New boss Mick McCarthy says Ian Holloway is a perfect fit for tonight’s opponents Crystal Palace. Holloway left Blackpool to join the Eagles over the weekend, his new club subsequently securing a 2-0 victory over Blackburn on Saturday.
McCarthy says Palace will present a different challenge to Birmingham at the weekend: "Very different. They will be cock-a-hoop with the way they’ve been playing and the fans will be right behind them.
"Despite the fact that they’ve lost Dougie Freedman, I think they’ve won the two games since.
"And then they’ve got Ollie, who I think will bring a whole load of life to it and will certainly lift the profile of the place, without any doubt.
"I think he’s a perfect fit for how they’ve been playing. It doesn’t make my job any easier that, but I guarantee he’ll be sat there knowing full well it’s not going to be easy because I’m bringing Ipswich down.”
He says it’s a good move for Holloway: "I think it’s great for him. I haven’t spoken to him but there are family reasons that he has talked about [behind his move] and that’s important.
"As football managers we travel around all over the place — having been at Sunderland, Wolves and then Ipswich I suppose Aberdeen’s my next club! But we do travel and you do miss your family.
"I wonder whether he could have done any more where he was. He got them promoted, he missed out on keeping them up on the last day when we at Wolves stayed up on the last day.
"He just did an incredible job there, but there comes a time when maybe you feel you have to move on. I haven’t spoken to him. You’d have to ask him. But it’s a good job for him, I think he can get them promoted.”
McCarthy was linked with Palace before he joined Town and Holloway was mentioned in connection with the Blues, however, the former Ireland manager believes that’s not particularly important.
"It doesn’t matter does it?” he said. "If you read [the papers], I’ve been involved in every job that’s been going recently. I’m here, that’s all that matters to me.
"Ollie was getting mentioned the same — Blackburn, Bolton, Ipswich, Crystal Palace — all the jobs that came up.
"It’s irrelevant that really, and I have to tell you there’s a whole load of porky pies talked about it as well. The paper never refuses ink, does it? But some of the stories I’ve heard were nonsense.”