Holloway column

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The Plymouth manager gives his inimitable views on football and life in general in his weekly column.

This week he talks about the sad death of his mother-in-law and the support people have shown the family.

He also gives his views on Plymouth's fantastic support, the England rugby team's fixation with Kenny Rogers, Sir Alex Ferguson and Bohemian Rhapsody.

TRAGIC LOSS IN THE FAMILY

We've got a funeral to go to on Friday after losing (my wife) Kim's mum last week.

Her name was Wendy Mitcham and unfortunately she lost her four-year battle against breast cancer.

We've had some wonderful messages from loads and loads of people and I think that's what it's all about. You're here on this planet and when you're no longer here, someone takes their time to pay you respect as a human being and reflect on how you touched their life.

I think it's very uplifting. We've had some wonderful cards and I'm sure there will be loads and loads of people at the funeral in Bristol paying her their respects. I was privileged to know her.

SIGNING LEE MARTIN ON LOAN FROM MAN UTD

It was a bit of a coup to get him because there were a few clubs after him. I think there were three other Championship sides interested, who all think they're more fashionable than us, and he chose us, which is great.

I've been trying for years to get Lee Martin, absolute years. Man Utd have got loads of brilliant young players but obviously they can't all play.

You stack 'em and rack 'em and they all get a bit frustrated - I mean how can you get in Man Utd's team on a regular basis when you've got Ryan Giggs and the like ahead of you?

Hopefully we can help Lee in his career, like we we helped Scott Sinclair last season, because it's all about playing matches in front of supporters. If you play in youth team games and reserve team fixtures it's not quite the same.

I like his freshness. He's only been with us two or three days and, good gracious me, he's got that hunger and that desire. He wants to get his foot in and take people on and hopefully I can help him.

FERGIE PHONES HOME PARK

Lee Martin: "Sir Alex likes Ian Holloway and told me he's the sort of manager I can learn things off."

That bit of money I slipped him obviously worked a treat. Ha ha ha! But if Sir Alex said those things, then thank you very much.

He's brilliant because you can leave him a message and within 10 minutes he's getting back to you. Imagine the number of phone calls he gets and still being that efficient.

It makes you quite humble really - if he can do it then we should all be able to.

So that's my new target - can I get back to people quicker than Sir Alex Ferguson does? If you want to be as good as him you've got to be able to do those things and that's the measure of the man.

RUGBY WORLD CUP

It was unbelievable last weekend, wasn't it? I don't think anybody on the planet would have predicted those two results.

We've got an Australian kit man and he was absolutely devastated. He got some stick in training - just a little bit.

The lads were singing "Swing low, sweet chariot" and all that to him. Good old Jonny Wilkinson - the best of the best. And I thought the forwards were terrific.

ROY KEANE SAYS FOOTBALL HAS 'LOST ITS SOUL'

Keane: "Football has lost its soul and it's definitely for the worse...there's players these days who do not love football."

There is a danger that some people are doing it for the money these days, whereas when we started it was all about how good we could be, not how rich we wanted to be.

Some of the rules these days are not helping that. The Bosman Rule in particular. People are going to let their contracts run out and go for nothing so they get the large fees.

If someone's worth a few million quid and he goes for nothing, he's gonna get that money, isn't he? And I think it should be stopped. The Bosman rule is killing the game. We had it right before, get rid of it.

If anybody is out of contract, you offer them a better deal and they turn it down, then you should be able to ask a transfer fee for them, because it means you still want them. It means you want to retain their services - and if they're good enough, someone will buy them.

The ones who might not get a club, might not want to be bought - they ought to stay and work hard and play better instead of walking out in the summer, so I agree with Roy on that point.

It's all about the game and how good you can be - and that's the type of players we're all looking for.

ENGLAND RUGBY PLAYERS LISTENING TO KENNY ROGERS

Ha ha! There'll be some superstition involved in that. They'll have played 'The Gambler' once and got a great result so they're carrying on with it.

There might not be anything 'Eye Of The Tiger' about it - because that was a great get-pumped-up song - but it's a good song nevertheless.

I used 'Wild Cherry' in our dressing room the other week - you know, "Play that funky music, white boy" - I love that one.

I'd become fed up with all the players' songs - all that headbanging stuff and R'n'B - So I bought this triple CD for �5.99 and Wild Cherry was on it.

