KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:18 am
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballna ... -31421680/ 
Bluebirds stalwart Kevin McNaughton has vowed to make his seventh season in the Welsh capital the best yet.
McNaughton, preparing for the new campaign with his team-mates at the Uefa headquarters in Switzerland, is relishing challenge ahead in the new Championship season.
The Scottish international defender has made more than 250 first team appearances for the Bluebirds since arriving from Aberdeen in 2006 and insists: “The coming season could be the best since I came to Wales.”
The 29-year-old has suffered along with fans as City have launched a series of challenges for promotion and fallen short each time.
Now, with a new-look squad including new signings Etien Velikonja from Slovenia, Jordon Mutch from Birmingham City, goalkeeper Joe Lewis from Peterborough and more to come, McNaughton believes this could be the season Cardiff make it to the Premier League.
“It’s always good to bolster the squad and the gaffer (Malky Mackay) is trying to bring a few more in,” said McNaughton.
“We will push hard for promotion again and this time we are determined to take that extra step.”
Dundee-born McNaughton, who has one more year left on his City contract, is among 20-plus senior players working through double training sessions at the Uefa headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Manager Malky Mackay has gone against the trend set by former manager Dave Jones, who was always keen to take the squad to a hot climate, in previous seasons.
The favourites for Jones was Portugal, while he had already arranged the pre-season trip to Seville in Spain a year ago when he was sacked and Mackay took over.
“It was too hot, way too hot in Seville,” said McNaughton. “That made training to our limits really difficult.
“In Switzerland we are able to knuckle down and get on with it.
“We had a few days testing back in South Wales before flying out and that was hard.
“I was dreading the bleep test, but it was one of the best I’ve done since I joined Cardiff. Don Cowie, of course, was number one. He’s a machine and I just tried to hang on to his coat-tails.
“Pre-season training is great for squad spirit. The banter is decent and we have a great bunch of lads at the club. Working together for a week in Switzerland is also a great benefit in bringing everybody together.”
Bluebirds’ players are being pushed all the way during the training camp in Switzerland. They are out on the pitches in Nyon, around 20 miles from Geneva, after breakfast and then return to their hotel for lunch and an afternoon nap.
Mackay and his backroom staff then take them all out again for an early evening session, laying a foundation of fitness which will carry them into the new campaign.
There are more than 20 players in Switzerland, although striker Velikonja, signed from NK Maribor, has not yet linked up with the club.
He will play in both legs of Maribor’s Uefa Champions League qualifying round tie against Bosnian club FK Zeleznicar before linking up with Cardiff just before their opening pre-season match against non-League Forest Green Rovers on Saturday week.
Bluebirds stalwart Kevin McNaughton has vowed to make his seventh season in the Welsh capital the best yet.
McNaughton, preparing for the new campaign with his team-mates at the Uefa headquarters in Switzerland, is relishing challenge ahead in the new Championship season.
The Scottish international defender has made more than 250 first team appearances for the Bluebirds since arriving from Aberdeen in 2006 and insists: “The coming season could be the best since I came to Wales.”
The 29-year-old has suffered along with fans as City have launched a series of challenges for promotion and fallen short each time.
Now, with a new-look squad including new signings Etien Velikonja from Slovenia, Jordon Mutch from Birmingham City, goalkeeper Joe Lewis from Peterborough and more to come, McNaughton believes this could be the season Cardiff make it to the Premier League.
“It’s always good to bolster the squad and the gaffer (Malky Mackay) is trying to bring a few more in,” said McNaughton.
“We will push hard for promotion again and this time we are determined to take that extra step.”
Dundee-born McNaughton, who has one more year left on his City contract, is among 20-plus senior players working through double training sessions at the Uefa headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Manager Malky Mackay has gone against the trend set by former manager Dave Jones, who was always keen to take the squad to a hot climate, in previous seasons.
The favourites for Jones was Portugal, while he had already arranged the pre-season trip to Seville in Spain a year ago when he was sacked and Mackay took over.
