Holloway Moves to the Palace

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Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has been appointed as Crystal Palace's new manager on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

Holloway, 49, will take charge of Palace with the London club currently fourth in the Championship, six points above 12th-placed Blackpool.

He told Palace's club website: "This is a fantastic opportunity. I got great energy when I met the club's owners and just can't wait to get going."

Keith Millen also joins Holloway at Selhurst Park as assistant manager.

"It is sad to leave Blackpool as my time there was the best trip I have been on and leave very proud of what was achieved and I would like to wish them all the best," added Holloway, who has also managed Bristol Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth and Leicester.

"I just see this as too good an opportunity to turn down.

"I am bringing in Keith as my assistant who is a Croydon boy and he is as excited as I am about the opportunity."

Holloway's former Blackpool assistant Steve Thompson will be in temporary charge for the Seasiders' game with Derby County on Saturday.

Bristol-born Holloway leaves Blackpool after over three years in charge, winning promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in May 2010 although they were relegated the following season.

And Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston holds no resentment towards Holloway regarding the decision to leave.

"I wish Ian all the best in his new role," Oyston told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He has done a fantastic job for us during his time here and will be remembered as the most successful manager in the club's history.

"Things happen in football very quickly, as in this case, so I am not shocked by his decision. It suits him to be nearer his family and I am sure he will enjoy the new challenge he has set himself.

"There is no animosity, he goes with my best wishes having served our club so well and the success he brought to the club during his three years here.

"Steve Thompson will take charge of the team at Derby this afternoon. I will then be making an appointment as soon as possible."

Palace chairman Steve Parish had revealed the club had made an approach for Holloway on Thursday.

Holloway took training as normal at Blackpool on Friday morning, but did not join the team on their journey to Derby, although he often travelled separately to away fixtures.

His departure comes only six months after guiding Blackpool to the Championship play-off final against West Ham, where his side lost 2-1.

Holloway will now hope for similar success at Palace, who have not been in the top flight since a one-year stay in 2004-05, and lost their first three league matches of the current campaign.

Six wins out of seven then lifted them into fourth place in the Championship before Freedman's departure.

His assistant Lennie Lawrence was caretaker boss for the Eagles' draw at Barnsley and a notable victory at Leicester, before joining Freedman at the Reebok Stadium.

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Blackpool Earn Hammers Date

Blackpool sealed a showdown with West Ham in the Championship play-off final after drawing 2-2 at Birmingham to win 3-2 on aggregate.

Leading 1-0 from Friday night's first leg, the Seasiders took firm control of the tie with two goals minutes either side of half-time from Stephen Dobbie and Matt Phillips.

Nikola Zigic gave Blues a glimmer of hope before skipper Curtis Davies headed the equaliser on the night - but the hosts could not find a crucial winner which would have levelled the tie on aggregate and taken the contest into extra-time, so their 62nd match of a long season proved the last.

Blackpool will now meet the Hammers at Wembley on May 19, with the most lucrative match in world football guaranteeing the winners an immediate return to the Premier League.

Both Blackpool and Birmingham, and respective managers Ian Holloway and Chris Hughton,had performed superbly in reaching the play-offs having rebuilt their ranks following relegation from the top flight 12 months ago.

But additional credit must now go to Holloway for guiding his side to the showpiece final for the second time in three seasons, although his side will have to improve upon 4-0 and 4-1 defeats to West Ham during the regular league season.

Holloway unsurprisingly kept faith with an unchanged XI from the first leg while counterpart Hughton made three changes - Zigic, Andros Townsend and Jonathan Spector coming in.

And the initial stages set the tone for a blistering encounter, with Blues having two sights of goal well blocked before Tom Ince forced Colin Doyle to save low at the other end.

Ince, man of the match at Bloomfield Road five days ago, soon found himself clean through again on the right but, with David Murphy pulling at his shoulder, the tricky winger was denied by Doyle.

Chris Burke whistled an effort narrowly wide before Marlon King, who twice hit the woodwork in the first leg, made it an unwanted hat-trick when he side-footed Murphy's excellent delivery into the ground and on to the top of the crossbar.

The game continued at a frenetic pace on a slick surface, Zigic testing Matt Gilks.

But just when it appeared as though it would remain goalless going into half-time, Blackpool doubled their aggregate advantage.

Ince's corner was only half headed out by Davies, who managed to block Alex Baptiste's subsequent overhead but the ball broke for Dobbie and his low shot agonisingly squirmed under Doyle at his near post.

Within three second-half minutes, the tie appeared all but over.

Phillips timed his burst to perfection to run off the shoulder of Murphy and bring down Stephen Crainey's long ball, with a trickling neat finish beating Doyle and crossing the line off the far post.

But Zigic gave Birmingham hope in the 64th minute with a well-taken finish having been put through by Burke.

King wasted a great chance to level things on the night having directed substitute Nathan Redmond's cross straight at Gilks.

But Davies succeeded where King failed soon after, heading home Jordon Mutch's corner.

The centre-back wasted a similar chance in the 78th minute as City pressed for a goal to level the tie.

But, despite five minutes of injury time, it failed to arrive and Blackpool were left celebrating while Blues fans chanted 'there's only one Chris Hughton', with speculation linking their manager to the vacancy at West Brom.

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