Cardiff City boss Malky hits out at Easter fixture Schedule

" Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay hits out at Easter fixture schedule "

Apr 5 2012

CARDIFF CITY boss Malky Mackay has hit out at the Easter fixture schedule which will see his side play two games in 48 hours while some of their Championship rivals get an extra day’s rest.

The Bluebirds travel to Middlesbrough tomorrow and then welcome Watford to the Welsh capital on Easter Monday. But the Hornets face Blackpool today giving Mackay’s former club more recovery time at the end of a gruelling season.

Cardiff travel to the Riverside tomorrow just two points off the play-offs and desperate to get back to winning ways.

But Mackay feels his side have been unfairly handicapped by their tight schedule for what will prove two momentous games.


“The fact is that other teams are going to get extra rest over us going into the game on Monday. I find it a bit bizarre,” said Mackay.

“With two games in such a short space of time for some teams to get the extra day’s recovery is just a bizarre decision.

“But it seems the way things have gone in terms of kick-off times and for Watford to get the extra 24 hours rest is truly bizarre.

“It’s about recovery. It happens, we have to deal with it, but I don’t know why we have to deal with it. During these holiday times, if it’s not a television game we should be playing at the same time.

“We’ve got two tough games and we’ve got to make sure we come out of them in as positive a frame of mind as we can.”

The Bluebirds go into tomorrow’s clash with just one win in their last seven league outings, but with form of all the play-off sides seemingly faltering they remain very much in the hunt with six games left to go.

Mackay himself naturally is keen to focus on the positives pointing out his side have only been beaten once in those last seven outings although five of them has finished as draws.

One problem the Bluebirds have faced recently is a lack of goals with main marksman Kenny Miller on a long barren spell and goals having seemingly dried up from midfield too.

Mackay has urged his players now to be ruthless when an opportunity to find the net does present itself.

“It’s the way the division is and has always been. When the season ends, it’s nip and tuck and teams take points off each other. Everybody’s fighting for something. It’s still incredibly tight and I really don’t see that changing,” said Mackay.

“Obviously we are not immune to seeing where we are and if we had done this and that where we would be in the league right now.

“But with six games to go we are absolutely in with a shout. what has gone is in the past, and we look ahead.

“We are a tough team to beat. Only two teams in the league have less defeats and they are first and third. We are third best in terms of defeats.

“We will instil in our players that we are tough to beat. That’s what I want them to show over these last six games.

“But we have to kick on now... there is excitement that we have a chance of a top-six place and will be out to try to make it. Six points this weekend would be a good start.

“It’s up to us to put our best foot forward, everybody here wants to win, wants to succeed.

“When it comes to goals, we are creating chances, but maybe not taking them. We have various finishing sessions in training to get people hitting the back of the net.

“We’ve spoken to small groups and spoken to individuals to see how they are getting on.

“I am confident we will score goals between now and the end of the season, but when we get chances we have to be clinical and take them.”

If Cardiff’s form has been erratic then Tony Mowbray’s Boro have been getting the jitters too.

They currently lie two points ahead of Cardiff, but have themselves not won a game in the last six with four draws on the bounce.

Mackay is expecting another stern test on Teesside.

“Like us they are in and around it at the moment. They are there on merit with the games they’ve played this season,” added Mackay.

“It’s always been a tough place to go and I’m not expecting that to be any different this time around.

“Tony will have his team focussed on their last six games so it’s going to be tough. But we need to focus on ourselves.

“If we can slip-up less than those around us now we know we will be in the top six and that would be fine.”

Mackay has a fully fit squad to pick from tomorrow. Midfielder Don Cowie is back in training after missing the 0-0 draw with Millwall last time out.

malky's got his excuses in early.....

I'M afraid the great one is becoming more delusional by the day,reminds be a lot of Dave Jones who use to blame everyone and everything for poor results except himself

Its a joke, If players carnt play two games of football in 3 days. Fitness and training is their job . Get a grip, fed up of the same old excuses.

It's not getting excuses in,he was asked the question in press conference and answered.and he's right,we got to go to middlesboro,the longest trip of season on sat,have one day off then play watford.

Its a bit late now, overall our whole fixtures this season have been crap!

I am afraid that this is yet another poor excuse. These are professional players and have had all season to hone their fitness. We are also reminded on a weekly basis by Malky how good his medical /fitness staff are so there is no excuse why these athletes should not be able to handle more than 1 game in a short period of time. I would also remind Malky that having more rest between games makes little difference because we had a full week off before the Millwall game and we still looked lethargic.

I don't see this as an excuse to be fair, why can't we have played Boro today ?

I don't see this as an excuse to be fair, why can't we have played Boro today ?

You make a fair point.Thats all I would say is we must accept the hand we are dealt with as we cannot change the situation so Malky would be better off channeling his energy into something he can influence (the performance of the team) and stop being sidetracked by issues that cannot be altered.

