Ollie was in town tonight at Walkabout for a night of chat about 'all things football' hosted by David Fitzgerald.
Appreciate that when it comes to Ian Holloway, it's a bit like Marmite: love him or hate him, but wanted to reflect on what he shared tonight. He was very candid and open about his views on football - nearly 2000 games as a player and a manager, which I guess qualifies his views.
Lots of chat about the influences on his life - particularly his dad Bill, Gordon Bennett and Gary Penrice - which was really insightful and explained a lot about his approach to football and why he is so passionate.
When it came to the reasons behind his departure from Argyle he focused mainly on his feeling that the Board failed to deliver what they had promised when they appointed him - that the club wanted to continually move forward.
According to Ollie the rot set in when a £1.5 million bid for David Norris was rejected by the Board and because of the interest, he recommended that DN's wages should be doubled from £2k a week to £4k a week as the interest from another club meant he clearly merited the increase.
One particular Board member objected, saying that the other players, who he spoke to a lot, would not be happy and as a result Ollie's recommendation was rejected. The focus, apparently, was on buying the ground, not paying more wages. It was the turning point for Ollie as he felt that the Board was not serious about moving forward on the pitch.
According to Ollie, success on the pitch (potentially Premier League football which he achieved at Blackpool) would have ultimately paid for the ground.
He also said that the close relationship between Paul Stapleton and Paul Sturrock had not helped as Stapleton often referred to PS when it came to players or on pitch issues.
He genuinely seem to regret what happened as a result and accepted that the move to Leicester was a big mistake. He repeatedly praised the Green Army and the strength of the club's following.
He did confirm that he had e-mailed the club after DA's departure looking for an opportunity to make good - but was not one of the candidates interviewed for the job.
He encouraged fans to get behind RL and felt that the club had a great future with a new chairman and new manager.
Appreciate that when it comes to Ian Holloway, it's a bit like Marmite: love him or hate him, but wanted to reflect on what he shared tonight. He was very candid and open about his views on football - nearly 2000 games as a player and a manager, which I guess qualifies his views.
Lots of chat about the influences on his life - particularly his dad Bill, Gordon Bennett and Gary Penrice - which was really insightful and explained a lot about his approach to football and why he is so passionate.
When it came to the reasons behind his departure from Argyle he focused mainly on his feeling that the Board failed to deliver what they had promised when they appointed him - that the club wanted to continually move forward.
According to Ollie the rot set in when a £1.5 million bid for David Norris was rejected by the Board and because of the interest, he recommended that DN's wages should be doubled from £2k a week to £4k a week as the interest from another club meant he clearly merited the increase.
One particular Board member objected, saying that the other players, who he spoke to a lot, would not be happy and as a result Ollie's recommendation was rejected. The focus, apparently, was on buying the ground, not paying more wages. It was the turning point for Ollie as he felt that the Board was not serious about moving forward on the pitch.
According to Ollie, success on the pitch (potentially Premier League football which he achieved at Blackpool) would have ultimately paid for the ground.
He also said that the close relationship between Paul Stapleton and Paul Sturrock had not helped as Stapleton often referred to PS when it came to players or on pitch issues.
He genuinely seem to regret what happened as a result and accepted that the move to Leicester was a big mistake. He repeatedly praised the Green Army and the strength of the club's following.
He did confirm that he had e-mailed the club after DA's departure looking for an opportunity to make good - but was not one of the candidates interviewed for the job.
He encouraged fans to get behind RL and felt that the club had a great future with a new chairman and new manager.