Ian Holloway: Grimsby Town manager quits amid talk of potential club takeover
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Ian Holloway was in charge of Grimsby Town for less than a year
Ian Holloway has quit as Grimsby Town manager amid talks of a potential takeover of the League Two club.
The 57-year-old, who took charge last December, posted a series of messages on Twitter announcing his departure.
He said he leaves "with a heavy heart" but said he was prompted to do so after majority shareholder John Fenty told him of his intention to sell.
"It's time for a fresh start across the board for this great club," Holloway wrote.
The charismatic manager, who previously guided both Blackpool and Crystal Palace to the Premier League, was in charge of the Mariners for less than a year, having taken over on 31 December 2019.
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Following Tuesday's 2-1 defeat by Bradford, Grimsby are 20th in the table after 19 games and just six points above the relegation places.
In a club statement,, external Grimsby said it was "with great sadness and disappointment" that with Fenty agreeing to sell his shares, Holloway had decided that "he does not want to remain at the club without progressing with the people that he came here to work with".
"The board and Ollie had a joint vision, first to improve the league position, secondly to deliver top class training facilities and finally by relocation to a new community stadium.
"The club, albeit prematurely, will prepare to move on to a new chapter."
Holloway previously said he had no intention of leaving the club despite takeover talks, but called for the club's board and prospective investors to stop "playing politics".
Earlier in December the club stated they would not accept investment from convicted fraudster Alex May., external
Chairman Phillip Day then went on to hold talks with a group of three businessmen.
Holloway addressed the club's supporters in his latest series of tweets, saying "I intend to be fully honest with you".
"Contact was made by the new owners to me on several occasions before the takeover, which I felt was inappropriate, and told them as such," Holloway continued.
"This is the key factor in my decision.
"Why? The relationship between the incoming new owners, board and manager is so so important. It needs to be strong for a club to succeed, and we got off on the wrong footing.
"Therefore, that relationship will be strained from the off, which is bad for the club."
When Holloway took over at Grimsby, he intended to become a shareholder himself.
His time at the club has been heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, with last season's League Two campaign curtailed while this season has largely been played out behind closed doors.
"For a myriad of reasons, on and off the pitch, it feels like we didn't get a fair crack together, and I take my share of the blame too," Holloway said.
"I hoped for this to be a long, serious relationship but it hasn't worked out that way, and that saddens me."