Ian Holloway: I've got raving hump with Villa over Charlie

Houllier has not offered enough money and the public pursuit of my captain leaves a sour taste

Sunday 16 January 2011 01:00 GMT
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Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, does not want to sell his star midfielder to Aston Villa
Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, does not want to sell his star midfielder to Aston Villa

I was absolutely livid at losing 3-2 to West Brom yesterday – to yet another late goal – and had a right go at journalists in a post-match press conference when Charlie Adam's future was brought up yet again.

As far as I'm concerned, Aston Villa should not talk about my player, when Mr Houllier hasn't put up enough money to buy him. It's not etiquette and I've got the raving hump about it because it's wrong.

If I'm asked about any player I offer money for, I don't talk about it, I say: "I'm sorry, he belongs to the other team and he's not mine."

Will I sell him to Villa? The answer is no because I am managing his career. I've told Charlie where I think he's good enough to go. He's got 18 months left on his contract and I believe he should go somewhere in the summer. Yesterday he's hit the best pass I've ever seen in my life. If there's anybody in the Premier League who can pass like that, how much are they worth?

And apparently it was also a "sign" that Charlie had thrown his shirt to our fans after the game yesterday. Well let me tell you, Mr Brainbox, he always throws his shirts away or swaps with someone. I feel sorry for West Brom – Charlie must already have a Baggies one in his locker.

Beaten but pleased for Baggies

We scored an absolutely brilliant goal yesterday, as good as you will see from a football point of view, and played our part in a terrific match. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline.

Our second goal was something I am proud of. David Vaughan played a beautiful pass to Matty Phillips and the boy put it on a plate for Gary Taylor-Fletcher. Three short, sharp passes and it shows everyone what good football we can play.

We were unlucky not to get at least a point, especially as DJ Campbell was tripped for what should have been a nailed-on penalty in the first half. But it wasn't given and then we were done at the end by one long ball over the top, which wasn't very nice for me to see.

I am bitterly disappointed about the result but pleased for Roberto Di Matteo, who is a great man, and West Brom. They had been on a bad run, and the Premier League can easily do that to you. We might have been the same had we not got out of jail by beating Liverpool.

We will have a good week on the training ground now and get ready for what are two terrific home games, against Sunderland on Saturday and then mighty Manchester United on the Tuesday.

Dethroning 'King Kenny' was for my late, great Dad

I wish my Dad had been here to see our double over Liverpool. I lost him 25 years ago, but that would have been the moment when I'd have poured him a whisky and said "there you go, Pops". He'd have loved it.

If nothing else goes right for the rest of my life, at least at the end of my career I can say "we beat Liverpool twice in one season, home and away". It means so much to me because when I was growing up, and my Dad was alive, Liverpool were the team. They still are one of the top sides and they will come again.

Every club goes through ups and downs. I'm not sure you can call this their "down". They finished seventh last year. I'd settle for that sort of "down" any day and so would loads of other clubs. Unfortunately Liverpool aren't used to that. But their fans are different class, their passion is unbelievable, and they'll trust Kenny Dalglish and give him time.

I wish I knew Kenny better because he seems a fantastic fella. In the build-up to Wednesday's game I had said something about how Kenny had once sworn at me when I asked for his autograph, because he thought that I was taking the mickey.

He had heard about me listening to a tape of him reading his autobiography when I was driving round Scotland on a family holiday. So when he arrived at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday he said he had something for me.

He pulled out a copy of his book and said: "You can read, can't you?" He had autographed it too, and I was blown away because you've got to remember this is a bloke I grew up idolising.

There was one goal in particular where he took the ball from the right-back on the outside of his foot and in one turn slotted Ian Rush in. Rushy went on to score. But I saw that piece of skill from Dalglish and just thought: "This guy is a genius." He was one of the reasons I wanted to be a footballer.

Mind you, it was a good job he was there on Wednesday because Sammy Lee and I can get a bit uppity. It never got nasty between the pair of us but at one point Sammy shouted at the ref that there had been an elbow.

I screamed back that my player wouldn't do that and it was a clash of heads. Kenny just grinned, shook his head and said: "Look at you two." It was fantastic and it took the heat out of it.

He is a living legend and I was fuming when I picked up the papers the next morning because what was written was a load of nonsense. Kenny was getting slaughtered and people were trying to make a big deal out of him losing his first two matches.

These people don't know what they are talking about. Kenny will unite that club again; just give him a chance.

It doesn't matter that he has been out of the game for a while. Quality always rises to the top and Kenny is a quality person and a quality manager.

So my message to journalists is: give him a chance and stop writing stories that aren't there.

Gym'll fix it for me and missus

My wife and I have joined a gym because I want to get fit. The youth-team coach at our club, a great fella called Gary Parkinson, suffered a stroke last year and is still in hospital and not the same bloke at the minute. It upset me enormously, especially as he is five years younger than me, and it makes you realise that health is so precious.

So for everyone reading this, please make sure you look after yourself and go to your GP, like I made my staff do, to get simple tests done like checking blood pressure and cholesterol.

Mine were both good, thankfully, though my wife's was slightly high. I didn't expect that because she eats better than I do so we have to try and sort that out. But get yourself checked.

It gives you peace of mind and you feel really chuffed with yourself that you have done something positive. I'm 47 and want to be here for a long time, so, "gymnasium, here we come".

I won't make a Twit of myself

For me, Tweeting is what birds do and I haven't got the first clue about computers. But I thought Ryan Babel's mock-up of Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt was hilarious.

It was funny because I saw Howard in the toilet at Stockport County's ground on Tuesday night. I'd gone to watch a couple of my lads who are out on loan and Howard was there because he is a Stockport fan. I was ribbing him about those two big decisions he made and asking whether it was a penalty or a sending-off. We were having a bit of a laugh about it. To charge Babel for improper conduct is so harsh.

I understand the internet is pretty good. My wife does a load of shopping online. On the rare occasions I need to go on it, I will always get one of my kids to help and do the typing.

No shower for Torres leaves me steaming

When Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney come to Bloomfield Road at the end of the month they will be able to have a hot shower. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina didn't get one the other night.

The boiler broke down again. It is the third time it has happened and it meant there was only cold water in the dressing room after the game, for both us and the Liverpool lads.

I have been on at the chairman about it because it is embarrassing and the players are freezing. He has finally sanctioned getting a different boiler so thank God for that.

My chairman is tighter than anyone I know and sometimes things take an age to get done, but I love him to bits and don't want him to change because I have never felt supported like I do at Blackpool. Mind you, it won't half be nice to have a decent shower now.

Foul play from pooch

Beating Liverpool might have been one of the best nights of my life but the next morning wasn't. It all went well at first. I had a glass of wine with Kenny Dalglish after the match and it was great. Sometimes it is a bit awkward when one team has lost but he was so gracious and dignified. So was Sammy Lee, who shook everybody's hand on the way out – pure class.

My wife, Kim, and I drove home, opened a bottle of red and put on a couple of episodes of my favourite TV programme, Blackadder. Then we went to bed with big smiles on our faces and to be honest I was so happy I didn't want to go to sleep – I was already looking forward to waking up.

First thing I did the next morning was pinch myself and ask Kim what the score was the previous night. She said we'd won 2-1 so I bounded downstairs to make a pot of tea... and that's when it turned a bit sour. The dog had done something very unpleasant in the middle of the kitchen floor and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get rid of the whiff. Kim was a bit upset, so things weren't rosy when I left for training. Thankfully she was in a better mood by the time I got home and hopefully the dog will behave itself from now on.

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