Fourth tier Grimsby Town have landed much-travelled English manager Ian Holloway in a deal sealed with a fish and chips dinner.
Grimsby are 21st in League Two, six points above bottom side Stevenage and without a win in 15 games in all competitions.
😅 Well...It's been a whirlwind of a day!
— Grimsby Town F.C. (@officialgtfc) December 31, 2019
We would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and see you at Blundell Park tomorrow!
🚶🏽 @IanOllie7 will be doing the rounds around the @MarinersTrust bars tomorrow, so make sure you're here early! #GTFC https://t.co/GLn9ZonjnH pic.twitter.com/Aq0g89tnGZ
Holloway, 56, has been out of management since he left Queens Park Rangers in May 2018 but has plenty of experience in turning around struggling sides. He will also acquire shares in the club.
"We believe his track record of achieving success at unfashionable, underperforming clubs makes him an attractive long-term appointment," said majority shareholder John Fenty on the club website.
Fenty said an initial two-hour long telephone conversation with Holloway had led to four more hours of talks in a fish restaurant in Cleethorpes.
Holloway has managed Bristol Rovers, had two spells at Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth Argyle, Leicester City, Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Millwall in a career spanning more than 950 league games over 23 years.
"I want to get to 1,000 games and I want to try and make a difference," said Holloway, whose managerial predecessors at Grimsby include the likes of Liverpool great Bill Shankly and ex-Southampton boss Lawrie McMenemy.
"I've been around the block but I'm still quite young."