Grimsby Town may look with envy at Blackpool, QPR over EFL legend: View | OneFootball

Ian Holloway has worked wonders with some EFL clubs, while failing miserably with others. Sadly, his time at Grimsby fell into the latter catergory.

Manager Ian Holloway has achieved great things at many clubs in the EFL over the years. Most notably, Bristol Rovers, QPR, Crystal Palace, and Blackpool. However, his time at the likes of Millwall and Leicester City was far less enjoyable, and his spell with Grimsby Town in 2020 turned into a disaster.

The charismatic 61-year-old has been a well-known face and name within English football over the past four decades, initially as a player with the likes of Bristol Rovers and QPR, before moving into management with the Pirates in 1996.

Holloway, a Rovers legend and local to the area, did a very solid job at the Memorial Stadium, turning a struggling third-tier outfit into one that challenged towards the top end of the table more often than not, though ultimately unable to reach Championship level.

The Bristolian would get the chance to do that in 2001, when another of his former clubs, QPR, appointed a 37-year-old Holloway as manager at Loftus Road, immediately tasked with keeping the Hoops in the second-tier following early season difficulties.

While unable to steer his side to safety come the end of that 2001/02 campaign, Holloway, affectionately known by many as 'Ollie', remained in West London, and after a couple of years of consolidation and improvement in League One, he would guide Rangers back to the Championship in 2004, before helping the club become a midtable mainstay over subsequent seasons.

Next up for the former Wimbledon and Brentford midfielder was taking the reins at Plymouth Argyle, though his 17-month stay at Home Park ended in acrimonious fashion following a clumsily-handled switch to Leicester City.

His time with the Foxes was even shorter, as Holloway and City parted ways following the club's relegation to the third tier in 2008.

After a year out of the game, the now experienced boss took over at Blackpool for what was, perhaps, his most memorable and successful spell in the dugout.

The eccentric manager guided an unfancied Blackpool side to the Premier League at the end of his first full season in charge of the Tangerines, coming from behind to beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the 2010 Championship play-off final at Wembley.

With the likes of midfielder Charlie Adam and forward Brett Ormerod in their ranks, Holloway's Blackpool played an entertaining brand of football that sometimes troubled the biggest names in football, particularly at their Bloomfield Road home.

However, it wouldn't be enough to see them stay up, and the club were relegated back to the Championship after one season. After failing to steer his side to an instant promotion back to the top-flight, losing out to West Ham in the play-offs, Holloway left the club in the summer of 2012.

A top-flight return was to come the manager's way the following year, however, as he was promoted from the second-tier with Crystal Palace in 2013, though a tough start to the subsequent campaign saw Holloway leave Selhurst Park long before Christmas.

An unhappy time in charge of Millwall and an indifferent return to the QPR dugout followed over the next few years, and he would have twenty months out of the game - mainly spent doing media duties - before taking charge of his next and final (to date) club.

Holloway appointed as League Two Grimsby manager at the end of 2019

Amid much fanfare and excitement, Holloway took over as manager of struggling League Two side Grimsby at the end of 2019, declaring he'd be purchasing shares in the club, too.

Having never managed in the fourth-tier previously, the 56-year-old took over from Anthony Limbrick, who himself was in temporary charge following the earlier sacking of Michael Jolley.

The seasoned boss had a good initial impact at Blundell Park, steadying the ship and picking up regular points that saw the Mariners move away from the threat of relegation and into the relative comfort of midtable.

Adding the likes of Anthony Glennon and Josh Benson from Burnley, as well as bringing in former Blackpool stalwarts Billy Clarke and Elliot Grandin, Holloway was also able to get the best out of winger Charles Vernam as he and his teammates won away at local rivals Scunthorpe United in the final game before Covid-19 brought a premature end to the 2019/20 campaign.

Things begun to unravel at Grimsby in the summer of 2020

Following the initial upturn, hopes were high that the Mariners could go from strength-to-strength under the stewardship of their ex-Premier League manager. However, things went south quickly in what was a terrible time for the club.

While it was announced the 2020/21 EFL season would be played behind closed doors due to the pandemic, Holloway's preparation for the year ahead left an awful lot to be desired and set the tone for what was to come.

Arranging only one pre-season friendly (against non-league neighbours Cleethorpes Town) the former Blackpool boss brought in a raft of players from the seventh and eighth tiers and inexperienced youngsters on loan to form a squad that was way out of their depth in the professional game, something that was instantly evident to the club's supporters.

The predictable struggle ensued, as a woefully unfit Grimsby side scrambled towards the bottom end of the Football League.

Having initially said he was going nowhere, and amid boardroom revelations revealed by the Grimsby Telegraph, Holloway quickly changed his mind and resigned as Grimsby boss just before Christmas in 2021.

Blaming a potential takeover for his departure, it was quickly revealed by Grimsby Live that Holloway had in fact not bought the previously promised shares in the club, leaving supporters perplexed and angry by the constant untruths told by their now ex-manager.

Holloway's entire reign and the reasoning behind it came into question from fans. Why had he not purchased the shares as promised? Why had he put together such a poor, under-prepared squad over the summer? Why was he constantly contradicting himself? And why was he blaming a potentially bright, much-needed new ownership as his reason for departing?

Mariners supporters have made their own minds up on those issues in recent times, but the facts are that Grimsby finished bottom of the entire Football League come May 2021, Holloway's replacement Paul Hurst unable to turn things round despite a gallant late effort.

The new owners that the former Bristol Rovers boss used as an excuse to leave took over towards the end of that 2020/21 season, breathing new life into the club, which saw an instant promotion back to League Two in 2022.

Holloway's time with Grimsby is shrouded in mystery, confusion, and disappointment, and Mariners fans are left wishing they'd seen the best of the 61-year-old in the way that supporters of Blackpool and QPR did.