MANAGER Ian Holloway will be up against an old friend when Argyle travel to Colchester United on Tuesday night.

Geraint 'George' Williams was a team-mate of Ollie's during their footballing education at Bristol Rovers and now they will be in the opposing dug-outs.

Ollie said: "He was named 'George' after Gerogie Best because he had some fantastic skills and some of the things he could do were outstanding - and he did the simple things well.

"My best moment with him was the FA Youth Cup when we went up to Ipswich and beat them 2-1 on their ground, which was a big thing for us.

"We had some half-decent players. Gary Mabbutt was in the first-team and we brought him back into the youth team, Geraint Williams, a fella called Mark Hughes, who had a good career at Tranmere.

"Phil Kite was in goal and he went to Southampton as understudy to Peter Shilton. How is your luck Kitey, being understudy to Shilton, who never got injured.

"It was fantastic and I remember having a meal after the game before traveling home, and I had one of the best bits of steak I have ever had. It tasted brilliant because we won - it's funny what you remember.

"He [George] was in the Welsh nursery [at Rovers] and I was in the English one. He was a year older than me and a totally different type to me. He was stocky and strong, and some of his passing was quite exquisite.

"His best football was at Ipswich where they love him. He went to Derby and the story was that they came to watch me, and brought him instead, which I don't blame them for. He was more ready then and a proper player, who hardly ever gave the ball away."

If Williams was a great player, then he is doing a fine job of emulating that as a manager. He is also defying the footballing-norm by successfully adapting to life as a manger after moving up from the role of assistant [to Phil Parkinson].

Ollie said: "He was doing a great job under Parkinson and then he stepped up, and became one of the few successful ones in my book.

"If you look at history, few people have made the step up and he has done very well. It is a totally different scenario and George has done really well without much cash. He was always going to be like that. We had good pros telling us what to do at Bristol Rovers and it is all there if you want to learn.

"They [Colchester] reek of him. Committed, up for it. He epitomizes all the things we were taught at Bristol Rovers and he is a great bloke as well."

"We were punch drunk at the end of it [last season's game] and I expect the same thing. He [George] has had problems where they have sold a lot of his best players, but he has kept going.

"They have now got some investors in to pay Teddy Sheringham's wages. It speaks volumes for George that he can manage someone like Teddy, who probably wants to be a manager himself."