Former Blackpool and Queens Park Rangers boss Ian Holloway has taken charge at Swindon Town just hours following Mark Kennedy’s sacking.
‘Ollie’ has been without a job in management after leaving Grimsby Town in 2020 and has since been announced by The Robins as their new manager. Reports earlier today from Football Insider’s Peter O’Rourke said that the 61-year-old was now a frontrunner to be appointed the new boss at Swindon. The League Two side sacked manager the Irish manager earlier this morning after a poor run which left the club three points off the relegation zone.
Return To The South West
Holloway found himself as manager and a part-shareholder at Grimsby when joining in 2020 but quickly found himself at odds with club owner John Fenty. He resigned from the role just under a year after joining The Mariners and has been out of management since, instead taking up punditry roles.
He had been rumoured to be in the running for the job at Scottish Premiership side Hearts, but the Edinburgh club opted to choose Stuart Kettlewell. Holloway also previously stated he was only interested in managing at a Championship level since leaving North Lincolnshire.
Swindon marks his first time back managing in his native South West since leaving Plymouth Argyle in 2007. Since he left Home Park, the former Bristol Rovers man went on to have success, most notably at Blackpool where he led The Tangerines into the Premier League for the first time.
Writer’s View
It looks as if Swindon Town have moved fast and Ian Holloway is the man to lead the club forward. The Robins made a peculiar decision to remove Mark Kennedy just 24 hours before their next game and it se if Clem Morfuni and the hierarchy at Swindon had someone lined up to replace the Irishman.
Holloway is a charismatic character and would be a good choice and a fairly local manager for the club. However, there should be some concern when looking at what happened at Grimsby and the fallout from his time there seeing The Mariners get relegated into non-league.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