That was released at a time when boogie was a word - Boogie Nights, Boogie Wonderland and all that. No-one knows what boogie means any more - one of the players thought I said bogie - and I said no, that's what you pick out of your nose. Boogie's for dancing.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY VOTED BEST VIDEO EVER

I wasn't a fan of Queen at the time, but I am now.

I didn't like that song because it kept suddenly changing. One minute you're singing "whooooh woo" and the next it's "Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia!" - I didn't know where I was with it all. But now I've got to admit it's a bit of a classic.

But there was something about Freddie's tash - it looked like he'd swallowed a cat, it was that bushy.

Either that or he'd had a dustpan and brush stuck under his nose and he'd lost the dustpan bit. How he ever ate anything with a tash like that, I don't know!

PUNTER'S QUESTION

StjudesAndy: "Hello Ollie, is it true that you wanted to get the lighthouse in Plymouth painted in green and white hoops? Loved you at Rangers and always look for the results of the Pilgrims now. Also, if they made a film of your book, who would you want to play the part of you?"

That role has already been cast - Jimmy Somerville! My players have done it all. I was either gonna be played by Gollum or Jimmy Somerville and they voted for Jimmy. But apparently he's turned it down, said he was too busy - having a corn removed or something.

And yes, I do want the lighthouse repainted. It's currently red and white, which is Exeter's colours, so why on earth do we want a red and white lighthouse?

The grass is green up on the Hoe, it sticks out a mile, so why don't we paint it green and white with a little bit of black, which are our traditional colours?

The mayor said if we got promoted, they'd do it, but it's a different mayor now so I've got to start all over again.

Funnily enough, some people who live in the area have just sent me some postcards showing the lighthouse when it used to be green and white. So let's get it back to what it should be.

PUNTER'S QUESTION II

Argyle-girl-pafc: "After the rugby matches last weekend, what was it like having two Frenchmen and a New Zealander on your coach back from Blackpool? "

It was very, very good! But these Frenchies are getting a bit over-confident if you ask me. They quite fancy themselves on home turf.

The best thing was having our Aussie kitman with us. He was moaning at the end of the game that we didn't even know the rules.

My physio, Paul Maxwell, apparently thought rugby union and rugby league were the same thing so the kitman went mad at us. His name's Scott and he's not a happy man!

PUNTER'S QUESTION III

TheCornflakesKid: "Why do you never show any questions I write? If somebody offered you crazy money to present a football entertainment show, would you take them up on that offer? I'd watch it."

Yes, well unfortunately I've got the right face for radio, so I don't think that'll ever happen.

But obviously in our career you've got to be ready to do anything, because one minute you're a manager and the next you might be on gardening leave - and I'm no good at gardening.

And we don't print your questions because you've got such a stupid name! 'The Cornflakes Kid'? I mean, who is he? I thought the Milky Bar Kid was bad enough - tell him to sort his name out!

PUNTER'S QUESTION IV

Gary: "Hello Ian. Brilliant column, as always. We're a group of five Scots from Edinburgh who travel to four Plymouth games every season. The love affair started through a Cornish grandparent.

Just returned from Blackpool and went to Hull before that. Over the course of the two visits, the fans have been terrific and their backing is second to none. They're an absolute credit to the club. Any special mentions for them?"

Unfortunately I can't afford to keep buying them all a drink, but if I could, I would. Football supporters are a special breed - of any football club.

You have so many ups and downs and highs and lows but you should never change allegiance.

It was proven last week that my team and the supporters have to do over 3,400 miles more than anyone else to follow their team each season. And that is what's special.

There was Southampton when we lost 1-0 and they didn't stop singing from start to finish and then there was Sunderland away last season when we won 3-2 - absolutely unbelieveable. I'd never heard anything like it, and it really does help the lads.

Last Saturday's atmosphere at Blackpool was fantastic. The noise our lot were making was absolutely outstanding, considering they haven't finished their ground yet.

It was quite surreal - they've done all one side and not the other. They haven't been beaten there for over a year - and no wonder.

It's a real strange scenario - you walk out of one side of the ground and the rest isn't done. It's like you're on a park pitch. But we can't complain because our car park has got more potholes in it than the surface of the moon, so who are we to talk?
Ian Holloway was talking to Chris Charles.

Source: BBC Sport