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Ian Holloway leaves Crystal Palace by mutual consent
IAN HOLLOWAY has parted company with Crystal Palace after a start to the season that sees the Eagles sitting second-bottom of the Premier League after eight games.
Palace chairman Steve Parish announced at a press conference this afternoon that Holloway would be leaving the club by mutual consent.
Parish said: "Ian's contract at Crystal Palace has come to an end by mutual consent
"Ian felt that a new approach might help keep us in the division"
Holloway had doubts about whether he had the necessary energy to keep Palace up, and thinks the job requires someone with more experience.
He said: "Part of my talking with Steve was about am I the one with the energy left?
"Someone new coming in now with a tad more experience at this level will have 30 games left.
"If someone does want a chance in the Premier League with a good group, they should seriously believe in this project.
"I have pride in the job we've both done. It wasn't easy. If Steve's last manager wasn't headhunted I wouldn't have been here.
"I'm proud to have been involved with Palace and I wouldn't want to out-wear my welcome.
"I have to hold my hand up and say we didn't keep the spirit that got us up. We changed too much too quickly.
"What I say at half time normally has an effect on people. On Monday, it didn't."
And Holloway reserved special praise for the Palace owners, admitting he hadn't done well enough to retain his position.
He said: "The four owners are unique. They are supporters of the club. 7 defeats out of 8 is not good enough
"Some of the stuff I've been reading is total nonsense. We still care immensely about Palace."
It seems that the feeling is mutual, with Parish revealing he remains on good terms with Holloway, and would consider consulting him before appointing a replacement.
Parish added: "I've enjoyed every minute of working with Ian. He leaves our club with his head held very high.
"I'd like to put the record straight. We've never fallen out. We've worked together brilliantly. We feel we need to move on to progress."