Malky demands improvements before Premier league mission

If there is one thing you could not accuse Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay of then it is complacency.

As he surveys his squad going through their paces in the summer sunshine, the Bluebirds boss could be forgiven just a moment of refection.

The Scot is slowly establishing himself as a legend in the Welsh capital, although he would balk at the use of the word himself.

But how else to describe the man who, after half a century of exile in the lower leagues, has managed to deliver top flight football at the club?

In his two years in charge Mackay has overseen what can only be described as a revolution at Cardiff turning the club on its head with reforms from top to bottom.

But as he prepares for his biggest challenge as a manager, Mackay has sent out a message to his troops that this is no time for anyone to be resting on their laurels.

As the Bluebirds embark on their Premier League adventure, Mackay insists there will be no room at all for any complacency.

And although giant strides have already been made at the club, his aim now is to push things on even further.

“I think things are getting there, but I believe we can always improve,” he said.

“I’m a great believer in striving for what I call ‘best practice.

“You look for what you believe is the best and then you learn from that.

“It does not always take money, it can just as easily be about the way you are doing things.

“Sometimes it’s just about tweaking things. I am constantly reviewing things with my staff in the hope of improving them.

“I look at other clubs or even other sports. To me that is very important.

“I think you have to be open to new ideas, open to the possibility of having the way you like to do things challenged. That’s at the heart of what I do.”

One aspect that Mackay has obviously been hard at work improving of late is the quality of his first-team squad.



Record signing Andreas Cornelius yesterday linked up with his new teammates following his £8.5m move from FC Copenhagen.

Most of the Cardiff players already have a week of pre-season under their belts with Mackay and his staff putting them through a series of tests to check their fitness levels after the summer break.

Next week the Bluebirds head for a training camp in Switzerland with double training sessions testing the players to their limits.

And Mackay admits he is happy with what he has seen of his charges so far.

“It’s going well. We had the boys in to do testing for a couple of days and we’ll be off to Switzerland soon,” he said.

“People sometimes under-estimate the importance of pre-season, but it is a vital time for us.”

If the summer so far has seen just one signing confirmed for Cardiff, Mackay has found himself linked with plenty of names so far.

Like all managers, he is keen to keep his transfer dealings under the radar with the surprise arrival of Cornelius testament to how good he is at doing that.

But Mackay admits that, with his side having now achieved Premier League status, the speculation surrounding City’s transfer targets has increased this summer.

Not that it is going to faze the Bluebirds boss in any way.

“People are taking more of an interest in us because we are in the Premier League, but rumours or reports obviously have no effect on my job,” he said.

“We go about our business calmly and methodically as we always do.

“Of course, we are working on trying to get players in.

“We are very focused on what we are doing and what we do know is that is going to take time.

“That’s the way it was last summer and the summer before that when I came in.

“This is my third summer transfer window at the club so I know it’s going to take time.

“I have every faith in the recruitment department right now.”

The hard work for Mackay and his men now is all focused on the start of the Premier League season which grows ever nearer.

The Bluebirds kick off their campaign at West Ham on August 17 before visits from Manchester City and Everton.

After a trip to fellow new boys Hull, Tottenham Hotspur visit the Welsh capital – and Mackay accepts home form will be crucial to their aspirations.

“We’ve made our ground a fortress over the last year in terms of having 27,000 fans here and it was rocking,” he said.

“We are going to have that in the Premier League too and that is going to be a big factor for us.

“It’s obviously going to be tough and there will be times when we must stick together.

“The crowd is going to have a big part to play for us.”

As everyone knows on here,i am not Mackay's biggest fan,but i have to acknowledge the man's achievements of getting City to the Premiership,something that Dave Jones was never able to achieve,with one or two exceptions,his dealings in the transfer market have been a success,again something Jones was not renowned for,i will always have issues with Mackay,but i want to go on record to wish him every good fortune for the coming season,i would just add a couple of caveats to the above comments............im sure Mackay will well understand that what worked for us in the Championship,is not bound to work for us in the Premiership,i make that point because i dont think we would be able to sit on a one goal lead and hope to defend it till the final whistle,a tactic we used in a lot of games last season,i also think we need more than just a great work ethic,important as that is to any team,we also need match winners with a bit of flair and swagger about them,in other words a team of mixed abilities,i hope that Mackay will start if he hasent already, to think like Premiership manager,also i hope our Owners will understand the difference in owning a Premiership club from a Championship club.....at the end of the day i cant stress enough how important it is that we survive our first season in what is arguably one of the best leagues in world football.....................we must not go straight back down,because it may not end there,just ask Wolves

"All men are born equal, some work harder in pre-season"