If you remember back to last season Norwich somehow managed to arrange an away game at Ipswich on the Thursday evening before Good Friday. This gave them 2 additional days recovery time compared to ourselves who played QPR on Saturday before travelling to Preston on Easter Monday.

This season we travel to Middlesbrough on Saturday which is the longest return journey any club has to make over the Easter period. On Easter Monday Middlesbrough travel to Hull a distance of about 70 miles which is a huge difference. I hope the club are flying our team up and back from Middlesbrough to give the players the best possible recovery time for Monday.

At the end of the day we look to have missed the boat again this season as I believe we should have requested our game be moved to Good Friday. Complaining now or after the event is nothing short of bleating as far as I'm concerned as we the only people to blame are those in the club responsible for travel arrangements.

Why do we never seem to learn.

Can't be an excuse, get on with it.

I understand what he's saying but its been set up like that since June last year when the fixtures came out

Argh I'm not happy about a fixture that I've known about for months!!!!!!

Perhaps if he had rotated his players more often it wouldn't be so much of an issue.

Any how O/T anyone notice since MM appeared on real radio prior to cup final to recieve praise from everyone who phoned in (even jacks) we have been shit....

All in favour of a real radio boycott?

I don't see this as an excuse to be fair, why can't we have played Boro today ?

He always picks the same team so it doesn't matter if we play 48 hours or 48 days later!

I don't see this as an excuse to be fair, why can't we have played Boro today ?

agreed, was saying this in the week... some teams who are playing today, are now not playing until mon or tuesday... 2 extra days rest for some and that includes teams in the race with us.

Its a bit late now, overall our whole fixtures this season have been crap!

I mean, First & last games away, no home game over Xmas, Night & Sunday home games on Valentines & Mothers day. Surely some of these fixture schedules could have been avoided? A case of bad judgement & poor planning imho.

Its not an excuse its a fact that watford are getting 24 hours more rest between games no arguement Mackay is right.

malky's got his excuses in early.....

what about us the fans who have got to fork out they forget about us

Malky 'Moans'

More excuses than Comical Ali

Our fixtures for fans and players this season have been a total f**k up. Do the people who run the club do anything? The 0-0 draw away at watford 12.00 boxing day was a perfect way to spoil a christmas.

Some of you lot are an absolute joke!
It seems like you will say anything lately to have a pop at Malky. Judging by how quickly you'll turn on your own i'm just glad i'll never get caught in a sticky situation in an away game and have to rely on you lot.
If you cant see that travelling to fkucking middlesboro on a saturday then playing on monday is a joke then there's something wrong with you!

Some of you lot are an absolute joke!
It seems like you will say anything lately to have a pop at Malky. Judging by how quickly you'll turn on your own i'm just glad i'll never get caught in a sticky situation in an away game and have to rely on you lot.
If you cant see that travelling to fkucking middlesboro on a saturday then playing on monday is a joke then there's something wrong with you!

Agree. Cant take my boy today cause he gets travel sickness. Xmas and easter should be local,ie s/pton, brisy, brum, not boro or 12.00 kick offs. My point is why dont the club do something about it.

Some of you lot are an absolute joke!
It seems like you will say anything lately to have a pop at Malky. Judging by how quickly you'll turn on your own i'm just glad i'll never get caught in a sticky situation in an away game and have to rely on you lot.
If you cant see that travelling to fkucking middlesboro on a saturday then playing on monday is a joke then there's something wrong with you!

Oh shut up moaning about anyone who disagrees with your view of malky.

Footballs all about opinions.

Some of you lot are an absolute joke!
It seems like you will say anything lately to have a pop at Malky. Judging by how quickly you'll turn on your own i'm just glad i'll never get caught in a sticky situation in an away game and have to rely on you lot.
If you cant see that travelling to fkucking middlesboro on a saturday then playing on monday is a joke then there's something wrong with you!

Oh shut up moaning about anyone who disagrees with your view of malky.

Footballs all about opinions.

No mate, the fact is that since the "polo appreciation" thread someone has believed in his cult status and thinks it's clever to act like Liam Gallagher!

Some of you lot are an absolute joke!
It seems like you will say anything lately to have a pop at Malky. Judging by how quickly you'll turn on your own i'm just glad i'll never get caught in a sticky situation in an away game and have to rely on you lot.
If you cant see that travelling to fkucking middlesboro on a saturday then playing on monday is a joke then there's something wrong with you!

Oh shut up moaning about anyone who disagrees with your view of malky.
Footballs all about opinions.

No mate, the fact is that since the "polo appreciation" thread someone has believed in his cult status and thinks it's clever to act like Liam Gallagher!

Rubbish. Ive always said it as it is hence all the threads trying to get me banned way before the appreciation thread!!!!!
The only ones still going on about that thread are you and Jinx.

Two of Malkys most blind disciples