Ian Holloway- The (Mostly) Football World According to Ollie
TAnd while it’s true that sports stars of today are often curbed by media managers, agents and clubs, meaning fans only get rare glimpses of the real individuals, thankfully there remain some anomalies – in the best sense of the word – not least player-turned-manager Ian Holloway.
A man not afraid to speak his mind, Ollie, as he is more popularly known, has forged a successful media career beyond the game, with three books already to his name, including an autobiography and his take on football management. With those bases covered, it may seem there would be little left in the way of fertile ground for Holloway to sew, but in his typically unique style, Ollie decides to do things his way, casting his net farther and wider than before, in a book in which he gives his opinion about, to quote, ‘anything and everything’. Indeed, in over 100 mini chapters – or sometimes rants or eulogies depending on the subject – the plain-spoken Bristolian puts forth his views on sweeper-keepers and amateur tacticians, hypnosis and wigs, ghosts and UFOs. There are serious reflections on issues such as online trolls and ticket prices, as well as more amusing meditations on toilet trips and the magic sponge.
All in all, it makes for a refreshing, if slightly wacky, alternative to the usual sports book fare. In fact, it would be good to see others taking a leaf out of Ian Holloway’s book – metaphorically speaking – and producing books that fully reflect their authentic selves. There’s only so much us mere mortals can take on winning Grand Slams, breaking world records and getting knighted, it would allow us all to feel a little less inferior and more connected to these superhumans if we saw Andy Murray or Jonny Wilkinson, Jessica Ennis-Hill or Stephen Hendry venting forth on traffic, self-checkouts or the airport luggage carousel. Indeed, while fans may often feel all too alienated from the sports stars of today, this book proves that Ian Holloway at least is as normal and as human as the rest of us.
Reviewed by Jade Craddock.