Sam Hollis

Infobox Football biography
playername = Sam Hollis
fullname = Samuel W. Hollis
dateofbirth = "c." 1866
cityofbirth = Nottingham | countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date|1942|4|17|mf=y
cityofdeath = Bristol
countryofdeath = England
manageryears = 1894-1897
1897-1899
1899-1900
1901-1905
1911-1913
1913-1917
managerclubs = Woolwich Arsenal (?)
Bristol City
Bedminster
Bristol City
Bristol City
Newport County

Samuel W. Hollis (1866Fact|date=August 2007 – April 17, 1942) was an English football trainer and manager.

Born in Nottingham, Hollis had comparatively little football experience, having previously worked for the Probate Office and the Post Office.cite book
author=Hayes, Dean
title=Arsenal: The Football Facts
publisher=John Blake | year=2007
id=ISBN 1844544338 ] He joined Woolwich Arsenal in 1894; his role at the club is subject to dispute. While he is credited on the club's official website as being the club's first manager, [cite web | url=http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=the+club&article=365320&lid=History&Title=Arsenal+Managers | title=Arsenal Managers | work=Arsenal.com ] other historical sources claim he was only the club's trainer. [cite book | author=Joy, Bernard
title=Forward Arsenal!
publisher=Phoenix House
year=1952 | quote=Arsenal's trainer, Hollis, however, was true to the nineteeth century pattern. | pages=p.11 ] Many books, including the club's own official history, make no mention of Hollis and state that Thomas Mitchell was Arsenal's first manager, [cite book
author=Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin
title=The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal
publisher=Hamlyn | year=2005
id=ISBN 0-600613-44-5 | pages=p. 30 | quote=A disastrous FA Cup defeat by non-League Millwall (2-4 away) on 16 January 1896 proved one turning point for the committee. They decided to appoint a secretary-manager, one T.B. Mitchell from Blackburn,... ] [cite book
author=Roper, Alan
title=The Real Arsenal Story: In the Days of Gog
publisher=Wherry | year=2004
id=ISBN 0-9546259-1-9 | pages=p. 120 | quote=After their humiliating defeat the Arsenal FC directors decided to appoint their first professional manager, and the first to be signed as Thomas Brown Mitchell, a Scot. ] [cite book | author=Joy
title=Forward Arsenal!
year=1952 | page=p. 12 | quote=The first manager was T.B. Mitchell, from Blackburn Rovers and he was succeeded after a few months by G. Elcoat of Stockton. ] and contemporary newspaper reports indicate that another official in particular, William "Bill" Parr instead took a lead role managing the team in the period Hollis was purportedly manager. ["...the Woolwich Arsenal team under the management of Mr W Parr would leave Euston at 6.30pm and stay the night at Stoke, in preparation for the match at Burslem Port Vale". "Kentish Mercury", "c." January 1895, quoted in: cite book
author=Roper
title=The Real Arsenal Story
year=2004 | page= p.116 | ]

In April 1897, Hollis was tempted away by newly-formed Bristol City, where he became manager; he ended up spending three separate spells with the Robins. His first ended in March 1899 when he left to become secretary-manager of Bedminster. Bedminster merged with Bristol City in 1900 and Hollis lost his job. However, in 1901, he returned to manage Bristol City. During this second and most successive spell, City finished as Southern League runners-up and were promoted to the Football League.

He left in March 1905, and managed a hotel between 1905 and 1911, having previously ran a pub between 1899 and 1909. He took over as Bristol City manager for the third time in January 1911, and oversaw the club's relegation from the First Division back to the Second. He left Ashton Gate in April 1913, and in July that year took over as manager of Southern League Newport County where he remained until 1917. After that, he left football management altogether, though he spent a number of years as chairman of Bristol City's shareholders. He died in Bristol in April 1942.

References