I recently had the pleasure of having an interview with Grant Holt. The striker was returning from a day promoting his greyhound racing venture called SMGH Racing Club. This was something that started during his time at Norwich with fellow striker Steve Morison.

The venture has recently received a boost after Ladbrokes decided it was something they wanted to get involved with. Membership is growing rapidly and currently stands at 50 members; it is clearly something that the striker is very passionate and excited about.

However, there was also a chance to have a brief chat about football including his recent move to Wigan and his time at Norwich...

His time at Norwich:

It’s clear through speaking to Grant that he enjoyed the football under Paul Lambert, but became a bit disillusioned by the change of style utilised by Chris Hughton. He admitted to me that he wasn’t really enjoying his football last season, and this is something that he has alluded to in other interviews. Furthermore, he said that the club had decided to go in a different direction and in order for them to bring in new strikers like Gary Hooper and Ricky van Wolfswinkel it was necessary for someone to leave in order to free up budget. However, he did say that he enjoyed his time at the club as a whole and thanked supporters and media for messages he had received via Twitter during his time and supportive articles that had been written about him.

Ready for a new challenge:

He said on his move to Wigan that it felt right, and he was ready for a new challenge. Also, it made sense to him from a location point of view. Talking to him, it seems clear that he is genuinely excited by the potential of the squad at Wigan. We agreed that it was a very good squad for the Championship and is hopeful for a successful season. Wigan were not the only offer, but he was impressed with the way they handled it and they showed their hand first. Grant describes the Wigan squad as fantastic.

Chances for Norwich City:

We talked a bit about how he saw the future for Norwich. Grant admitted that it was a good squad, and he was leaving the club at a good place. We talked a little about progression, and I suggested that Norwich could look beyond the last two seasons finishing 11th and 12th. However, the striker feels that the Premier League is very tough to compete in and feels this is really the best case scenario for Norwich. And if Wigan can get back there then it will be a very similar situation in keeping the team in the league. The key is to stay there, build up the income and progress as much as you can.

Grant Holt is part owner of the SMGH Racing Club, with former Norwich team mate Steve Morison. Ladbrokes are proud sponsors of the club. For more information go to http://www.steveandgrantsracingclub.co.uk/