Former Grimsby Town defender Gary Croft has slammed Ian Holloway for his part in the Mariners relegation this season.
Croft, who enjoyed two spells with the North East Lincolnshire club, has not pulled any punches in assessing who should be getting the blame for a ‘disaster’ of a season.
Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside following the Mariners defeat to Exeter, the 47-year-old was clearly upset at the demise of his former club.
“It’s been a disaster, it’s truly been a disaster,” Croft said.
“It’s easy to point at one thing, but I do think this season’s disaster started with the manager.
“I just can’t believe that people have stood around and watched it happen, watched it unfurl without getting into him, questioning him, and finding out what’s going on.”
Croft did think Holloway’s stature in the game meant people didn’t question his authority or the decisions he was making and despite his personality adding some colour to the weekly press conferences and post-match interviews, it ended up being far from amusing.
“He was like that all-powerful person that no-one dare question. Crazy interviews that once were entertaining YouTube viewing, and are now completely not funny.”
“He’s come here and turned this season into a disaster.”
“I don’t think this is a particularly strong league, I don’t think Town needed to do an awful lot, and for a club of our size in this league, we shouldn’t be down where we are,” Croft added.
“For me, Grimsby’s a big club, I do honestly. I know we’ve got a small fan base and we haven’t got the stadium still, but if we ever get success again, the passion and the desire around our parts is huge.”