" THE PROBLEM WAS/ HE WAS NOT MALKY MACKAY SAYS "

Russell Slade's problem with Bluebirds fans was that he was not Malky Mackay


TUESDAY 10 MAY 2016


BY SCOTT JOHNSON




Malky is damaged goods, but Bluebirds fans loved his passion and charisma at the time and are crying out for a new manager with those qualities


Russell Slade wasn't Malky Mackay, and that was a problem for some Bluebirds fans

It’s finally over. Not so much the season, but the reign of Russell Slade.

Whether you thought he did a good job, or underwhelmed and underachieved, I think we can each agree that his continued presence in the Cardiff City dugout was proving problematic.

An unpopular choice to begin with, the club fought hard for him and had approaches rejected by Leyton Orient before he quit to take the Bluebirds post.

You could make a case for claiming Slade never really had a fair crack of the whip.

Spending most of his time fighting fires, his spell began against a backdrop of continued protests regarding Cardiff’s colours and a hangover from Premier League relegation.



He was a so-called secure pair of hands when fans wanted a quick fix.

Ultimately, he was hired to be Russell Slade and was eventually relieved of his duties for being far too like Russell Slade for anyone’s liking.

The club point to a squad that is worth £28m and expect that will result in a top six finish. But the team has become stale, pretty much the whole strike force was sold in January and would any manager would have taken them up under those circumstances?


Cardiff have made huge strides behind the scenes since the start of the year, but some of those advances were the correction of past mistakes. The team is also in better shape than when Slade inherited it.

Yet when you analyse Slade’s tenure as a whole, I think his greatest failing was that he’s not Malky Mackay.

Mackay was the one. He is the manager that future Cardiff bosses will be measured against, until someone manages to match his drive, personality and achievements. He had supporters eating out of his hand from day one and was one of Cardiff’s most beloved managers.

He was charismatic in interviews, passionate on the touchline and delivered the Premier League, everything that Cardiff fans were crying out for.

Obviously, over time his flaws were exposed and his rapport with Vincent Tan turned toxic and destructive, but Mackay still casts a big shadow. He remains the one the fans loved and lost, the one we feel we can no more talk about.

He let us down, but we can’t deny the way we felt about him. He left big boots to fill and neither Slade nor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came close to filling them.

Mackay was every inch the model modern manager, but he’s damaged goods and has been out of work for more than a year. How you feel about that depends on your views on a wide range of issues, yet the fact remains that Cardiff are not just trying to replace Slade, they are still trying to kind of replace Mackay too.

Happier times for Vincent Tan and Malky Mackay, but it turned sour

Slade was the anti-Mackay. A thoroughly nice guy and the nagging suspicion was that maybe he was too nice. The same thinking also applied to Solskjaer.

I’m not advocating that Cardiff seek out a mad man to take charge, but most successful managers seem to have a little bit of edge and I think it is a quality that Cardiff fans demand.

Nigel Pearson has the reputation of being a bit of a no-nonsense character, but he has a promotion from the Championship under his belt and put down the foundations for Leicester’s ascent.



Norwich’s Alex Neil and David Moyes can give you a look that cuts you in half. In contrast, you have the likes of Eddie Howe, who is Mr Smiler and has done a stunning job at Bournemouth.

There is no right or wrong way to select a manager, only the right or wrong way for your club.

My nagging suspicion has been that Paul Trollope would eventually replace Slade and that may still come to pass. But with Slade moving upstairs, I feel that would be maintaining the status quo when Cardiff need a new broom.

Similarly, I think targeting someone like Robert Page would be a case of Cardiff being too cute again. They took Slade from the lower reaches of League One and it didn’t really work out, taking someone from mid-table in the same division would feel like history repeating.

If Cardiff have designs on going up, they should look upwards for their new manager. That is not to say that there are not managers in the bottom two divisions that would improve the team, but their current situation dictates that they need to aim higher, if only as a statement of intent.

Everything felt shiny and new on Saturday. Cardiff were resplendent in their new kit against Birmingham and the club felt like they were finally moving in the right direction.

But to carry on in that vein, next they have to get this appointment right.

If Tan decides to turn on the charm and pay for proven quality, then he can have the pick of the litter.

Craig Bellamy and Neil Warnock would be popular choices among fansCraig Bellamy and Neil Warnock would be popular choices among fans
That for me would be David Moyes, although the aforementioned Pearson and Neil Warnock would also fit the bill. Then there is Craig Bellamy, who will surely inherit the mantle at some stage.

Cardiff probably couldn't have got better than Slade on the salary he was receiving, although I don’t want them to part with the obscene sums that Solskjaer was said to have pocketed either.

Slade had to go, but we will only discover how good, or otherwise, a job he did in time. The only thing that I dreaded more than Slade staying on was the prospect of Cardiff hiring a new manager.

We’ll soon find out if the new guy is an upgrade or backwards step.

Either way, it was time for a change. For either party.

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Not a bad article this week. I agree MM does still cast a shadow over CCFC and until someone takes us back to the PL all new managers will be judged against him.