“It was too hot, way too hot in Seville,” said McNaughton. “That made training to our limits really difficult.
“In Switzerland we are able to knuckle down and get on with it.
“We had a few days testing back in South Wales before flying out and that was hard.
“I was dreading the bleep test, but it was one of the best I’ve done since I joined Cardiff. Don Cowie, of course, was number one. He’s a machine and I just tried to hang on to his coat-tails.
“Pre-season training is great for squad spirit. The banter is decent and we have a great bunch of lads at the club. Working together for a week in Switzerland is also a great benefit in bringing everybody together.”
Bluebirds’ players are being pushed all the way during the training camp in Switzerland. They are out on the pitches in Nyon, around 20 miles from Geneva, after breakfast and then return to their hotel for lunch and an afternoon nap.
Mackay and his backroom staff then take them all out again for an early evening session, laying a foundation of fitness which will carry them into the new campaign.
There are more than 20 players in Switzerland, although striker Velikonja, signed from NK Maribor, has not yet linked up with the club.
He will play in both legs of Maribor’s Uefa Champions League qualifying round tie against Bosnian club FK Zeleznicar before linking up with Cardiff just before their opening pre-season match against non-League Forest Green Rovers on Saturday week.
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:24 am
I think this is his last year on his contract. Hopefully he gets a three year extension. We as fans love having him here and he obviously loves being here. Probably because of all the free sex we offer to him 
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:39 am
The fact that Malky has even looked at cover at RB may have forced him to up give game for the coming season, never a bad thing!
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:51 am
one decent cross or pass that finds a team mate will be an improvement on the previous 6 seasons
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:14 am
steve davies wrote:one decent cross or pass that finds a team mate will be an improvement on the previous 6 seasons
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:07 am
“Kevin McNaughton you are the love of my live,
Kevin McNaughton I’d let you shag my wife,
Kevin McNaughton,
I want silver hair too.”
This tweet just about sums up super super kev super super kev super super kev super kev mchnaughton!
Kevin McNaughton is probably the most overlooked player in the history of the Championship. He has at least three songs that the Cardiff City faithful blast out at every opportunity both at home and away games. The Cardiff City unsung hero has also recently surpassed 200 games for the club.
Signed by then manager Dave Jones in 2006 from SPL outfit Aberdeen, he has been a prominent figure throughout his time at the club. He has been absolutely instrumental to the clubs level of performance since he arrived. He can play anywhere in the back four and the Cardiff fans are guaranteed to know that his match level will stay the same.
The 29 year old grey haired defender is fast becoming a legend on the terraces of the Cardiff City Stadium with his never say die attitude and unbelievable engine. This resulted in him winning the club’s Player of the Year for the 2010/2011 season. Whenever he loses the ball he always strives to win it back which also brings the best out of his teammates. His consistent level of performance both home and away has not gone unnoticed from even the most cynical fan or pundit alike. If Cardiff had eleven of him in the 2010/2011 season they would have gone up as champions!
Malky Mackay has commented freely on the level of consistency from McNaughton since he has been manager of the club and has certainly brought in players such as Aron Gunnarsson, Don Cowie, Joe Mason and Filip Kiss who all fit the McNaughton bill in terms of temperament, character and work ethic. Mackay issued McNaughton with a more attacking full back role since joining the club, something which McNaughton has admitted will take him time to adapt to, as previous manager Dave Jones used a more rigid and defensive approach. This licence from Mackay for him to go forward will enhance Cardiff’s chances to score more freely and maybe McNaughton can add to his only bad point since being at Cardiff City, a goals tally which currently stands at 1 – although it was a sensational 20 yard strike in January 2008 against Hereford in the FA Cup.
How hasn’t he had more international caps?
McNaughton has made just four senior appearances for Scotland, the last coming in May 2008 against the Czech Republic. Scotland manager Craig Levein has picked defenders such as Blackburn’s Grant Hanley and Liverpool’s Danny Wilson who are both squad players at best. Nothing against these players, they just don’t play week in week out whereas McNaughton regularly racks up thirty plus games a season for Cardiff. Congratulations are due to Gary MacKenzie of MK Dons, who has recently been called up for the friendly against Cyprus, but he even plays at a lower level than McNaughton.
