Listen to Ollie sound off!

Horses for courses

The newly-appointed Leicester manager gives his inimitable views on football and life in general in his weekly column.

This week, unsurprisingly, Ollie talks about his move to Leicester City from Plymouth and the emotional rollercoaster he has been on.

He also gives his thoughts on England's Euro 2008 exit, a 72-year-old footballer and I'm A Celebrity. To see more on his Leicester move, click the top link on the right-hand side.

It's a big change, big decision, massive bit of luck. A life-changing thing really.

Luckily for me I met Milan Mandaric the night after I resigned and by the following morning he was obviously sold on the little muppet!

Introducing Leicester's new manager

The size of this club and the possibility of spending some money was too big a lure for a man, who didn't even know he had the job.

I am the biggest trier you've ever seen. That's all I've ever done in my life. I was absolutely crap at the start of my career and I tried so hard I ended up playing in the Premiership. And I'm proud of that.

Life's about relationships. I had a fantastic one at Plymouth and I understand I will have broken some hearts but it was breaking my heart that I might not have the opportunity to spend all that money.

If you look at my management career, the lack of money has made all my players go to other clubs.

I didn't realise how much a blow losing Akos Buzsaky to QPR was until I knew of Leicester's interest. And all I could think of then was would I have lost him if I was at Leicester?

I can assure you if he had the ground and the training facilities they've got here he would not have left. And that's no disrespect to Plymouth. We had to take the money, which was a good deal for a player who was out of contract the next summer.

Buzsaky's departure was a big blow

The longer I thought about it - and particularly it being my old club QPR he went to - the more my heart was aching and breaking.

The last time we played and got the win which took us seventh, we had 11,000 in the ground. I just wanted everyone to believe and come to the ground because then the chairman would have got more confidence.

Unfortunately I can only tell you what my chairman thinks about and I can't blame him - he's an accountant!

But I don't want anyone to blame him because he's worked his socks off for that football club, he loves it. And he's never going to have to switch allegiance.

I still love the area. The town and the people were absolutely magnificent and if I broke all their hearts, I'm sorry, because I loved my time there.

My decision to go was taken as a professional man but it doesn't mean to say I don't love the area, the people, their warmth, their kindness.

I said all the things about them because I genuinely meant it, not because I wanted to bull**** them - and I still feel that way now.

This is a business decision, like it was when Bristol Rovers sacked me after I'd tried my absolute socks off, and as QPR did to me as well.

606: DEBATE Ask Ollie a question

If anybody thinks I'm jumping around now I've got this job, I'm not. There's a terrible sadness in my heart for the people I've left down there and the job I tried to do.

The way it panned out, I wasn't even able to say goodbye to my team and I'd just like to say how proud I am of everyone at Plymouth. Everybody who worked in the ground and helped me in the office, because it was a marvellous team effort to get that club in that position in the table.

And I believe they'll go on if they find a manager with the same desire I had when I was there.

England and English teams don't really know how to play 4-5-1. We won the second half 2-1 when we played 4-4-2 but unfortunately we lost the first half 2-0.

I saw a programme on Thursday with Stan Collymore and they played the music to Steptoe and Son as the FA committee all walked in and sat down. I laughed my head off!

"On behalf of the committee I'd like to say that we did want Phil Scolari but we couldn't bloody get him, so I think we'll give it to erm um er....". Talk about undermine the manager before you've given him the job.

What if Milan had come out and said "Well actually I wanted Glenn Hoddle and I ended up with Holloway." How crazy a situation is that?

Think he meant Mike Basset

So I don't totally blame Steve McClaren, although I thought there were some strange decisions with the goalkeeper and with leaving out Beckham for that particular game.

Everybody was saying we should go 4-5-1 but I disagreed because setting your stall out to draw a game isn't right. Trevor Francis said it on 5 Live, Peter Taylor agreed and I'm shouting down the radio 'No! Go 4-4-2!!'

What was that film about the England coach - Fred Bassett? He picked Benson and Hedges and said "England are gonna play four, four bloody two." And that's right.

I couldn't give a monkey's about the new manager. I would never want that job in a million, trillion, zillion, billion years.

Because our team's not that good and some of them are playing for the big teams' reserves.

How good are we? I think we've got our head shoved right up where the sun don't shine as a country. Just because our players are on an absolute fortune - are they really any good?

Dickie Borthwick is still turning out in midfield for Wyke Rangers - he's been playing for 60 years.

Midfield? Can he box to box at the age of 72? Apparently he made a mazy dribble up the wing the other day, but did he have the ball, or was he dribbling down his chin?

I haven't really had time to watch it. They do show some boobs flashing about in the newspapers a bit, so I don't really know what's going on. It's all a bit raunchy for my liking!

Rodney Marsh isn't trying to cop off with any of the young ladies over there is he? He was a bit of a ladies' man in the past.

Ian Holloway was talking to Chris Charles.