Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston is determined to keep Ian Holloway at the Bloomfield Road club next season.
Manager also hopeful of keeping squad together
Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston is determined to keep Ian Holloway at the Bloomfield Road club next season.
The Seasiders suffered play-off final heartbreak at the weekend, going down 2-1 to West Ham at Wembley, and after the game Holloway appeared to question Oyston's ambition with regards to his level of financial investment in the club.
But despite that and the prospect of a summer in which Holloway is set to be linked with top-flight vacancies, Oyston is clear about the man he envisages being at the helm come August.
"It goes without saying I want Ian Holloway to be the manager and to stay in charge," Oyston told the
Blackpool Gazette. "He has done remarkably well, and he has certainly accepted and worked very well with our style and the way we do things.
Perfect
"He is perfect for us in that respect, and conversely we are perfect for him because he gets absolute freedom to express himself and to do what he wants to do, how he wants to do it, without any pressure from us.
"We don't behave like many other clubs, who have talented managers that they don't give time to, or they don't support or allow to have the freedom to manage. I think it is important that people like Ian have absolute freedom to play the game how they want the game played."
Meanwhile, Holloway is confident he will be able to keep his squad together for another promotion push next season.
Key figures such as Charlie Adam, DJ Campbell and David Vaughan left Bloomfield Road following their relegation from the Premier League last summer, but Holloway is confident he can avoid a fire sale this time round.
"I don't think the squad will break up this time. That was the case last year, after a lot of them proved they could play at Premier League level," said Holloway. "I never wanted to let the likes of Charlie Adam or David Vaughan go, but such is life.
"We will move on this time, hopefully with the same squad, and attract more players if we can. It would have been easier for us if we got that money again, but all of that is for another day."
