Ian Holloway rant

[dan_ict]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNQUJ9sIRXo

He is absolutely right

One of footballs good guys, Love Ian Holloway

[+DoofersDad]

Great stuff. Go on, Ian, tell us what you really think.

Can't see Rooney signing for Blackpool any time soon even if he is playing like a donkey at the moment.

[Libero]

cracking video. he is totally right. when a club buys a player and the player signs a CONRACT then they should stick to the contract. too often nowadays footballers with their over inflated egos can do as they like when they like. spoiling the game

[Scotty]

somewhat ironic the sign in the corner says "wonga"

[AJS]

He should be running world football, Holloway is a legend.

[Georgeios]

Fair play to the man, he has a very good point, its his accent tho.... it makes chuckle.

[ICTPaisley]

cracking video. he is totally right. when a club buys a player and the player signs a CONRACT then they should stick to the contract. too often nowadays footballers with their over inflated egos can do as they like when they like. spoiling the game

Am i right in saying that he only handed in a transfer request? Surely thats allowed. He will still play for Man Utd up until he leaves. Players sign these 4 year deals expecting to stay at the club until that point. sometimes the player wants a change and sometimes the club wants to punt the player. Thats jus the way football is. However if i am informed wrong about this situation my opinion may change.

[Libero]

cracking video. he is totally right. when a club buys a player and the player signs a CONRACT then they should stick to the contract. too often nowadays footballers with their over inflated egos can do as they like when they like. spoiling the game

Am i right in saying that he only handed in a transfer request? Surely thats allowed. He will still play for Man Utd up until he leaves. Players sign these 4 year deals expecting to stay at the club until that point. sometimes the player wants a change and sometimes the club wants to punt the player. Thats jus the way football is. However if i am informed wrong about this situation my opinion may change.

A player can certainly hand in a transfer request, as far as i'm aware Rooney hasnt yet done so, all he has done has said he wants to leave as far as i'm aware.

IMO I think the main jist of what Holloway is getting at is that footballers have too much power and can manufacture moves to other clubs when they want more money. It means that contracts nowadays do not always protect clubs on their investments.

[ictchris]

I haven't watched all of that, but in the paper today he is quoted as saying:

The club itself has invested in him and they're helping him blossom into one of the best centre forwards in the world. And if he sees his contract out, he's going to be able to walk out for nothing. That's the people at the top of the game's fault.

That's absolute pish. Holloway is effectively saying that we should go back to the pre-Bosman system where players registrations are held by clubs even after contracts expired. In any other walk of life that simply wouldn't be tolerated. I've been on fixed term contracts and the idea that my employer could forbid me from working after my contract expired is a joke.

Holloway also doesn't seem to get the fact that players pay back their transfer fees in the way they play for their club. Since signing in 2004 Rooney has helped Manchester United win three Premiership titles, one Champions League, a league cup and an FA Cup. That's what they paid the money for so even if he left for free after his contract, he's still repaid his wages/fee/bonus etc.

[Scotty]

and thats before you even mention shirt sales or royalties from Shrek !

[DerbyDave]

Holloway is a breath of fresh air this season .. love watching Blackpool play

[Dmacca]

I hear that Hollie has threatened to resign if Blackpool get punished for making 10 changes in the week against Villa!

[Caley Mad In Berks]

I hear that Hollie has threatened to resign if Blackpool get punished for making 10 changes in the week against Villa!

I imagine it will go something like this ......

Blackpool will get fined ..., Holloway will offer his resignation..., his chairman won't accept it, and we all carry on as normal.

Having said that, I like Holloway, and he is right not to be pushed around by EPL suits.

[Granty24]

I hear that Hollie has threatened to resign if Blackpool get punished for making 10 changes in the week against Villa!

I don't understand this. The manager picks the team, not the F.A. or whoever else. Leave him be, if he wants to rest players, let him!

[+MrCaleyjag]

The FA brought in the 25 man squad rule before the start of the Premier League season to stop stuff like this surfacing again after Wolves made so many changes against Man Utd last season (10 I think also) so I don't see how the FA can step in and say one thing against what Holloway did. Effectively they would be going against their own rule.

He is 100% correct in questioning who are the FA to tell him that his players aren't good enough to play in his team and aren't the strongest he has. Players are signed because the manager generally believes that they can make a difference to their team so fair play to the man and leave him be.

He is a breath of fresh air and if only managers were allowed to air their thoughts more maybe the whole system wouldn't be in such a mess.

[Dmacca]

Was told earlier that Blackpool were give a suspended fine of ?25000?

[Dmacca]

For the record, Hollie is a legend, but Bristol Rovers sacked him!! Would have him back tomorrow, no chance of that though.

[Council Juice]

Wouldn't say he's spot on but I can totally empathise with what he's getting at. Players do have way too much power and it's been a blatant attempt at Rooney (and his agent, who probably orchestrated it) bullying the club for a better deal. Man U gave Rooney the platform to perform and as opposed to making up tosh about the club lacking ambition he should have been honest and went to the board asking for a contract that reflected his need for ladies for hire. Or reflected his status at the club at least.

He has every right to ask for an improved contract. No harm there. It is business and to keep the top employees you need to pay the top wages. The age 24 rule is a farce. If a player has been developed up to 23 his club get development compensation but 1 more year and he can just walk away. Where's the logic in that?

Holloway is spot on with his stance on making changes. It's a squad game and he has 25 to pick from and he should be able to utilise every member of that. Fair enough if it was all under 19s I'd see it as not respecting the competition (The big guns do THAT in the league and FA cup every season with no complaints) but he used his squad of 25 that the FA blazers brought in only this season.

[+DoofersDad]

Never has an acronym been more apt than for the Football Association. To punish Blackpool for Holloway's team selection against Villa would demonstrate how little they understand about the realities of managing a squad in a struggle to maintain Premier league status. Blackpool might have expected to lose agaiunst Villa but it was essential for them that key players were ready for the West Ham match. The fact that his team were a bit unlucky not to get something out of the Villa match and that they then drew at West Ham is vindication of what he did.

But that is not the main issue here. Presumably the FA think that fielding an allegedly weaker side when better players are available is not acceptable. Why? Is it unfair on other teams who are disadvantaged by the fact that Villa got 3 points midweek? No, because the expectation was that Villa would win in any case. Is it because it is unfair to fans of Blackpool who paid good money to see their team and then didn't see the best of the squad on display? Possibly, but what has that got to do with the FA? - FA is the answer to that because that is a matter between the club and the fans. If the fans don't like the way the club uses the available players, they can express their views to the club but I expect the fans are pleased with the way those selected performed against Villa and are also pleased with a draw away to West Ham.

If the FA is going to fine clubs for fielding understrength teams, how are they going to police team selection? How can they possibly know the detail of the fitness status of players, be in a position to know which players are looking good in training, know which players play well in combination with others, know which players are best suited for the tactics for a particular match? How are they going to decide whether a team selection is appropriate or not even if it was any of their business? Blackpool were everybody's hot favourite for relegation at the start of the season but are in 15th place, 6 points ahead of the bottom 2. If the FA are to give Holloway anything, it should be an award for the Manager of the first quarter of the season. Long may he and his team entertain us!