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Friday, November 23, 2007

QPR Indirectly Responsible for Holloway Departure?

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From Ian Holloway's BBC Column:
"... I didn't realise how much a blow losing Akos Buzsaky to QPR was until I knew of Leicester's interest. And all I could think of then was would I have lost him if I was at Leicester?
I can assure you if he had the ground and the training facilities they've got here he would not have left. And that's no disrespect to Plymouth. We had to take the money, which was a good deal for a player who was out of contract the next summer.
The longer I thought about it - and particularly it being my old club QPR he went to - the more my heart was aching and breaking.


BBC - Holloway column
...THE LEICESTER MOVE
It's a big change, big decision, massive bit of luck. A life-changing thing really.
Luckily for me I met Milan Mandaric the night after I resigned and by the following morning he was obviously sold on the little muppet!
The size of this club and the possibility of spending some money was too big a lure for a man, who didn't even know he had the job.
I am the biggest trier you've ever seen. That's all I've ever done in my life. I was absolutely crap at the start of my career and I tried so hard I ended up playing in the Premiership. And I'm proud of that.

WHY I LEFT PLYMOUTH
Life's about relationships. I had a fantastic one at Plymouth and I understand I will have broken some hearts but it was breaking my heart that I might not have the opportunity to spend all that money.
If you look at my management career, the lack of money has made all my players go to other clubs.
I didn't realise how much a blow losing Akos Buzsaky to QPR was until I knew of Leicester's interest. And all I could think of then was would I have lost him if I was at Leicester?
I can assure you if he had the ground and the training facilities they've got here he would not have left. And that's no disrespect to Plymouth. We had to take the money, which was a good deal for a player who was out of contract the next summer.
The longer I thought about it - and particularly it being my old club QPR he went to - the more my heart was aching and breaking.

The last time we played and got the win which took us seventh, we had 11,000 in the ground. I just wanted everyone to believe and come to the ground because then the chairman would have got more confidence.
Unfortunately I can only tell you what my chairman thinks about and I can't blame him - he's an accountant!
But I don't want anyone to blame him because he's worked his socks off for that football club, he loves it. And he's never going to have to switch allegiance.
MESSAGE TO PLYMOUTH FANS
I still love the area. The town and the people were absolutely magnificent and if I broke all their hearts, I'm sorry, because I loved my time there.
My decision to go was taken as a professional man but it doesn't mean to say I don't love the area, the people, their warmth, their kindness.
I said all the things about them because I genuinely meant it, not because I wanted to bull**** them - and I still feel that way now.
This is a business decision, like it was when Bristol Rovers sacked me after I'd tried my absolute socks off, and as QPR did to me as well.
If anybody thinks I'm jumping around now I've got this job, I'm not. There's a terrible sadness in my heart for the people I've left down there and the job I tried to do.
The way it panned out, I wasn't even able to say goodbye to my team and I'd just like to say how proud I am of everyone at Plymouth. Everybody who worked in the ground and helped me in the office, because it was a marvellous team effort to get that club in that position in the table.
And I believe they'll go on if they find a manager with the same desire I had when I was there... BBC