The Malaysian Insider
Thursday 10th October 2013
' The quirks of a Malaysian billionaire, testing the hearts of so many Welshmen '
The Malaysian Insider –
Since taking over as owner of Cardiff City, Vincent Tan (pic) has mystified fans and earned some mild ribbing for his high-waisted trousers, the way he wore that red jumper and made decisions that caused minor protests and ridicule.
But if the rage caused by changing a club's colour from blue to red — as the Malaysian billionaire did in 2012 — is one of those curiosities of football, the events over the last two days are altogether more serious.
At some point the quirky was bound to become worrying.
And it did when Tan suspended Malky Mackay's right-hand man, Iain Moody, and replaced him with a 23-year-old friend of his son with no known experience in football.
Three months ago, the 23-year-old, Alisher Apsalyamov, was painting parts of the stadium.
The Daily Mail reported that as Mackay's head of recruitment, Moody is arguably the Scot's most trusted aide. In fact the partnership that Moody and Mackay had at Cardiff was one that was forged through time, all the way back to when he was the press officer-turned-operations guru at Watford, with Mackay as the then club manager.
Moody was also key to the signings of Gary Medel and Steven Caulker, as well as Frazier Campbell, Kevin Theophile-Catherine and 21 other players Mackay made in his two successful years at Cardiff City.
Moody was extremely diligent and tireless. He made 47 flights in 60 days to scout for players and secure deals before this season began.
So it begs the question: How will Moody's removal affect Mackay's position at the club? The Scot has said that he is adamant that he will not leave, but a happy ending doesn't seem to be in the offing either.
Mackay is the sort of manager that likes a certain degree of control. He scrutinises everything, from player interviews to the level of secrecy surrounding his training sessions at the Vale of Glarmogan Resort in South Wales.
To lose his most trusted lieutenant could, and most probably will, damage his relationship with Tan.
The Daily Mail reported that Mackay was caught in the middle last month when the players got into a row with the owner about end-of-season bonuses. Tan refused to relent and Mackay was stuck between the two parties. Their relationship since has been strained.
Yet the Scot has always been mindful of upsetting a man prone to impulsive behaviour. Mackay was left a little exposed when Tan appointed Simon Lim as the club's CEO in place of Datuk Chan Tien.
When Tan was asked in the summer about the supporters' criticism of his kit colour change, he said, "I would like to be here as long as I am very welcome."
Mackay has never distanced himself from Tan, instead praising his investment in the club which the Malaysian claims to top £100m (over RM500 million) since he took over in 2010. Having delivered top-flight football, Tan deserves credit.
But more and more fans have been mentioning the word "Venky's" in their reflections on how the club is run.
The word is a reminder of when Blackburn Rovers, which was one of the most stable top flight clubs until 2010, was taken over by Indian poultry company Venky's Ltd.
The takeover was disastrous. The club was relegated to the Championship and several managers came and went. The club was ridiculed by both the fans and the media.
Cardiff City currently sits at 14 in the Premier League despite an encouraging start to the season, including that dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester City. It seems proverbial that Cardiff might just follow in the footsteps of Blackburn.
The colour change hurt and the rumoured name change to Cardiff Dragons, a name presently used by a gay amateur team in the city, has caused further irritation. One can only wonder what will happen if Cardiff is relegated at the end of the season. – October 10, 2013.
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