Ian Holloway is on his way back to QPR as boss after a 10-year hiatus and stints with Plymouth, Leicester, Crystal Palace, Millwall - and more recently with Sky TV as a pundit.
Here's a bit to whet the appetite on the expected Ol return.
He refused to attend a presentation for manager of the month - Steve Palmer wished he had
Back in the day, and we’re talking 2001 - Ol got manager of the month at a time when a presentation lunch also saw local press invited.
Keen not to miss out, and bearing in mind Paul Bracewell’s do for the same gong as Fulham boss was at Harrods - GWL wheedled Hoops' gaffer to opt for a slap-up do.
“You want something to eat,” he snapped at the Acton training ground, “go and help yourself,” illustrated with a gestured fork over his shoulder towards the buffet in the canteen.
What he didn’t see was a bit of spud on the end of said fork flew off and onto the pristine trouser of defender Steve Palmer.
I don’t think the passing Palmer noticed - well, not until he got home.
One of his best holidays was on Lundy Island in 2014
‘You think when you’ve seen one penguin - you’ve seen them all,” the manager said.
“But this place was amazing. There were thousands of them. It was a brilliant sight.
“God! Wandering among them was breathtaking; I’ll never forget it.”
He can sign for the deaf - but not as well as wife Kim
Ian Holloway once calculated the chances of having three deaf children was five times greater than winning the Lottery.
However, he and Kim were taught and practised to sign to Eve, Chloe, and Harriet that comes in handy in noisy room with a band plugged in and bashing away.
No shouting into each other’s ears over the amps; just a case of using hands and fingers to talk.
Bird in the Taxi
The famous comparison between making do with an 'ugly' girl after a night out and a routine win against Chesterfield in August 2002, got explained later by Ol as an attempt to amuse himself.
He told GWL: “I know the sort of questions I’m going to get asked after games.
“There are times when I bore myself with the same stock answers. On this occasion, this we me trying to make it a bit more interesting, so that I was interested as well.
“We’ve just won 3-1. There was no great drama; it was all pretty routine, so how do you make it interesting?”
See below for a good laugh!
Another great Ollyism came from his wife
‘My missus has this theory about penalties, and hates me when I shout: ‘that was a stonewall penalty!’ that isn't given.
“ ‘No, it wasn’t’ she says, because the referee never gave it.’ The trouble is she’s right, of course.”
