MX23RW : Monday, November 25 09:03:41| >> :120:59639:59639:

Unsympathetic Ian Holloway: 'Steve McClaren nicked my job'

Unsympathetic Ian Holloway: 'Steve McClaren nicked my job'
© Reuters
The former QPR boss said losing the job was like having his children taken away.

Former QPR manager Ian Holloway has no sympathy for sacked successor Steve McClaren and compared losing the job to having his children taken away.

Ex-England manager McClaren took over from Holloway in May 2018 on a two-year deal but was dismissed on Monday after 11 months in charge, with the club 17th in the Championship and only eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Holloway told talkSPORT: "He took my job. I still had another year left at the club. I'm still being paid by them now.

"He was talking to the chairman while I was in the job saying what he'd do. He hasn't been able to do that.

"What goes around comes around."

Holloway continued: "He had my babies and took my kids. It means the world to me.

"I felt I was in the best position to do that job. The owners made their choice and that's football at the end of the day."

On whether he could return, Holloway commented: "Would I go back? It depends who calls me. Les (Ferdinand, director of football) didn't want me to go."

McClaren oversaw 46 games in charge at Loftus Road, of which his side lost 21, including eight of the last 11. They have won only one league game since Boxing Day.

Tim Sherwood is among the names rumoured to be in contention to replace McClaren at QPR, while assistant manager John Eustace is set to take over first-team affairs on an interim basis until a permanent appointment is made.

Director of football Les Ferdinand said in a statement on the club website: "Steve has worked incredibly hard during his time with us but as we start to make plans for next year we feel this change is necessary now, rather than wait until the end of the season, or risk having to make such a decision early in the new campaign."

McClaren was restricted by the transfer embargo imposed on the club for January as a penalty for breaking Financial Fair Play rules during the 2013-14 season, which saw them promoted to the Premier League.

Chief executive Lee Hoos added: "Making a decision such as this is never easy, particularly when you are talking about someone as professional and dedicated as Steve.

"We are grateful to him for all his efforts during his time with us. It is well documented that we are in a period of transition as we work hard to make the club financially stable. With that comes challenges, not least the cutting of the
wage bill while aiming to remain competitive.

"As we look to the future, and taking recent results into account, we feel now is the right time to re-evaluate where we are."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '0e7a28c0-b374-4dce-9b21-94f98e6e8073');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': '\u2018What goes around comes around\u2019 \u2013 No sympathy from Holloway for sacked McClaren'});

ID:355012: cacheID:355012:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5080:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
General view of Bolton Wanderers' University of Bolton Stadium taken 2016
Read Next:
Parkinson looks ahead to "big week" for troubled Bolton
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds1695228121632
2Sunderland1695226121432
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1610422191232
4Burnley168621961330
5Middlesbrough1683529191027
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom166821811726
7Watford168262524126
8Millwall166641914524
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City165742020022
11Derby CountyDerby165562020020
12Stoke CityStoke165561920-120
13Norwich CityNorwich164752524119
14Swansea CitySwansea165471414019
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds165471826-819
16Luton TownLuton165381826-818
17Coventry CityCoventry164572223-117
18Oxford UnitedOxford Utd164571924-517
19Plymouth ArgylePlymouth164571728-1117
20Preston North EndPreston163761624-816
21Cardiff CityCardiff164481524-916
22Hull City163671621-515
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR161871326-1311


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!