Tony Pulis: Ian Holloway gets my vote for Manager of the Year

02 May 2011 02:05
He would be a worthy recipient himself if his Stoke City side lift the FA Cup, but Tony Pulis believes that Ian Holloway should be awarded the Manager of the Year accolade - if he keeps Blackpool up. [LNB]Typical of the men, Blackpool and Stoke battered each other to a standstill at Bloomfield Road, with un-daunting commitment throughout, before their managers fell into a hug of mutual respect. [LNB]Pulis understands the difficulty in keeping a side in the Barclays Premier League and admits to being in awe of his old Bristol Rovers team-mate's achievement this season. [LNB] Top mates: Ian Holloway (right) is godfather to Tony Pulis' son[LNB]He said: 'If Blackpool stay up, you've got to give him Manager of the Year without a doubt. [LNB]'There is such a big differential between the people who have and the people who haven't. In this country we never seem to look at that and we should do. [LNB]'There are people who have millions to spend and ?100,000-a-week players. Then you've got Ian with the smallest budget in the league. To grind the results out that Ian's done, if they stay up you have got to give it to him. He would get my vote. [LNB] Candidate: Holloway has worked wonders at Blackpool on a shoestring[LNB]'Now that we have played them, I hope they do well in their remaining games. I have known Ian since he was 12 or 13 - and he was that size then. It gives me a bit of a sway towards Blackpool. [LNB]'The one thing you have to give then is that they have been committed in every game they have played. Ian has got that in his genes. [LNB]'They have tremendous energy levels and they make it difficult for the opposition. If they stay up it will be brilliant.'[LNB] Dogfight! The battle to avoid the drop looks set to go down to the wireBlackpool 0 Stoke 0: Seasiders pick up a point to keep their heads above waterAll the latest Stoke City news, features and opinionAll the latest Blackpool news, features and opinion[LNB]  Explore more:People: Tony Pulis, Ian Holloway

Source: Daily_Mail