December 31, 2019 3.26 pm This story is over 59 months old

Grimsby Town appoint former Premier League manager

A late Christmas present for Mariners fans
Former Premier League manager Ian Holloway has been appointed as the new manager of Grimsby Town. Photo: Grimsby Town Football Club

Grimsby Town will enter 2020 with a new manager after appointing former Premier League boss Ian Holloway.

The Mariners, who lie down in 21st place in League Two, parted company with former manager Michael Jolley by mutual consent in November.

Anthony Limbrick was announced as caretaker boss soon after Jolley’s departure, with Ben Davies assisting in a first team coaching role.

Grimsby will now prepare for a new era and new manager Holloway will be presented to the crowd ahead of kick-off of Grimsby’s opening game of the new decade.

The Mariners will host Salford City at Blundell Park on New Year’s Day.

During his career as a manager, Holloway has taken charge of seven other clubs including securing promotion on three occasions.

This included promotion to the Premier League with Crystal Palace and Blackpool. He also played close to 600 games during his playing career, including two spells at Bristol Rovers of over 100 appearances each.

Holloway sees Grimsby as a long-term project and, along with his wife Kim, has committed to selling up and moving into the area.

Majority shareholder John Fenty told Grimsby Town’s website that “in an initial call to Ian lasting over two hours, it was clear he was interviewing me. He wanted to know about the project, no holds barred”.

He added: “His infectious love for the game shone through immediately, a desire and enthusiasm which saw him play almost 600 games and, going on to manage over 950 games.”

Click here to watch the live press conference on Tuesday afternoon announcing Holloway on Grimsby Town’s Official YouTube channel.