Former Premier League manager Ian Holloway has shared that his wife has coined a unique four-word nickname for him since he stepped away from his managerial role.
Holloway, aged 60, has remained jobless since 2020 after parting ways with Grimsby Town due to their descent to non-league status. Although he hasn’t officially retired from football, he has refrained from any immediate return, leaving the possibility open for a comeback in the future.
His previous routine, which had typically revolved around the training ground and the sidelines, is now centered on his domestic life with his family. Previously, his demanding managerial career had kept him largely apart from his loved ones.
Holloway’s coaching journey began in 1996 as a player/manager at Bristol Rovers, followed by a noteworthy five-year tenure at QPR, his lengthiest spell at any single club. Over the years, he also took the helm at Plymouth Argyle, Leicester City, Blackpool, Crystal Palace, Millwall, a second stint at QPR, and, ultimately, Grimsby in 2020.
Throughout his 25-year career, Holloway hardly experienced any prolonged breaks from football, which significantly affected his personal and family life. Holloway recently hosted a documentary titled “The Hotseat,” where he discussed his managerial career and engaged in conversations with fellow managers like Neil Warnock, Mick McCarthy, and Gareth Ainsworth, among others.
In one of the documentary’s initial scenes, Holloway and his wife Kim are seen at their dining table, where Kim humorously discloses her nickname for him – ‘Dobby the house elf.’ This sparks laughter as Holloway impersonates Dobby from the Harry Potter series, adding, “She thinks I look like him as well. Dobby needs a new master, please give me a sock.”
Despite achieving promotions to the Premier League with Blackpool in 2010 and Palace in 2013, Holloway remains unretired from the game. However, following his exit from Grimsby, he expressed a loss of enthusiasm for continuing his managerial career.
Holloway has expressed interest in returning to management at the Championship level and, notably, faced rejection for the role at SPFL side Motherwell in February of this year.
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