Ian Holloways managerial career has been defined by his success in the play-offs. Hes been through five play-off campaigns as a manager, achieving promotions to the Premier League with Blackpool (2010) and Crystal Palace (2013) while also suffering final defeats with Blackpool (2012) and Queens Park Rangers (2003).He has been there, done it, experienced highs and suffered great heartbreak - so, whats the key component for reigning supreme in this dramatic format? Ahead of a weekend of Football League play-off final action, all of which you can watch live on Sky Sports, we asked him for a his five-step guide to winning at Wembley.... Holloway secured promotion via Wembley again in 2013, when his Crystal Palace side beat Watford in 2013 This is the pinnacle of the whole season. Every mile every supporter has travelled will be worth it when their team steps out onto the Wembley pitch.The play-off final embodies what football is all about and why its such a monumental part of my life. Ive lived through the ups and downs of probably about 1,000 lives. We all have to be able to dream. Go with what your heart wants. You have to go through dissapointment, to appreciate the ups, says Ollie As a football supporter you shouldnt do it just because you want the good times - you should be there through thick and thin for your team. Trust me, there is no better place to be than Wembley when your team has just won. It will stay with you for the rest of your life. How do you go about winning it? Well, here are five important things to consider. 1) Manage your emotionsThe play-offs have given me the best and worst feelings in the world - dealing with those emotions is the absolute key to achieving success in this format.To quote Muhammad Ali, its about the will, not the skill. That makes people champions.You have to feel both sides of the coin to understand the play-offs.I think Ive got it sussed now. Its all about ascendancy and gaining it. Its like a tug of war, but an emotional one. Ollies Wembley predictions Which clubs does Ollie fancy? I prepared my lads at Blackpool by explaining to them the feeling you get when you lose and the emotion you feel when you win.Your players need to be like robots and not get too emotional on the play-off roller-coaster. That comes through extensive work on the training ground to programme their minds to deal with different situations.When Blackpool fell behind against Cardiff in the 2010 final, it was all about putting the ball back down calmly and regaining the ascendancy. My message was: Were 1-0 down, so what? How can we get at them? We can deal with the emotion of going behind, but they cant. Thats our advantage.In that play-off final against Cardiff where we kept coming back, Cardiff didnt get back into the game because they couldnt get over the negative feeling of falling behind. Its about being mentally ready for every single thing that can happen on a football field so you dont become too drained - that can then affect you psychically.2) Dont tense upWhoever plays how they normally do will come out on top. Rather than getting caught up in the occasion, its key to stay on task, realise what got you here in the first place and do all the basics right.The build-up and walk onto the pitch at Wembley is a test of nerve. Highlights of the 2010 play-off final between Blackpool and Cardiff as Ian Holloway led the Seasiders to the Premier League. Everything is relatively quiet in the tunnel and then bang, you hit this wall of noise. When you walk out, theyve got those torches that go off that almost take your face off!Everything is tingling then and although you dont want to show it, youre almost in a different state - like youre dreaming.I wish I could get that feeling every day. Its like being at the top of a rollercoaster and then shooting down at 100mph - your stomach feels like its somewhere else. If only you could bottle the feeling, youd sell it for millions of pounds. Play Fantasy Six-a-Side Pick your Championship play-off final team to win £10,000. 3) Mind gamesYou can get this wrong, massively. As a manager, youve got to be really careful what you say and do in the build-up and on the day.No one will want to come across as nervous because thats something the opposition can feed off. Its all part of it. It does help to put a bit of pressure on the opposition when you can say youve been there and done it as a manager. 4) A little bit of magicYou must have someone who can do something a bit special, like Charlie Adam did for me at Blackpool with a stunning free-kick against Cardiff. Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final second leg between Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday. You need your big-game players to show up and do something magical. Someone who has been influential throughout the season has to deliver on the big stage otherwise your job becomes much harder. Ive seen so many good players freeze on the day and not get into the game. Some players have a knack of perfecting their mental focus at this time of season and pushing them to the forefront is a real skill as a manager. Curtis Davies is hoping Hulls previous Wembley experience will help with their Championship play-off final with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Some players can get mentally on it and their performance levels rocket. Its like this for all athletes, you need to get your mind in the right place to play the right game. If you do that then instinct takes over for you to perfect your skill.DJ Campbell was brilliant at it, so was Adam. They both had that little bit extra to produce at the right moment. Kevin Phillips was the same. Was I worried when he stepped up for that penalty for Palace? No chance. He would have scored it 20 out of 20 times.Theres more than enough players on show to excite us this weekend, whether were in the stadium or watching at home. 5) PreparationThe build-up to a play-off