One thing Cardiff fans are all definitely happy about is that ‘Super Kev’ is under contract and part of something great at the club. If bigger teams from the Premier League don’t take an interest as well as Craig Levein and Scotland, it will certainly benefit Cardiff in the long term as he will always be appreciated in South Wales whenever he puts on the jersey of Cardiff City.
Written by Richard Blake, We Are Going Up’s Cardiff City Blogger
Richard tweets at @RichJBlake
Keep it up Kev!!
Kevin McNaughton I’d let you shag my wife,
Kevin McNaughton,
I want silver hair too.”
This tweet just about sums up super super kev super super kev super super kev super kev mchnaughton!
Kevin McNaughton is probably the most overlooked player in the history of the Championship. He has at least three songs that the Cardiff City faithful blast out at every opportunity both at home and away games. The Cardiff City unsung hero has also recently surpassed 200 games for the club.
Signed by then manager Dave Jones in 2006 from SPL outfit Aberdeen, he has been a prominent figure throughout his time at the club. He has been absolutely instrumental to the clubs level of performance since he arrived. He can play anywhere in the back four and the Cardiff fans are guaranteed to know that his match level will stay the same.
The 29 year old grey haired defender is fast becoming a legend on the terraces of the Cardiff City Stadium with his never say die attitude and unbelievable engine. This resulted in him winning the club’s Player of the Year for the 2010/2011 season. Whenever he loses the ball he always strives to win it back which also brings the best out of his teammates. His consistent level of performance both home and away has not gone unnoticed from even the most cynical fan or pundit alike. If Cardiff had eleven of him in the 2010/2011 season they would have gone up as champions!
Malky Mackay has commented freely on the level of consistency from McNaughton since he has been manager of the club and has certainly brought in players such as Aron Gunnarsson, Don Cowie, Joe Mason and Filip Kiss who all fit the McNaughton bill in terms of temperament, character and work ethic. Mackay issued McNaughton with a more attacking full back role since joining the club, something which McNaughton has admitted will take him time to adapt to, as previous manager Dave Jones used a more rigid and defensive approach. This licence from Mackay for him to go forward will enhance Cardiff’s chances to score more freely and maybe McNaughton can add to his only bad point since being at Cardiff City, a goals tally which currently stands at 1 – although it was a sensational 20 yard strike in January 2008 against Hereford in the FA Cup.
How hasn’t he had more international caps?
McNaughton has made just four senior appearances for Scotland, the last coming in May 2008 against the Czech Republic. Scotland manager Craig Levein has picked defenders such as Blackburn’s Grant Hanley and Liverpool’s Danny Wilson who are both squad players at best. Nothing against these players, they just don’t play week in week out whereas McNaughton regularly racks up thirty plus games a season for Cardiff. Congratulations are due to Gary MacKenzie of MK Dons, who has recently been called up for the friendly against Cyprus, but he even plays at a lower level than McNaughton.
One thing Cardiff fans are all definitely happy about is that ‘Super Kev’ is under contract and part of something great at the club. If bigger teams from the Premier League don’t take an interest as well as Craig Levein and Scotland, it will certainly benefit Cardiff in the long term as he will always be appreciated in South Wales whenever he puts on the jersey of Cardiff City.
Written by Richard Blake, We Are Going Up’s Cardiff City Blogger
Richard tweets at @RichJBlake
Keep it up Kev!!
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:28 am
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Super, super Kev, super Kev Mcnaughton.
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:14 am
Really does need to use the ball a lot better this season, we all love his tenacity etc... but distribution is shocking imo
Re: KEVIN MCNAUGHTON VOWS TO MAKE HIS 7TH SEASON HIS BEST
Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:20 am
ayahtolla wrote:Really does need to use the ball a lot better this season, we all love his tenacity etc... but distribution is shocking imo
lets him down terribly and perhaps thats why he hasn't got more caps...