Holloway Calls Himself 'Dead Man Walking' as Swindon's Injury Crisis Deepens
'Dead. Man. Walking.' — Holloway Admits Job Is on the Line
Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway has candidly described himself as a "dead man walking" unless the club's form turns around, as the Robins prepare to travel to Rochdale without a single away win this season and with almost half their squad unavailable.
The League Two side sit 12th in the table with three victories from eight league games and are winless in their past three matches. Holloway, who took charge almost two years ago, did not mince his words when asked about his position.
"Dead. Man. Walking. That's how it feels, but deep down I know a lot more than that, don't I?" Holloway told BBC Radio Wiltshire.
"I know what I've done, I know where I am, I know the problems I've got here, I've tried to explain them openly and honestly to everybody."
Road Woes Put Pressure on Holloway
Swindon head to Rochdale on Saturday still searching for their first away victory of the campaign. The manager said his players "need some help" to have any chance of turning things around.
"For them to have a chance, boy oh boy, don't we need something to go right immediately," he said. "If it doesn't I'll be cheering them on and then I'm not sure how many more will. I believe they need some help right now and that's what I'm trying to do."
Holloway stressed he was standing up for what the squad requires, adding: "I have to stand up for what I think my team needs, deserves and should have anyway. I'm sorry we haven't won every game. We've got 11 points on the board, we wanted a lot more. We've got 10 at home, one away and the away form needs to change."
'Never Seen' an Injury Crisis Like It
The central cause of Holloway's frustration is an injury list he said he has never experienced before. Captain Ollie Clarke, Matty Virtue and Paul Glatzel are the latest names to join the casualties for the Rochdale trip.
"Ollie might not be able to play, Matty's not fit and Glatzel's had some stuff drawn off his knee so he's out as well," Holloway confirmed.
They join an extensive list already missing: Joe Snowdon, Ryan Tafazolli, Ollie Palmer, Gavin Kilkenny, Jaylan Pearman, Harry Smith and Fletcher Holman. Mitch Clark remains suspended after his sending off against York, while Sam Inwood is away on international duty.
Goalkeeper Louis Millard is also a doubt, with Holloway revealing the severity of the numbers problem.
"I've [said] Louis [Millard] is fit - that's 13 out if Louis is not fit. He trained yesterday and he looked fit but his shoulder is still very sore. If he's not fit, then we've only got 15."
Long-Term Concerns and a Depleted Squad
There is more bad news for Swindon, with midfielder Ben Middlemass facing a lengthy absence. He requires surgery on a cartilage issue, and Holloway expects him to be sidelined for a minimum of eight weeks — a spell that "could be 20 weeks."
The nature of full-back Joel McGregor's injury remains unknown, as he is still to see a specialist.
With so many players facing long-term layoffs, Holloway said the burden on those remaining is becoming unsustainable.
"This injury crisis - and it is a crisis - [I've] never seen anything like it because the nature of their injuries is going to make it hard for them to get back, as they weren't fit anyway because they've missed pre-season," he said. "Now the ones that we did have who were vulnerable, we're having to ask too much from them."
For a frustrated manager and a depleted squad, Saturday's trip to Rochdale now carries far more weight than a routine League Two fixture.