I'd like to single out some of the wrongdoings Malky Mackay has done since taking over at the club. Recently (16th December 2013) he was so called 'publicly humiliated by Cheif Executive Simon Lim after Malky Mackay requested that he'd like three new players at the club in January despite having a thirty five million pound war chest(which rose to fifty million in add-ons) in the summer.
A direct quote from Malky said "It’s up to them then what financially they want to spend in January"
Now I clearly don't see why there's a massive go at the board and Tan himself, okay the article was harsh in a way and unneeded because it just fueled the media to create yet another shitstorm. But we were finally given a reason of the departure of Iain Moody and I fully agree with his dismissal. “His view is that due to the funds already committed, including the originally authorised summer transfer budget of £35m that rose to £50m in total, including add-ons, the Manager has been fully supported. The overspending of £15m has upset Tan Sri greatly, resulting in the removal on Iain Moody as Head of Recruitment. As such, he has stated that not a single penny will be made available in January.“Having been the highest spending promoted club and the seventh highest spender in the Premier League last summer, the owner believes that the Manager has been given the best possible chance of retaining our Premier League status.”
It's good to see that we were given a reason in the end and I agree with it. It says something when the add-ons equate to fifteen million more than they should be. Those deals are probably on Caulker and Medel, those signings are unreal for a club of our size, we are a small fish in a very big pond but it shows the lengths we had to go to bring them in. There was a set budget and it was not met by despite Malky Mackay in previous seasons being quoted saying he always works to budgets. "The market is certainly inflated in terms of the prices, unless there's someone coming out of contract. Invariable everyone and their dog knows about that one anyway,Apart from Man City I think everyone is financially restricted. We've got budgets that we work to and we'll work within them." That was a quote on 16th December 2011 in his first year as manager, he did work to a budget that season and still had money left over to spend but chose not to, instead he chose to buy Kadeem Harris, an eighteen year old winger from Wycombe who still has yet to make a league first team appearance despite being here for more than eighteen months. The quote also shows that Mackay is not a fan of the January transfer window and is reluctant to spend, yet because we're in the Premier League now he feels he can justify going over a thirty five million pound budget and then have the decency to spend more. He should hold his hands up and admit he didn't spend wisely or at least pass the buck to Moody. We bought Odemwingie for two million pounds, a thirty two year old with no sell on value yet couldn't nail down the signing of Jefferson Montero for a few million more was in red hot form and was an actual out and out winger. Moody also failed to nail down the signing of Thomas Ince and allowed him to make Mackay and Moody look like a fool, if he had signed he'd have been the clubs record signing at the time yet Ince had them pondering for ages instead of moving for a player in the same position, they decided to sit around and hope he signed. He didn't and it was an embarrassing moment for the club. Another case was allowing this to happen again in the case of Etienne Capoue, the clubs had again agreed a fee but yet again he was dithering on whether to join Cardiff City, not ideal when the club were crying out for a player in his position.
Malky Mackay's man management is also another factor that can be questioned, as mentioned above, Kadeem Harris has yet to make a first team appearance in the league for the club despite being here for over eighteen months. Another thing that comes into play is the hypocriscy that some fans have about Malky, yes he MAY have been publicly humiliated but let me bring fans back to the curious case of Etien Velikonja, now I'm not sure if he was a Mackay signing or not, apparently he was signed as a recommendation of Jose Mourinho who is a close friend of Vincent Tan. I can understand Malky's stubbornness in this case not to play him as he's not a signing of his own choosing but he's not the only manager who has had a signing made behind his back, it's actually quite popular at top European clubs, Chelsea is a prime example. What I found completely unprofessional and totally not like the Malky the Cardiff fans knew is when Etien Velikonja asked for a move away or at least an opportunity to showcase his worth is when Malky replied to the media with "It's okay to say you want to move, but people have got to want you." That's a massive drop in morale for a player who clearly is frustrated in his limited first team opportunities, it may be true but there was a club in the summer that WERE interested in him, the deal may have not been flattering but would you rather a player that's clearly on a high wage and bought for an excessive fee playing first team football or allow his stock to drop due to lack of first team opportunities? A few other players have been hampered by the poor man management of Malky Mackay. Another case is Slovakian U21 captain Filip Kiss, originally brought in as a loan in the 2011/2012 season and then bought for a deal of around 500k the next season has been left to rot in the developmental squad, not good for a player whose a captain of his country and was once in the first team of the squad. It was a home game against Hull which Cardiff were hampered with injuries, Filip Kiss was brought on in the nineteenth minute, only to brought off at half time for Joe Ralls, another victim of Malky's poor man management. Luckily the game resulted in a victory to Cardiff but it questions why Malky brought Kiss on only to substitute him him after about half an hour after being brought on. Joe Ralls also become a victim of the poor man management on offer from the Scot. Big things were expected when he was thrown in the 2011/2012 season, he was brought on for his debut against Hull and scored a wonder goal, unfortunately that wasn't enough and Cardiff lost. He had an average season so far up until January where he was given the chance in the League Cup semi final, he was at fault for the goal we conceded and his first team appearances were then limited, now this is the same thing that happened to Adam Matthews when Dave Jones was manager, although Ralls wasn't publicly humiliated, you can see the similarities between the two. Ralls is now on loan at Championship side Yeovil. He has also attempted to turn in out and out winger Declan John into a left back. I can understand that he's comitting to a player and the player recently signed a long term contract but John himself has said he'd rather play as a winger, now the development of such a young player can not be hampered, it's all about making him feel comfortable.
I'd like to make out this article isn't a Malky out article, it's just highlighting that Malky Mackay isn't the manager that everyone makes out to be. He had a budget of ten million to get promoted in the 2012/2013 season, a budget that should easily be enough to get promoted, we did get promoted and won the league by eight points but his stubborness of tactics left us with our top scorer only scoring nine goals that season, sort of embarrassing when we had bought two strikers for over one million. Fraizer Campbell was a bargain buy though I will give Malky that. In reference to the budget this season I personally believe he's had enough to spend, we may get relegated for not spending in January but how anyone can say being given a budget of thirty five million in your first Premier League season isn't being backed is down right deluded, the backing is clearly there for Mackay, I am only aware of one situation where the club asked Mackay to resign and that was when Moody was sacked, Mackay rejected this swiftly but again the media had to know, none of this could be kept behind closed doors, what I didn't like about the debacle is the actions of CEO Simon Lim and the actions of Malky's agent Raymond Sparkes. Simon Lim showed his unprofessionalism once again but what I didn't like is how Raymond Sparkes still left it on the table that Mackay could be sacked when Raymond wasn't part of the meeting? In the end the meeting was shown to stick with Malky and give him firm control of the transfer dealings. I'm not writing our signing off but Malky has built Cornelius up saying the elite in Europe wanted him but after a few minor injuries, Malky has now reitirrated that we will blend him in and that he's not ready, now for me imagine spending 7.5m on a striker in your first Premier League season and then saying he's not ready? Personally I'd have bought a goal scorer that's guaranteed going to get you goals and then attempt to get someone of Cornelius' stature the next season as you can mistakes because you will have someone to fall backupon. Agreed that Lim probably signs off the deals and has a part to play in the overspending and probably should lose his job, if Tan didn't back Mackay in the summer the fans would have moaned, so Tan gave him two budgets that are over the odds on what is expected in getting promoted and your first season in the Premier League, Mackay has not used it to his advantage, when building a squad for getting promoted, we should have thought about preparing for the Premier League as well, plenty of clubs have bought players in the Championship who have more than coped in the Premier League.
No doubt many will come to the aid of the Scot but some can not admit that his stubborness has cost this club at times.
