Championship play-off final preview – Blackpool vs Cardiff
If it quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's probably a duck.
If it looks like an eccentric genius, behaves like an eccentric genius and sounds like an eccentric genius: yep, you've guessed it. It's Ian Holloway.
Holloway has long been eccentric, but the feat he's achieved this season with his Blackpool side has rightly put him into the genius category; they are now unbelievably, only 90 minutes away from Premier League football.
Cardiff stand in their way at Wembley on Saturday, and Holloway will be looking for revenge following the controversial play-off defeat to the Bluebirds when he was manager of QPR. His side’s preparations that day were affected by a 3am fire alarm set off by an unknown source, allegedly seen fleeing the scene sporting the Cardiff colours. Holloway will be hoping that the only alarm bells ringing this time will be coming from the Cardiff boardroom, as the reported failure to achieve promotion could prove catastrophic for the Welsh club’s future.
And the man everyone calls ‘Ollie’ deserves his chance to be placed amongst the elite of English football. Holloway has had to rely on hard work, integrity and commitment to gain the respect he has mustered. His passion makes him respected on the terraces too. Once, as manager of Bristol Rovers, Holloway refused to be interviewed until he was given a seat that wasn’t red, the colours of rivals City. No wonder he has earned legendary status at Rovers, QPR and Blackpool. He certainly knows how to please his followers.
Known for his ability to entertain, his quirky quotes and humorous behaviour usually grab all the headlines, but there is a side to Holloway which people rarely see, or even give him credit for.
Three of Holloway’s children were born deaf, meaning a different way of life had to be learnt in order for the family to function.
Holloway talks about his struggles in his autobiography, Ollie. He says: “Having three deaf children out of four is unbelievably rare. Statistically, we had the same chance of winning the Lottery five times over.
“We were shocked and suddenly out of our depth. We had to learn basic things such as how you get a deaf child's attention. As well as not being able to hear, they also had glue ear, which is horrendously painful. They would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, and I'd have to run outside with them and let the fresh air shock them out of it.
“It's been a fight all the way along to get proper provision for the girls, especially a good education. There's been rows, tribunals, appeals and endless phone calls.
“We still feel that we're lucky. Yes, our children have a disability, but it's an invisible disability and in every other way they're perfect, and we're so thankful for that.”
Despite the £100million prize on offer for the victors on Saturday, sometimes football fades into the background of importance.
Eccentric genius, maybe, but behind the charismatic character lies a man who is devoted to his family, and he has had to work mighty hard to build the foundations to make that happen.
A feat which makes his exploits at Blackpool look like a walk in the park.
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