Ian Holloway: Queens Park Rangers boss looking to restore pride

Ian Holloway has agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Loftus Road

New Queens Park Rangers manager Ian Holloway wants the squad to show pride when they are representing the club.

The 53-year-old, who played for the R's in the 1990s, begins his second spell in charge against Norwich on Saturday.

"It is all about where you are and what the club means. We need talented boys and for them to be hungry," he told BBC Radio London.

"Every time I wore that shirt I was bursting with pride and I want my team to do the same thing."

Fortunes 'not going to change overnight'

Holloway was previously in charge of Rangers between 2001 and 2006, and agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract at Loftus Road on 11 November.

He said he was "honoured, privileged and proud" to return to the Championship club but has stressed it will take time to rebuild after taking over from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was sacked after 11 months in charge.

QPR are 17th in the table, six points off the play-offs and six points above the relegation zone.

"Can I get more out of the lads and make them believe in themselves? I need to settle down, have a look and orchestrate things," Holloway added.

"I can't wait to see if my way of doing things makes this side any stronger or whether I will have to adjust it.

"I am not going to change this overnight. I want the fans to understand I am here for the right reasons and I want to help us get back to where I believe we belong."

QPR 'not a sparkly circus'

Holloway has been impressed by the passion for QPR shown by co-chairman Tony Fernandes (left) and director of football Les Ferdinand

Holloway believes QPR are going in the right direction, referencing the excesses of former chairman Flavio Briatore, who sold the club to Tony Fernandes in 2011.

Italian businessman Briatore attempted to rebrand Rangers as a 'boutique club', while a documentary film 'The Four Year Plan' was made about the Hoops' bid to reach the top flight between 2007 and 2011.

"I don't want us to be what we turned into," Holloway said. "We're not a sparkly circus or 'let's make a film about ourselves'. That is not this club.

"The feeling behind the scenes is fantastic. It is not glitzy or glamorous where other people were trying to take us.

"The enthusiasm of Tony is immense. Les [Ferdinand, director of football] wants to protect this place and nurture it.

"I'm tingling with the sense of well-being we have all got about this club."

Analysis

Phil Parry, BBC Radio London

As a player for QPR, Holloway's industry embodied a positive approach which was appreciated by team-mates and fans.

When he returned to the club as manager in 2001 he found a club heading down into the third tier and into administration.

But his character, combined with his desire for the club, helped re-energise things at Loftus Road through shrewd recruitment, good coaching and excellent man-management.

He has had mixed fortunes since leaving Rangers, but that includes two promotions to the Premier League and the adoption of an attacking style of play.

Going back is never easy, but there is a sense QPR are at a low ebb and in need of a turbo-injection. If he is on the top of his game, then Hollway has proven he can deliver that.