As an outsider I have always viewed Ian Holloway as a bit of a legend. He seems like a great bloke, a funny man and a good manager. He’s never managed the team I support but I would have been thrilled if he had.

He is probably most famous for the zany quotes he gives after games. He is best known for one particular quote, after a match in which his side had played poorly but nicked a result: "To put it in gentleman's terms, if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, you've done what you set out to do. We didn't look our best today, but we've pulled.

"Some weeks the lady is good-looking and some weeks she's not. Our performance today would have been not the best-looking bird - but at least we got her in the taxi.

'In the 28 games Holloway has been in charge, Leicester have won just seven. That actually equals Watford’s record remarkably, but I don’t want to talk about that now!'


"She may not have been the best-looking lady we ended up taking home, but it was still very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much and let's have coffee.”

With Leicester currently sitting in the relegation zone and having not won two games in succession all season, what would he give right now for a cup of coffee with a bird who wasn’t the best-looking!

Prior to Leicester’s crucial game with relegated Colchester tomorrow, Holloway said: "We're in this situation but it's nothing a couple of wins won't put right. I believe we can get those wins. I believe we will and I want the fans to believe that. All I'm asking is for everybody to bring their voice with them and let's make sure Colchester are scared stiff."

Being where they are in the league, it's difficult to see where Holloway is getting that belief from.

When he took over at the Walkers Stadium in November, Leicester were sitting in 17th place, having made a disappointing start to the season. The new-manager effect kicked in straight away and Holloway won his first game in charge 2-0 against high-flying Bristol City.

But it took another eight games before he recorded his second win. In fact, in the 28 games Holloway has been in charge, Leicester have won just seven. That actually equals Watford’s record remarkably, but I don’t want to talk about that now!

The manager can’t claim that he is doing the best he can with another man’s team because he made several signings in the January transfer window and the team he is putting on the pitch now is very definitely his.

With four games to go, Leicester are facing the unthinkable. They are a Premier League-sized club, but they could be joining Leeds and near-neighbours Nottingham Forest in the third tier of English football.

A poll on one of the Leicester City fans' forums shows that 66 per cent feel Holloway should stay in charge even if they get relegated. I'm pleased with that because I like the man and believe in his ability, but I am slightly surprised that he seems to maintain his support from the majority of Foxes.

I would be surprised if one of the 66 per cent of voters was a certain Mr Mandaric - the Leicester chairman isn’t known for his patience with managers.

So how do Leicester fans feel about the current situation? There must have been great expectation when Milan Mandaric arrived at the club after all he had achieved at Portsmouth. The early signs weren’t too promising - and I would imagine the appointment of Gary Megson went down like a lead balloon.

However, after Megson left for Bolton, the appointment of Holloway must have been a huge relief. They could look forward to a bit of welcome success with the dream ticket of Mandaric and Holloway.

But it just hasn’t happened - and failure to get all three points against Colchester tomorrow could signal the beginning of the end of their struggle against the drop.

So, what has gone wrong? And why does Holloway maintain his popularity with the fans?