Ian Holloway feared Milan Mandaric would scupper DJ Campbell deal
Ian Holloway feared Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric would scupper his chances of signing DJ Campbell.
The Blackpool boss said he experienced sleepless nights and suffered from stress as he waited to find out if City would accept his £1.25 million bid for the 28-year-old striker.
-
Ian Holloway
Holloway confessed he thought Mandaric might pull the plug on the deal after his brief spell as City boss, when the club were relegated to League One for the first time in their history.
"I probably had more sleepless nights over the last week or so of the transfer window than I've ever had before in football, and that was because I was thinking about the DJ situation constantly," said Holloway.
"I was thinking that my allegiance, however short and however wrong it was at Leicester, might have stood in his way of him coming here, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if that had been the case.
"I honestly thought it might have been an issue, between maybe Mr Mandaric and myself, but thankfully sense prevailed.
"The stress of it actually made me ill. All the time I was in Latvia last week I had a lump on my lip like a golf ball.
"It was a cold-sore and I get them when I am stressed and tired out. It was on my lip and so big that when I got back to England people thought I'd dropped a cigar on it!
"But that's all down to DJ really. I've wanted him so badly and I'd been putting so much energy into trying to get him.
"I think he suits us and he is absolutely vital for this football club and the energy of it.
"Never has there been someone so well-suited to come to a club as DJ is for Blackpool.
"I've always said this club fits me like a glove, but I think it fits DJ even better than it fits me."
13 Comments
View all
by Fred, Leicester
Thursday, September 09 2010, 9:41PM
“Guys guys guys you need to move on.
The DJ was by far and away our best striker and you know it.
We have now banjo playing strikers who will take us nowhere.
There will be plenty of space available when the Taffs come to town proving the masses of foxes fans who think we are on the road to nowhere.”
by chappy, Newark
Thursday, September 09 2010, 9:31PM
“Tomorrow they will run a story by ex Foxes Legend Junior Lewis, why Campbells Move could reignite his flagging career, then we'll get Foxes Hall of Fame player Julian Watts having his two penneth.”
by CoalvilleFox, NW Leics
Thursday, September 09 2010, 8:21PM
“The day must have a Y in it as the LM is running another DJ story. What next " How I escaped my Leicester hell by Dud" or "Leicester getting relegated to League 1 was nothing to do with me says comedy manager olly" LM We have some important games coming up. A bit of focus on the Foxes would be nice.”
by Jim, Coalville
Thursday, September 09 2010, 5:57PM
“I see Fred has been smoking crack again!
If you haven't got anything constructive to say about the Foxes, just don't bother, go back to Derby or where ever it is your from and please no more stories about bloody DJ Campbell and Ollie the wally”
by Fred, Leicester
Thursday, September 09 2010, 5:50PM
“Rich simple old son why we focus on the DJ.
coz he was the best striker at the club.
Now jog on old son
PS HOW ARE THE wHIPPETS.”
by rich, yorkshire
Thursday, September 09 2010, 5:12PM
“Who cares about Hollowhead, DJ Plonker or red Fred??
Come on LM print some stories about LCFC......”
by Fred, Leicester
Thursday, September 09 2010, 4:45PM
“OLLIE AND THE DJ MILES BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW”
by alan5547, leicestershire
Thursday, September 09 2010, 3:17PM
“sleepless nights?
sleepless nights?
Let me tell you about sleepless nights boy !!
sleepless nights are living in a shoe box , in't' middle of t'road. ... one eye on the cats eyes, the other eye ont' tissue paper...
times were 'ard' unlucky .in fact I bet.. if i bought a parrot ..it would be deceased...
hmmmm. that could be a sketch.
.~ picks up pen~”
by Fosse_to_Fox, Long Eaton
Thursday, September 09 2010, 3:12PM
“I don¿t get this. Why yet another article about Campbell?
Maybe Mandaric may have wanted to play silly beggars with Holloway as he didn¿t exactly owe him any favours after Holloway took the club down. But, then again, Mandaric is also a businessman, and getting £1.25 million for a disruptive 29 year old striker who has scored 5 goals for you in 3 years and who is in the last year of his contract is good business. So there was never any doubt that Mandaric would eventually let him go. He¿s obviously just played on Holloway¿s apparent desperation to buy Campbell to get the best price he could.
But I cannot help but agree that it doesn¿t say much about Holloway if his attempts at getting Campbell have caused him more sleepless nights than when he was trying to prevent us being relegated. That¿s a bit of an insult to us really, considering how important that was to all City fans. I would imagine that there are more than a few Blackpool fans who doubt Campbell can achieve anywhere near as much in the Premiership as he did for them during his loan spell in the Championship. Holloway is renowned for his quirky comments, some of which are genuinely witty, but his fawning over Campbell is in danger of making him look just plain silly.
I also agree that it¿s high time we had an injury update on Tunchev. I don¿t know why the Mercury can¿t give a weekly update on all injured players as a matter of routine. Another one is Weale. Will he be ready to play against Coventry?”
by keith, Wanganui
Thursday, September 09 2010, 11:39AM
“Well now that you have Freds pin up boy Hollowhead. I think you will have that golf ball on your lip for at least for the rest of this season.
I also had sleepless nights thinking that greedy Campbell would not take a pay cut and we would be stuck with him.
I think the Mercury should stop printing Blackpool propaganda and concentrate on our own club.
Not many people read the Mercury up there.
So like it has been posted good riddance to Campbell.
Let's hear about how Tunch is doing, and just when will he be pulling his boots back on and back in the shirt.
Up the City”