'Game 1000 the most important of the lot' - Holloway on reaching milestone
Ian Holloway will reach his 1,000th game in management with Swindon Town’s tie against Grimsby on Saturday.
Not many managers have such a record and the Bristol-born coach will be the 27th English manager to do so when he takes charge this weekend.
Danny Wilson was another Robins manager who reached the milestone when he was manager of Barnsley.
Holloway said that he was delighted of his great achievement.
He said: “I’m really proud.
“This is totally different, I’m doing it and you only work to the next game, you think about the lads and how they are.
“When you actually stop and if I could unravel it all, look at the old films that the BBC have got in their archives, imagine you’d roll them out.
“I wonder if it was all on one reel, when would it stop?"
He took his first job in 1996 with Bristol Rovers in what would become a historic career with jobs all around the country.
The game against high-flying Grimsby means a lot to the manager and he is determined more than ever to get three points.
He said: “In here I feel as fresh as a daisy, it’s a wonderful thing to sit back and look at, but it doesn’t matter now.
“I need to get on and try and win the next game, this thousand game.
“I probably need to win it more than anyone that I’ve had so far, so that’s how it is.
“If I can get the lads to feel as good as I feel about being here today, that might help.
“If I can get the fans to feel half as enthusiastic as I am, then that really will help.”
116 managers have reached the 1,000th mark in club management, with the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and numerous other high-profile individuals being among those.
The 61-year-old discussed the days and time he’s spent of his life doing what he loves best.
He discussed: “There’s not many people who have already done it, is there?
“When you look at the names who have, what they’ve had is passion, belief and enough nous to keep going for a few.
“It’s probably at least 7,000 days, isn’t it?
“There might be three games in a week but it’s not always that and then there’s pre-seasons as well, so it’ll be at least 7,000 days.
“It’s an awful large part of your life."
