Ian Holloway: I am not a comedian

Ian Holloway

Crystal Palace manger Ian Holloway, well-known for his quick wit and one-liners, is back in the Premier League. But this time around with Palace in the top flight, Holloway wants his results to speak for him.

“I’m trying to talk in a way so people don’t think I’m funny any more, I’m fed up with that,” said the 50-year-old from Bristol, according to Sky Sports.

“I’m not a comedian, I’m a football manager – at the end of the day that is what I do. You will have my interviews every week and they will be serious and I will be talking about football.”

Relegated after just one season with Balckpool, Holloway is putting in the hard work trying to find the right players to escape relegation.

“You can ask my wife what time I finish and what time I start at the moment, she will tell you,” he added.

“I’m watching clips of people and trying to play catch-up. I have watched Tottenham and I know what I’m doing. But I’ve also watched players and I don’t think at this time last season Palace would have had a scouting network across Europe – it is tiring and it is hard work.”

“I have a very helpful tool here where I can get a lot of information about how far people run, what miles they cover and what passing patterns they have got,” he claimed.

“I will have a lot more information on who we are playing against and hopefully I will be able to get bodies in the way and break up their rhythms and break things up.

“You have got to learn everything you can if you are not going to be as strong as the opposition, so that is what I will be doing.”