want to sell them all by tonight!'

The emotional boss was determined to savour the moment after rewarding Blackpool's decision to offer him a route back into the game last summer folllowing his sacking at Leicester. 'What can I say?' he added. 'I want to thank you, not just for today - this is the most unbelievable moment of my life. 'I had a year out of football and had to think about what went wrong in my life. I was given some decent values from my mum and dad in our council house and one of them was honesty and trust and loyalty, and I forgot to do all that at Plymouth. I left them and I made the biggest mistake of my life. But I ended up here and it was the best thing I have ever done.

'What I managed to do was jump on the best ride I have ever been on in my life. I don't want it to end, because these lads behind me, no matter how much we were knocked down, they get back up and now we're playing in the Premier League.

'I want to thank the owners for putting me back in work. All I wanted to do was get an environment where someone can work and feel needed and I thank every one of my staff for just that. When I turned up they all thought I was going to sack them, but no chance.' (Daily Mail)

Is the boss mad? Yes, but he is also a football Genius

KEITH SOUTHERN revealed Ian Holloway went from tearjerker to peacemaker to help Blackpool clinch their place in the top flight.
The Seasiders midfielder said boss Holloway almost reduced his players to blubbering wrecks ahead of Saturday's Championship play-off final with Cardiff.

But, despite taking a 3-2 lead into the dressing room at half-time, Blackpool's players were bickering among themselves - forcing their manager to step in. Southern explained: "There were a few arguments plus a lot of shouting, because we were disappointed at how we were defending.

"You'd never have known we were 3-2 up! We felt it could have gone a lot better.

"But the gaffer was absolutely magnificent. He shouted louder than anyone to make himself heard and then calmed us all down.

"He told us that if we kept playing like we had been in the first half, we'd win for sure.
"His pre-match team-talk was brilliant too. He told us how he'd been out of football for a year and hardly anyone in the game had talked to him, but how privileged he was to have returned with such a wonderful bunch of lads - and how proud he was of us.

"There were quite a few of us close to bursting into tears.

"He also told us this was our time, that we were the team in form and that we were the team with the most belief. He said we deserved a crack at the big-time as much as By DAVID FACEY anyone and it was all in our hands. It was stirring stuff. (The Sun)

It's Olly Mourinho! Ian Holloway leads his heroes to the promise land

The special one was fighting back the tears as he savoured his moment in the sun.

As he talked through his personal and professional battles to be recognised as more than just the joker in the pack, the man labelled ‘Olly Mourinho’ by his grateful players had a lump in his throat.

It was, you see, two years to the day since Ian Holloway had been sacked by Leicester City.

It was one year to the day since he had ripped up normal football protocol and contacted Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston directly after Holloway’s agent failed to find a way through.

Over a cup of coffee he convinced the club’s owner he was the man for the task. Before that cappuccino, he feared he would never get another job in football after his disappointment at the Walkers Stadium.

And now this. Glory, success, money. And all with unfancied Blackpool. Proof that there is still room for a dream or two. And what a reincarnation for Holloway, who has re-branded himself.(Daily Mail)