Swindon Town Sack Manager Mark Kennedy For Ian Holloway

It was revealed this morning that Swindon Town announced the sacking of now former Mark Kennedy after just five months at the helm. The club have been quick to replace him with legendary EFL manager Ian Holloway.

What Were The Main Reasons For Kennedy’s Sacking?

The obvious factor has to be the results. Last season Swindon finished 19th in League Two, the lowest position that the club had seen for 40 years. Unfortunately for the fans, that form has continued on into this season. After 13 games they sit just above the relegation zone in 22nd with 11 points. Two wins, two draws and nine losses the story so far.

Speaking to Tom Williams he is shocked with how poor they have been. “Swindon off the pitch haven't been amazing, probably for the last two years now, but they’re only one place above the drop zone and the prospect of relegation is possible this season.

“Before the season started, I'm not saying they were, but they probably were aiming for promotion just because of how many strong teams there are in the league, but they certainly wouldn't have expected to have been in a sort of in a relegation battle”.

Wow. That was quick

Ian Holloway is an experienced choice. Perhaps Swindon feel that’s what they need in this situation

Unsure on this one tbh. But best of luck to him and the club https://t.co/pfbiAIL15X

— tomhwilliams23 (@tomhwilliams23) October 25, 2024

A New Era Under Ian Holloway?

Swindon Town have already made the news public that Ian Holloway will now take charge of the club in an effort to stay in League Two. Holloway has great experience in managing teams all across the EFL, including promotions and surviving the drop, which is why on short notice he is probably one of the best candidates that Swindon could have gone for seeing as he has managed in 989 games.

Ben Nicholls, panellist on the Fools Rush In page on X, wasn’t too surprised when he heard the news of Kennedy’s firing;

“We've been through a lot of managers in such a short space of time. It was really the right thing to do and early as well so we can get some sort of resurrect our season a little bit before it really does turn into a full-on blown relegation fight. There's still plenty of time left in this season."

🏆 Five promotions as a player and manager
📈 Almost 1,000 professional league games
👏 Premier League experience

👔 Welcome to #STFC, Ian Holloway!

— Swindon Town Football Club (@Official_STFC) October 25, 2024

He isn’t too pleased over the appointment of Holloway although it was the right decision to get rid of Mark Kennedy. “He had a horrendous time at Grimsby. His stocks really haven't been any well much high for neon over a decade or so."

Tom Williams is in agreement with Ben and is still a bit sceptical on the decision of Holloway; “I think the main thing that they’ve appointed him for is experience. I can see the thinking, to me it wasn’t a name wouldn’t have jumped out straight away.

“He hasn’t managed since 2020 so it is very much a left field appointment even though he has got experience all through the divisions and has kept teams up before and got teams to promotions before and all those kind of things.

“He’s kind of a motivational character who’s got a lot of character and charm you could say and I think that’s what the group needs because there is quality in the in the group I think."

Swindon do have some talented players in their squad, the likes of Will Wright who achieved promotion from League Two with Crawley Town last season and striker Harry Smith who has scored 40 goals in League Two across the course of his career. Swindon’s survival will be about if Ian Holloway can get the best out of this group of players, and ensure they stay in the four tier another year as getting out of the National League is notoriously hard.

What If It Goes Wrong?

Holloway’s lack of managerial roles since 2020 could be a bad omen for Swindon. With Kennedy only being manage of Swindon for five months, Holloway could soon find himself out the door as well if things don’t drastically improve.

Whatever it may be, Tom Williams is unsure of Holloway’s future. “If he keeps them up by one place he won’t be there next season that’s for sure. I’m not sure how long term the appointment is. I can’t see him being the long term fix for them.

“I think he’s a manger to sort of steady the ship and get them through to the next season but whether he’s the one to take them forward long term, I wouldn’t be convinced."

Holloway’s lack of recent employment has Ben Nicholls a bit startled as well.

“If you asked me this morning and you said the manager's gone, you've got 100 guesses who your next one would be, I would not have said Ian Holloway but it is what it is."

What Do The Fans Think?

Host of the Fools Rush In podcast Steven Fyfe believes that no matter who the manager is, Swindon have the talent to do much better; “This squad is playing well below what I believe it's capable of. You look at the team as a whole, there are promotions on the CV, there is clear quality within some of the players.

“I don't know whether there are contractual things or whatever, but there is a clear misunderstanding between what the best Swindon XI is and what has been put out by the previous manager. Hopefully Ian Holloway is the man to do it.

“I will back him as any fan will, but I'll be honest, I'm fearing the worst. Why? 10 years ago or so, I would have been buzzing, absolutely bouncing at the appointment. But I think you look at some of his track record in more recent time he’s been out of the game a little while and maybe it's just that point where what lower leagues need to be successful isn't Ian Holloway anymore."

The general consensus around the appointment of Holloway is that yes, Swindon desperately needed a change in manager otherwise they would most likely beat their worst finish in consecutive years, but Holloway feels like a relic of the past that many don’t believe will succeed.

What Happens Next?

Only time will tell what Ian Holloway has in store with Swindon Town but if he manages to keep them from seeing the drop, I think that he will have successfully proved his critics wrong and maybe even be given the keys for the next season.