game is wonderful. Everyone around the place is smiling in the sunshine and wishing you luck.If you get past the semi-final, youve got 10 or 11 days to plan everything. However, its crucial to get everything planned down to a tee immediately after the semi-final.You can go and get your suits sorted, book hotels for the players and their families and make sure everyone that wants a ticket gets a ticket, knowing that your family are there is a massive thing for all concerned. With just five days to go before their League 2 play-off final with AFC Wimbledon, the Plymouth team have been getting suits fitted for the big day. You can lose your focus as a manager or a player if you get caught up too much in the razzmatazz of the build-up and leave a couple of stones unturned. Suits, hotels and tickets can be a massive distraction if not sorted early. Preparation is everything. Just look at Middlesbrough last season. Im in no doubt the fact their coach turned up late to Wembley affected the players when they lost to Norwich. They didnt look relaxed, they were anxious. Aitor Karanka would have been affected too, as hes so meticulous.When we got the final at Blackpool, the club had done it before, so they knew how to organise everything, which took a huge amount of pressure of me and the playing staff.It was magnificent and simplified everything. I took the same philosophy and plan to Crystal Palace and it worked a treat. We benefited hugely from such a simple formula, although I had to convince owner Steve Parish to wear suits rather than tracksuits. Preparation is everything. Just look at Middlesbrough last season. Im in no doubt the fact their coach turned up late to Wembley affected the players when they lost to Norwich. Ollie on preparation I wanted my lads to look and feel crisp when walking into Wembley. I thought it was important. It worked too as Watford showed up in tracksuits and looked scruffy. We were 1-0 up from that moment on - little psychological edges like that can make a huge difference. Watch every Football League play-off final game live from Wembley on Sky Sports. Find the full schedule here. Also See: FL72 Podcast Ollies Wembley predictions WATCH: Best of Football League Quiz: Old football grounds Jonathan Harris Jersey . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. 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SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Phil Mickelson walked off the first green with a disgusted look on his face, as if hed thrown away any shot at making the cut in the PGA Championship.A 7 on the opening par-4 hole will do that to you.I think in the history of the PGA Championship, thats the worst start of any players round, Mickelson said. Id have to look that up.The five-time major winner set about steadying himself, writing the triple bogey on the scorecard and leaving it behind. With four birdies the rest of the way and only a slip-up on 16, Mickelson managed an even-par 70 to advance to the weekend.I was able to fight back and be patient from there on out, start to make a birdie here or there, he said.As usual, Leftys gallery was massive -- he played with defending champion Jason Day, who is tied for third at 7-under, and Rory McIlroy, who bogeyed the relatively easy par-5 18th to miss the cut. Those thousands of fans were as stunned with the way Mickelson began as he was.After a 1-over 71 on Thursday, the PGA winner when the tournament last was held at Baltusrol in 2005 hit his drive so far left on No. 1 that its first bounce was on Shunpike Road. It appeared to hang a left on Baltusrol Drive, possibly on its way to the Hudson River.Playing a provisional on the 478-yard hole, Mickelson messed up once more, the ball landing far from the fairway, nestling near a path. His next shot almost landed in the backyard of a home adjoining the golf course.He needed two shots to reach the green, then, thankfully, he one-putted for a 7.Just a total mental block on that first hole, he said. And I dont even know what to say. It was just horrific.Mickelson began his comeback with a birdie on No. 3, got another on the 8th and one on No. 11. A bogey on the par-3 16th jeopardized his standing, but he maade sure he would make the weekend with a birdie on the finishing hole.ddddddddddddThen he let out a major sigh of relief.Im having a difficult time right now managing my expectations, because I know how well Im playing, he said, and Im so result oriented that Im not playing very relaxed, free golf like I did at the British, like I did in the preparation here. Tomorrow, Im going to try to go out and not worry about the score and just play a good round because Ive been hitting a lot of good shots. Im trying to force the issue because I know youve got to get hot out here.Unlike Mickelson, McIlroy couldnt respond, though he came close. The two-time major champion came off an opening 74 and needed to post a good number to remain in the tournament. He made his first birdie of the tourney on No. 4 and birdied 6, but bogeyed the ninth. After a birdie on 11, he was in position to stick around, but he bogeyed 13.McIlroy came to the only two par-5s on Baltusrol at 3 over; the cut would be plus 2. He birdied the more difficult 17th, then fell apart after hitting his second shot into the deep rough behind 18. Two wasted shots led to a 6 -- and an early exit.I thought I needed to make 4, on 18, he said, so thats what I was trying to do. It was a tough lie. I hit the first one as hard as I really could considering how close the pin was to the edge of the green.He felt most betrayed by his putter.I think if you had given anyone else in this field my tee shots this week, they would have been up near the top of the leaderboard, McIlroy said. It just shows you how bad I was around the greens. Tee to green was good, but it was just pathetic when I got onto the green. Cheap Jerseys [url=http://www.cheapauthenticnfljerseys.net/]China NFL