New Swindon Town boss Ian Holloway has put forth an unusual theory to explain the club’s poor run of form, one which has raised eyebrows among Hesgoal soccer fans. According to Holloway, their training ground may be haunted.
The former Blackpool, QPR and Leicester boss believes this haunting has led to a series of unfortunate events and lacklustre performances from his team.
Holloway took over at Swindon at the end of last month and has yet to oversee a league win. He believes that there are “some strange things happening” on their training ground.
This claim came after Robins captain Ollie Clarke suffered a tendon rupture in his ankle during training last week.
Swindon Town manager, Ian Holloway, said:
“I’m absolutely devastated so I’m going to try and cleanse the training ground area because people are telling me it’s haunted”.
“There’s a graveyard somewhere near. Honestly, I’m not joking”.
The 61-year-old manager further added that he would be asking his wife to “cleanse the area” with sage due to its perceived proximity to an ancient burial site.
This unconventional approach is indicative of Holloway’s unique character, something which has long made him one of the most beloved figures in English football.
Holloway, added:
“I think our training ground is very close to an ancient burial site so I’m going to get my wife to come up and say sorry to all these people and hopefully we’ll have a bit more luck.”
While this might seem like an extreme measure, it isn’t entirely unprecedented in football history. Holloway clarified that he wouldn’t go as far as former Birmingham City manager Barry Fry did when dealing with a reported curse on his club.
Fry reportedly urinated on all four corners of the St Andrew’s pitch in an attempt to ward off bad luck – something which Holloway doesn’t plan on replicating at Swindon’s County Ground.
Holloway, quipped:
“I don’t want to do what he did, I think he had to urinate on the corners of his pitch but I’m going to get my wife to come up with her sage”.
Despite coming from behind to draw 2-2 away against Accrington recently – their first league point since Holloway took over – Swindon remain 22nd in League Two. They are just one point above the relegation zone and have yet to notch up any wins under their new manager’s leadership.
Their next match will see them face bottom-of-the-table Morecambe at home this Saturday – a game which could potentially mark their first league win under Holloway, provided the ‘ghosts’ of their training ground are kept at bay.
While Holloway’s haunted training ground theory might raise eyebrows, it certainly adds an intriguing twist to Swindon’s current predicament. Whether or not sage cleansing will turn around the team’s fortunes remains to be seen.