Holloway on his aims for QPR, his time at Millwall, Ferdinand, youngsters and more
Ian Holloway spoke about a number of issues at a press conference on Wednesday to mark his return for a second spell as QPR. Here’s some of what he had to say.
On his return to QPR
“The main reason really is I did it once with people who cared about the club and I want to do that again right now. We had a little spell where the owners were trying to buy success, and you end up with people who don’t care – they pick their money up and don’t wear the badge.
“But when the thing you’re doing it for is something that’s burning in you, it shows. So to have another chance now is something I was dreaming of, and now I cannot wait to get going.”
On Marc Bircham’s return as first-team coach
“Bringing Marc back is a fantastic fillip for me, for Les Ferdinand, and for everybody at the club because he knows the youngsters that I want to develop and bring through. He’s been here coaching them for years.”
On meeting the Under-23 side
“The day I was waiting to sign, there was an Under-23s game out there. They were 2-0 down. I’m trying to talk to Les and [CEO] Lee Hoos, but I kept half an eye – we got one back, then it’s 2-2, then we won 3-2 and one of the lads [Ebere Eze] scored two.
“Les said: ‘Do you want to come down in the dressing room?’ I said ‘love to’ and the look I got, the little glimmer in their eye, particularly the one who scored two, that’s what I’ve been missing.
“That’s the magical bit of this, if you can just rub off on them a little bit. That’s what I want to do. I wasn’t the most talented person but I had good habits and I try and get really talented people around me and then rub off on them a bit because those people aren’t always as determined as the one who hasn’t got that ability.”
On his relationship with director of football Ferdinand
“I’ve been very vocal about what Les wants to do. I’m very aware now, with Sky and being on outside broadcasts, of what the director’s role is and what the producer’s role is. I’m the producer, he’s the director, and I understand how that links.
“For me, it can’t be any better than working with someone like Les. He will help me immensely. And what I’m getting into is so professional, and it’s ready, I’ve just got to add to it.”
On working with players
“I’ve got some very different ways of doing things, because I try and make them [the players] take ownership, make them care about everything in their life and take responsibility. The way football is now, and it’s very different to 10 years ago, the biggest problem is to make these players real people, on a level, grounded. That’s my job and that’s what I’m here to do.
“The people I’ve worked with, the players, they’ll tell you what I’m like. They’ll tell you how I care about every one of them, even the ones who aren’t playing.
“This is exactly what Les wants, and there’s nobody who epitomises that more than Les. I saw him develop. He had the potential to be a superstar. To get it out of him wasn’t easy but we helped create that environment for him to flourish.”
On what QPR need to succeed
“Young, hungry, up for it people with a sprinkling of experience and the right type of characters. Then we’ll work hard together to achieve what I’ve done before and what I want to do again. Nothing would make me prouder than to do it here and put this club back in the Premier League.”
On his aims for this season and beyond
“This season I want to give them some TLC, a bit of love and try and build a bit of self-belief. I think we’ve got some very talented boys – to get them into one team or one shape is a little bit difficult if I’m honest. We’ve got a lot of number 10s who would play that role really well.
“I love the attitude they’ve showed so far, it’s been so refreshing. And I know the work that has gone on in the past couple of years to try and clear the slate a little bit of the mistakes we did make by trying to buy that success.
“Hopefully I will have a chance to get into these people, try and get them free and enjoying trying to go forward and trying to score goals, and also try and be creative, that’s what I want.
“Long term I want to teach every aspect of football. I want them playing in all different positions in the academy. I want to develop brilliantly balanced young men who will get into the first team because I will play them when they’re good enough. I won’t want to loan them out that often if I can play them in my team.
“Short term, I know enough now to play in different ways – to defend my way to a result, to attack my way to a result, in this very, very tough competition. At the minute we’re six points from the bottom end, six points from the top end, and who knows what we can achieve.
“At the end of the day it’s goals – I think we’ve got goals in the team and I’d like to try and change our stats at home – 13 against and seven for, that’s not QPR.”
On reaching the Premier League
“I know we will do it, it’s just when. I’d be stupid to say it’s this year or next year or the year after because what’s the point in limiting yourself? I know I’ve got Premier League methods – I got 39 points with the worst budget ever [at Blackpool]. I want to get 40 points in the Premier League one day but I’ve got to earn the right to get there in this wonderful division.
“Are there that many clubs that far ahead of us at this moment in our league? I think there’s maybe two or three who might in a better situation but I don’t think they’re infallible.
“I know what I want to do. I don’t know how long it’s going to take and I don’t know how lucky we’re going to be with injuries or suspensions. And sometimes that is crippling, If you lose the wrong couple of people at the wrong time. I want people to share out the goalscoring responsibility, I want to try and outscore the opposition by one goal every game. But long term I want to play a way that is modern and exciting.”
On how QPR differs to his previous clubs
“This club, I can’t even describe how it feels. It’s in you. I could never get that feeling in my last job [at Millwall] because they knew I never played for them. They never got me, I don’t think, and I understand that. Hopefully they’ll get Neil [Harris], because he’s one of them. That’s just football.
“What I want to do is try and tell the truth to our supporters, tell the truth to our players and make us all unite as one, because that’s what happened for me at Blackpool. I was brave enough to try and play in an entertaining way. We would lose, but that’s part of life. You have to deal with losing.
“I’ve still got my passion but I’m calm. I’m going to pick up the baton which is QPR. And when it’s my turn to hand that baton over this club is going to be in a much better place than it is right now, just like I did last time.”