As everyone knows on here,i am not Mackay's biggest fan,but i have to acknowledge the man's achievements of getting City to the Premiership,something that Dave Jones was never able to achieve,with one or two exceptions,his dealings in the transfer market have been a success,again something Jones was not renowned for,i will always have issues with Mackay,but i want to go on record to wish him every good fortune for the coming season,i would just add a couple of caveats to the above comments............im sure Mackay will well understand that what worked for us in the Championship,is not bound to work for us in the Premiership,i make that point because i dont think we would be able to sit on a one goal lead and hope to defend it till the final whistle,a tactic we used in a lot of games last season,i also think we need more than just a great work ethic,important as that is to any team,we also need match winners with a bit of flair and swagger about them,in other words a team of mixed abilities,i hope that Mackay will start if he hasent already, to think like Premiership manager,also i hope our Owners will understand the difference in owning a Premiership club from a Championship club.....at the end of the day i cant stress enough how important it is that we survive our first season in what is arguably one of the best leagues in world football.....................we must not go straight back down,because it may not end there,just ask Wolves

I think that without the injuries to key forwards we will have enough firepower and pace up front. Agree we will not be able to sit back and defend as that will be suicidal. MM will have done his homework, got his dossiers and planned what he intends to do. His comments about the fans stickling with the team shows that he knows we will get some hammerings next year and he fans need to stick with the team, not get on their backs.

As everyone knows on here,i am not Mackay's biggest fan,but i have to acknowledge the man's achievements of getting City to the Premiership,something that Dave Jones was never able to achieve,with one or two exceptions,his dealings in the transfer market have been a success,again something Jones was not renowned for,i will always have issues with Mackay,but i want to go on record to wish him every good fortune for the coming season,i would just add a couple of caveats to the above comments............im sure Mackay will well understand that what worked for us in the Championship,is not bound to work for us in the Premiership,i make that point because i dont think we would be able to sit on a one goal lead and hope to defend it till the final whistle,a tactic we used in a lot of games last season,i also think we need more than just a great work ethic,important as that is to any team,we also need match winners with a bit of flair and swagger about them,in other words a team of mixed abilities,i hope that Mackay will start if he hasent already, to think like Premiership manager,also i hope our Owners will understand the difference in owning a Premiership club from a Championship club.....at the end of the day i cant stress enough how important it is that we survive our first season in what is arguably one of the best leagues in world football.....................we must not go straight back down,because it may not end there,just ask Wolves

Something of an admission you may have been wrong here? Feller, perhaps if you weigh up all the evidence. Take into
account the fact that Malky was close to blowing it with his blinkered tactical view early on in the season but was big
enough and shrewd enough to switch things. Take into account that he got Kim Bo and Mutch absolutely spot on - Kim
played when he was ready, Mutch played when he was fit, and he had no compunction about dropping Whitts.
Take into account that for whatever reason, a struggling Taylor turned his season around and was as solid as a rock.
Take into account that we would probably have won the league by about 20 points if not for the injuries
to Turner and ultimately Hudson. Take into account that he was swift
to bring in Leon Barnett who was EXACTLY what we needed for the run-in. Take into account that Frazier Campbell was
practically a free transfer and by any reckoning, without the injury would probably have easily hit double figures after
xmas. Take into account Watford away - free scoring Italian glamour boys - Malky barely gave them a shot on goal...

This is not a dig.

But instead of looking for fault in him - theres a f*cking shed load of positives about our manager. It would be far
more enjoyable for you - as a City fan - to start focusing on them.

Something of an admission you may have been wrong here? Feller, perhaps if you weigh up all the evidence. Take into
account the fact that Malky was close to blowing it with his blinkered tactical view early on in the season but was big
enough and shrewd enough to switch things. Take into account that he got Kim Bo and Mutch absolutely spot on - Kim
played when he was ready, Mutch played when he was fit, and he had no compunction about dropping Whitts.
Take into account that for whatever reason, a struggling Taylor turned his season around and was as solid as a rock.
Take into account that we would probably have won the league by about 20 points if not for the injuries
to Turner and ultimately Hudson. Take into account that he was swift
to bring in Leon Barnett who was EXACTLY what we needed for the run-in. Take into account that Frazier Campbell was
practically a free transfer and by any reckoning, without the injury would probably have easily hit double figures after
xmas. Take into account Watford away - free scoring Italian glamour boys - Malky barely gave them a shot on goal...

This is not a dig.

But instead of looking for fault in him - theres a f*cking shed load of positives about our manager. It would be far
more enjoyable for you - as a City fan - to start focusing on them.[/quote]

Spot on!

As everyone knows on here,i am not Mackay's biggest fan

I did not know this