Mind you MM did have the advantage of VT's millions.

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

Take Slade over Malky any day.

Our love sick fans acting like teenagers over Malky is another level though it's like 2 and a half years ago people really need to let it go. Maybe if they did they'd have to concede he pulled the wool over their eyes though I guess.

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

Agree he was (in the end) a disgrace, Luke!

He led the fans a merry dance and milked their adulation via the media and his own actions even after he knew the game was up!

Will always appreciate his footballing achievements (including the Liverpool Cup final) but not his hoodwinking of the City faithful for his own selfish ends!

good article for a change.
if take Malky back any day. worked wonders and 1 of our best ever managers

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

Agree he was (in the end) a disgrace, Luke!

He led the fans a merry dance and milked their adulation via the media and his own actions even after he knew the game was up!

Will always appreciate his footballing achievements (including the Liverpool Cup final) but not his hoodwinking of the City faithful for his own selfish ends!

Pardon my ignorence, but with the millions Tan spent trying to dig something up, was there any concrete evidence stating Malky was out of order apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone?

The problem was he didn't have a clue at Championship level, using the same failed tactics for 18 months and expecting them to work. In fact he wasn't even, what you would call, successful in Divisions 3&4 over 20 years. Thankfully he wasn't given any significant funds to buy players.

StT.

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

Agree he was (in the end) a disgrace, Luke!

He led the fans a merry dance and milked their adulation via the media and his own actions even after he knew the game was up!

Will always appreciate his footballing achievements (including the Liverpool Cup final) but not his hoodwinking of the City faithful for his own selfish ends!

Pardon my ignorence, but with the millions Tan spent trying to dig something up, was there any concrete evidence stating Malky was out of order apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone?

Quote: "apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone"

Excuse me, Ross, but I don't recall mentioning the actual issues that were or were not levelled at Malky. You just did that and effectively confirmed it, too!

I simply referred to his actions once asked to resign. He used the media to a highly competent level and allowed Cardiff City fans to think he was hard done by when they were singing songs defending him whilst (maybe) they could have been concentrating on the on-field issues we were having in our first tilt at The Premier League

I said in the first post that I appreciated Malky's on-field achievements and the journey he took us on, but he dropped all actions (including financial) against the club and in my experience you don't do that if you don't want 'other' things to come out in the wash!

I think the problem was he was,nt a very good manager ....lol

Nothing to do with not being Malky...slade simply wasn't good enough...

good article for a change.
if take Malky back any day. worked wonders and 1 of our best ever managers

Malky for me is one of our best managers of all time and the facts prove that

Malky for me is one of our best managers of all time and the facts prove that

100% and he's a tough act to follow. Everything just gelled when he was in charge, shame he didn't remain

Money brought malky his fans for promotion, tans money nothing else let's be honest he done nothing at Watford or wigan with no money bar took them down, no other manager has been backed like him so u can not compare imo.

What about Cornelius? How can anyone justify spending that kind of money on un tested player and pay him £45,000 a week is beyond me.

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

Agree he was (in the end) a disgrace, Luke!

He led the fans a merry dance and milked their adulation via the media and his own actions even after he knew the game was up!

Will always appreciate his footballing achievements (including the Liverpool Cup final) but not his hoodwinking of the City faithful for his own selfish ends!

Pardon my ignorence, but with the millions Tan spent trying to dig something up, was there any concrete evidence stating Malky was out of order apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone?

Quote: "apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone"

Excuse me, Ross, but I don't recall mentioning the actual issues that were or were not levelled at Malky. You just did that and effectively confirmed it, too!

I simply referred to his actions once asked to resign. He used the media to a highly competent level and allowed Cardiff City fans to think he was hard done by when they were singing songs defending him whilst (maybe) they could have been concentrating on the on-field issues we were having in our first tilt at The Premier League

I said in the first post that I appreciated Malky's on-field achievements and the journey he took us on, but he dropped all actions (including financial) against the club and in my experience you don't do that if you don't want 'other' things to come out in the wash!

Well you can't control what types of texts are sent to your phone. What I'm saying is Malky continues to get slated for "playing the fans", but Tan has spent millions trying to dig something up since and has been proved unsuccessful.

As for the Cornelius transfer, the manager does not control the transfer fee or the wages paid to any player. The person who signed the cheques back then, Simon Lim would have to answer that one.

Malky was backed Slade wasn't and was pretty much clearing up his and Ole's mess.

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

Agree he was (in the end) a disgrace, Luke!

He led the fans a merry dance and milked their adulation via the media and his own actions even after he knew the game was up!

Will always appreciate his footballing achievements (including the Liverpool Cup final) but not his hoodwinking of the City faithful for his own selfish ends!

Pardon my ignorence, but with the millions Tan spent trying to dig something up, was there any concrete evidence stating Malky was out of order apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone?

Quote: "apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone"

Excuse me, Ross, but I don't recall mentioning the actual issues that were or were not levelled at Malky. You just did that and effectively confirmed it, too!

