Ian Holloway calls it quits as Crystal Palace manager

Ian Holloway

Ian Holloway, who led Crystal Palace to Premier League promotion with a 1-0 victory over Watford in the Championship play-off final at Wembley after taking over the club in November 2012, has departed from his position as the manager of the club by mutual consent.

According to the Mirror, the 50-year-old was in talks with the club chairman Steve Parish, who is concerned with the club’s disappointing start to the league, for the last couple of days following a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Fulham last weekend. The Eagles have lost seven of the eight Premier league games and are currently at the 19th spot.

In the press conference, attended by Parish and Holloway, to announce the rationale behind arriving at such a decision, Parish said: “Ian’s contract at Crystal Palace has come to an end by mutual consent. Ian felt that a new approach might help keep us in the division. I’d like to put the record straight. We’ve never fallen out. We’ve worked together brilliantly. We feel we need to move on to progress.”

Holloway had this to say on his decision to leave Crystal Palace: “I’d rather call a meeting because some of the stuff I’ve been reading is total nonsense. We still care immensely about Palace.

“I have pride in the job we’ve both done. It wasn’t easy. If Steve’s last manager wasn’t headhunted I wouldn’t have been here. We need to shut up shop in this division. At the minute we’ve got a whole new group there. I have to hold my hand up and say we didn’t keep the spirit that got us up. We changed too much too quickly.

“It is a privilege to have worked at Palace. With me out the way, the new man will have a chance to start again.”