Ian Holloway take a bow.
January’s League 2 Manager of the Month has completely transformed Swindon. He has somehow turned what was once a wrecked burning building and made it into a mansion. You get the idea. Swindon are believing once again.
It looked for the entirety of the season that the January transfer window would be the last roll of the dice. Swindon’s last bid to rectify their recruiting mistakes.
If somebody had suggested, in November, that Town would make just three January acquisitions I’d have thought Swindon were doomed. You’d question, why on earth have they only made three signings? Considering it was once a squad which wasn’t up to scratch and lacked the stomach.
But today, it’s a perfect example of the genius of Ian Holloway. Swindon haven’t tried, unlike Carlisle, to spend their way out of trouble. They simply haven’t had to. Because they now have what money can’t really buy.
An experienced motivator and a shrewd tactician in the dugout.
The difference on the pitch is there for us all to see. It feels as if I’m watching a completely different team, but with virtually the same players.
The difference is Ian Holloway has made those players feel a foot taller, a yard quicker, and that bit stronger. Most notably, the energy levels have gone through the roof, every player in red will run their tank dry as a minimum.
In addition, there’s a swagger and confidence to Town. They go into each match with genuine belief that they will give anybody a game. It has been a welcome return to the mindset which Swindon should have in this league.
Every game is there to be won. At times it has even been a case of winning in style. It’s a far cry from Mark Kennedy’s lacklustre drivel; I’m proud to say that lately I have been thoroughly entertained.
Not since Richie Wellens have I seen a Swindon team play for their manager as much as the current crop for Holloway. But he goes one step beyond Wellens in terms of his in-game tactics.
The confidence which he has installed in his troops has taken Town to a level which I didn’t feel was possible at points this season. However, it’s fair to say that Holloway’s substitutes have certainly cemented the recent success.
Arguably, the best example would be the introduction of Kabongo Tshimanga in the win against Tranmere. The Peterborough loanee divides opinion amongst Town fans.
And yet Holloway saw something in him and the game which led to a Town win, where previously they perhaps would’ve been frustrated. That right there is why Holloway has seen over 1000 games in management.
So, credit where it’s due, Ian Holloway has breathed a new sense of life into Swindon and stopped them sleepwalking into oblivion. The mood around the team is unrecognisable from the dull despair which lingered around SN1 in Autumn. Suddenly, we’re believing once again.
And that is the special thing about football, once you have belief, you never know how far you’ll go.
It looked for the entirety of the season that the January transfer window would be the last roll of the dice. Swindon’s last bid to rectify their recruiting mistakes.
If somebody had suggested, in November, that Town would make just three January acquisitions I’d have thought Swindon were doomed. You’d question, why on earth have they only made three signings? Considering it was once a squad which wasn’t up to scratch and lacked the stomach.
But today, it’s a perfect example of the genius of Ian Holloway. Swindon haven’t tried, unlike Carlisle, to spend their way out of trouble. They simply haven’t had to. Because they now have what money can’t really buy.
An experienced motivator and a shrewd tactician in the dugout.
The difference on the pitch is there for us all to see. It feels as if I’m watching a completely different team, but with virtually the same players.
The difference is Ian Holloway has made those players feel a foot taller, a yard quicker, and that bit stronger. Most notably, the energy levels have gone through the roof, every player in red will run their tank dry as a minimum.
In addition, there’s a swagger and confidence to Town. They go into each match with genuine belief that they will give anybody a game. It has been a welcome return to the mindset which Swindon should have in this league.
Every game is there to be won. At times it has even been a case of winning in style. It’s a far cry from Mark Kennedy’s lacklustre drivel; I’m proud to say that lately I have been thoroughly entertained.
Not since Richie Wellens have I seen a Swindon team play for their manager as much as the current crop for Holloway. But he goes one step beyond Wellens in terms of his in-game tactics.
The confidence which he has installed in his troops has taken Town to a level which I didn’t feel was possible at points this season. However, it’s fair to say that Holloway’s substitutes have certainly cemented the recent success.
Arguably, the best example would be the introduction of Kabongo Tshimanga in the win against Tranmere. The Peterborough loanee divides opinion amongst Town fans.
And yet Holloway saw something in him and the game which led to a Town win, where previously they perhaps would’ve been frustrated. That right there is why Holloway has seen over 1000 games in management.
So, credit where it’s due, Ian Holloway has breathed a new sense of life into Swindon and stopped them sleepwalking into oblivion. The mood around the team is unrecognisable from the dull despair which lingered around SN1 in Autumn. Suddenly, we’re believing once again.
And that is the special thing about football, once you have belief, you never know how far you’ll go.
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