HE'S OUT! MANAGER IAN HOLLOWAY CHUCKS IN THE TOWEL AT GRIMSBY TOWN

                        

Boss Ian Holloway has quit Blundell Park (photo: Grimsby Town FC)

GRIMSBY Town manager Ian Holloway has today quit the club.

Contrary to some media reports, it was emphatically not a shock

Only last Thursday, the Grimsby News predicted  Holloway would leave before Christmas.

This morning, the departing boss issued this statement.

"It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my resignation as manager of Grimsby Town Football Club.

"New wannabe owners are hovering over GTFC and John (Fenty) has told me he is selling his stake in the club. So it is time for a fresh start across the board for this great club.

"As I said recently, I intend to be fully honest with you, the supporters. 

"Contact was made by the new owners to me on several occasions before the takeover, which I felt was inappropriate, and I told them as such. 

"This is the key factor in my decision.

"Why? The relationship between the incoming new owners, board and manager is so so important. 

"It needs to be strong for a club to succeed, and we got off on the wrong footing. Therefore, that relationship will be strained from the off, which is bad for the club."

Holloway's short spell - less than a year - in charge has not been a success.

His player purchases, his team selection, his man management and his sometimes prickly relationship with journalists have frequently left fans gasping with bemusement.

He compounded his missteps by embarrassing the board with a series of ill-judged  comments about the directors - and would-be directors -  accusing them of "playing politics".

In fact, it was he, as much as anyone, who was doing the politicking - partly to distract from a disastrous sequence of results that has seen the Mariners plunge deep into relegation territory.

It may be that Holloway hoped the club would show him the red card, yielding him a handsome windfall pay-off up to the end of his contract.

But this did not happen. 

By taking the decision himself, Holloway may have forfeited most, if not all, of any golden goodbye windfall.

There is unlikely to be much wailing or hand-wringing by Town players, many of whom had been left confused and unsettled by his unpredictable management style.

But the timing of his decision has left both  team and club in the lurch - particularly coming over the festive period, with uncertainty about the future ownership of the club and in the midst of a pandemic.

With John Fenty rumoured to be on the brink of selling his majority stake in the club, it is not known who will make the decision about Holloway's successor.

Chairman Philip Day will be a key figure, but his football experience is limited. He will need guidance.

Former boss Paul Hurst is an early favourite for the job, but there are plenty of other potential candidates including former Arsenal, Spurs and England ace Sol Campbell.

The club has been gracious about Holloway's decision, issuing this  statement - a benevolent one, given the circumstances:

"It is with great sadness and disappointment that Ian Holloway has made his intentions absolutely clear.

"With John Fenty agreeing to sell his shares, he does not want to remain at the club without progressing with the people that he came here to work with.

"The board and Ollie had a joint vision, firstly to improve the league position, secondly to deliver top class training facilities and finally to secure relocation to a new community stadium."

The statement continues: "It has been a difficult year for obvious reasons which invariably affected all clubs, some worse than others.

"The club, albeit prematurely, will prepare to move on.

"We should like to put on record our thanks to Ian and his wife, Kim, for committing themselves to our vision and to wish them both all the very best for the future."

The Grimsby News says: Sad to say, Ian Holloway's arrival was a false dawn. Given his form as manager of other clubs (with the exception of Blackpool), the omens were never as bright as they at first appeared. Directors, fans and sections of the media  were evidently deluded partly by his long experience and partly by his bubbly can-do personality and apparent enthusiasm. In retrospect, it looks as if he has been caught out 'playing' the managerial merry-go-round. In other words, if things go well, stay put and milk the plaudits. If things go awry, quit - and if there is a useful pay-off, so much the better. Despite any protestations of commitment and love for the fans, Holloway does not leave Blundell Park with much respect. A lot of people will understandably  feel he has let them down very badly.