Ian Holloway & Kevin Gallen Talk on Eve of Return With Plymouth

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[Holloway speaks about his time at QPR; confirms Gallen is not "eligible" to play against QPR]

Plymouth Official Site - OLLIE ON HOOPS
Ian Holloway talks about his return to Loftus Road as the general of the Green Army...[NB: This can be viewed/heard by one and all] Plymouth

Plymouth Official
NO ALCOHOL - QUEENS Park Rangers have asked us to inform the Green Army that no alcohol will be sold at the away end of their Loftus Road Ground for Saturday's game.
Plymouth

Yann Tear/Ealing Gazette - Gallen so disillusioned with RangersFeb 22 2007
Ex skipper pours heart out over the breakdown of his relationship with the club he loves

PREPARE for a sensational insight into the thoughts of QPR hero Kevin Gallen.

The striker has spoken to the Gazette on the eve of what his likely to be a highly emotional clash between Rangers and Plymouth Argyle at Loftus Road.

Gallen is with Plymouth on loan until the end of the season, and although he will not play on Saturday under the terms of the deal that took him to Home Park, he will be on the sidelines.

And it should be quite a day for him and Ian Holloway - now boss of the Pilgrims, of course - as the pair return to the ground they know so well.

Gallen's love affair with the fans and club - which gave him a testimonial in 1995 in recognition of his loyal service - will never die. But he has strong words about the way he feels he has been treated this season and the way the club's fortunes have slipped.
All will be revealed in this week's edition of the Gazette, which is out on Friday
Ealing Gazette

QPR OFFICIAL SITE
PILGRIMS

Old friendships will be put on hold for 90 minutes on Saturday, as former boss Ian Holloway makes an emotional return to W12.

'Ollie' as he was affectionately known here during his five year stint as manager of the R's, is now in the Home Park hot-seat.

And for that reason alone, QPR versus Plymouth Argyle, at Loftus Road, probably caught the eye more than any other fixture for fans of both clubs at the start of the campaign.

Holloway - who was placed on gardening leave by R's Chairman Gianni Paladini last February - was named as the new Argyle boss in late June and has made an immediate at the West Country club.

Pilgrims gaffer Ian Holloway

At the time of writing, Argyle sit comfortably in the top half of the table in eleventh place.

Ten points currently seperate them from the top-six, but with what on paper appears to be a decent run-in, it would be foolish to rule them out of the play-off equation altogether.

Victory on day one of the new campaign against league newcomers Colchester United provided the perfect start, before a further four points from their next two fixtures - which included victory at the Stadium of Light - saw them rise to the summit of the division.

And if truth beknown, they've flourished ever since, occupying a place in the top half of the table throughout the campaign.

The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw at Home Park in September.

Rangers opened the scoring courtesy of Dexter Blackstock's 16th minute strike, only for Argyle to hit back just before the break when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake fired past Paul Jones on the half hour.

A similar scoreline on Saturday afternoon will probably suit Holloway on his return to his former club, but with Rangers in a dogfight for survival, it's another must-win for John Gregory's men....

Top scorer (league goals only): Barry HAYLES 10

Top-scorer Barry Hayles

Last league game:
Plymouth Argyle 3, Colchester United 0.
Coca Cola Championship.
February 20th 2007.
Plymouth: McCormick, Connolly, Seip, Timar, Sawyer, Gosling (Halmosi 75), Norris, Nalis, Sinclair, Ebanks-Blake (Fallon 75), Gallen (Summerfield 76).
Subs Not Used: Doumbe, Hodges.

Pilgrims boss Ian Holloway: "They were tremendous. They carried on where they left off on Saturday and I thought that was easily on a par with that performance.
"It was heavy-going and yet some of the boys made it look like it wasn't."

Superhoopsbet.co.uk match odds:
QPR 13/10
Plymouth Argyle 9/5
Draw 11/5

Lilian Nalis

Key player: Lilian NALIS
A cultured central-midfielder, Lilian Nalis is the catalyst in the heart of the Pilgrims midfield.
Nalis - who began his career in France with Caen - has enjoyed spells with Leicester City, Coventry City and Sheffield United.
Strong in the tackle, good in the air and blessed with great experience and positional sense, Nalis is instrumental to the Pilgrims cause.

Head to head:
QPR wins: 17
Plymouth wins: 21
Draws: 3

Former Argyle loanee Dexter Blackstock was on
target at Home Park

Last meeting:
Plymouth Argyle 1 (Ebanks-Blake), Queens Park Rangers 1 (Blackstock).
Coca Cola Championship.
September 9th 2006.

QPR