I simply referred to his actions once asked to resign. He used the media to a highly competent level and allowed Cardiff City fans to think he was hard done by when they were singing songs defending him whilst (maybe) they could have been concentrating on the on-field issues we were having in our first tilt at The Premier League

I said in the first post that I appreciated Malky's on-field achievements and the journey he took us on, but he dropped all actions (including financial) against the club and in my experience you don't do that if you don't want 'other' things to come out in the wash!

Well you can't control what types of texts are sent to your phone. What I'm saying is Malky continues to get slated for "playing the fans", but Tan has spent millions trying to dig something up since and has been proved unsuccessful.

As for the Cornelius transfer, the manager does not control the transfer fee or the wages paid to any player. The person who signed the cheques back then, Simon Lim would have to answer that one.

I agree with large parts of what you say. However, the confidentiality clause means we are unlikely to know what really happened but the fact remains that Malky dropped his legal actions and offered an unequivocal apology to Tan

Cornelius was a mistake but we only knew that after the event. What if he'd been the buy of the century? Would the same people not have been claiming him as their buy? Probably! LOL

Forever Blue hits it on the head when he says Malky was (arguably) the best manager we've ever had and I've alluded to that but it is my personal opinion that he soured his legacy with his antics once the game was effectively up

Do I 'blame' him? Not really, as we all have to fight our corner but I don't have to like what he did at a time when our focus should have been elsewhere (and yes, I do blame Tan for his part in that, too)

Nothing to do with not being Malky...slade simply wasn't good enough...

agree nothing to do with Malky , I wasn't a huge Malky fan anyway yes I was happy we got promoted but the football was boring to watch (better than now mind you) but at least with Malky you got resultsunder Slade the football was dire , tactics all wrong (his tactics setup not to lose) and we weren't consistant
I f you could get Malkys team mentality of holding onto leads and Dave Jones attacking style of play that would be perfect

Malky was backed Slade wasn't and was pretty much clearing up his and Ole's mess.

Yep but that don't matter in fans eyes

Malky 2 seasons,

Season 1 - playoffs and a league cup final
Season 2 - Champions

Its in the history book.

Malky 2 seasons,

Season 1 - playoffs and a league cup final
Season 2 - Champions

Its in the history book.

I agree but it also says pissed up the most money than any other manager and a racist who got the sack over it

Malky 2 seasons,

Season 1 - playoffs and a league cup final
Season 2 - Champions

Its in the history book.

I agree but it also says pissed up the most money than any other manager and a racist who got the sack over it

That is a bit harder to find

Malky lost the aura, he should have gone when Vinny wanted it with his reputation in tact. Surprised he hasn't gone abroad.

PS- Never a fan of his, but he did the job tasked to him.

Slade was better than Ole, but can't be mentioned in the same breath as Malky.

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

Agree he was (in the end) a disgrace, Luke!

He led the fans a merry dance and milked their adulation via the media and his own actions even after he knew the game was up!

Will always appreciate his footballing achievements (including the Liverpool Cup final) but not his hoodwinking of the City faithful for his own selfish ends!

Pardon my ignorence, but with the millions Tan spent trying to dig something up, was there any concrete evidence stating Malky was out of order apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone?

Quote: "apart from those 3 texts sent to his phone"

Excuse me, Ross, but I don't recall mentioning the actual issues that were or were not levelled at Malky. You just did that and effectively confirmed it, too!

I simply referred to his actions once asked to resign. He used the media to a highly competent level and allowed Cardiff City fans to think he was hard done by when they were singing songs defending him whilst (maybe) they could have been concentrating on the on-field issues we were having in our first tilt at The Premier League

I said in the first post that I appreciated Malky's on-field achievements and the journey he took us on, but he dropped all actions (including financial) against the club and in my experience you don't do that if you don't want 'other' things to come out in the wash!

If you dig deep into anyone's phone records 99% will have something on there that shouldn't be, he who throws the first stone etc Without a doubt the Best Manager we had 50 years, until someone betters his achievements he will remain Cardiff City's Best Manager, Tan wanted him out full stop, and then look what happened on the pitch, Shambles

good article for a change.
if take Malky back any day. worked wonders and 1 of our best ever managers

Malky for me is one of our best managers of all time and the facts prove that

100% with you on this Annis! Brilliant manager for us!

What about Cornelius? How can anyone justify spending that kind of money on un tested player and pay him £45,000 a week is beyond me.

What about Mason he bought him for £300K and was sold for 3.5 million, if you look closer you be surprised most of signing were sold on for the same or more than bought for!!

I'm not saying that Malky shouldn't have bought Corneliusand tried him out but can't understand to this day why they paid so much for him and paid him so much,when he was clearly unproven in this country.

There does'nt excatly seem to be a long queue of clubs desperate for his services.

Not from me, his actions disgraced this club, would welcome slade as manager over him anyday

I don't get all this Malky love either! Where is he now... Nowhere

Malky 2 seasons,

Season 1 - playoffs and a league cup final
Season 2 - Champions

Its in the history book.