A Full list of Iain Moody's transfers he got for (Ratings)

How did Iain Moody perform in the transfer market? We rate Cardiff City's transfer hits and misses since 2011


By Gareth Rogers 13th Oct 2013



When Iain Moody left Watford to join up with Malky Mackay at Cardiff City alarm bells were ringing among Hornets fans.

They knew that not only had they lost their manager, several members of backroom staff and were sure to lose players but had suddenly lost the brains behind their cut-price transfer policy which had seen them land starlets like Danny Graham, Will Buckley and Mike Williamson.

In Moody, Mackay had a man he trusted to be as meticulous in finding players at the right price as he was at preparing teams for action. They were the perfect combination, the match made in heaven and Mackay always went to pains to praise Moody and his recruitment team at every available opportunity.



During their time together in Cardiff, the duo brought in 27 first team players and built a squad that reached the League Cup final and Championship play-offs, against the odds, in their first season and reached the Premier League 'promised land' at a canter in the second.

This summer was their ultimate test. Given a war chest of more than £30m to build a team fit for the Premier League. Stars like Steven Caulker, Gary Medel and Peter Odemwingie arrived with a Premier League pedigree while unknowns like Andreas Cornelius and Kevin Theophile-Catherine were brought in from abroad.

With the Bluebirds having made a solid start to their maiden Premier League voyage, summer buying would be seen to be a success.

' So, was Iain Moody a success at Cardiff City? '
Here Gareth Rogers goes through each transfer and rates them.





Peter Odemwingie (£2.5m from West Bromwich Albion) - 8

Forget his baggage, to sign a man with a proven Premier League scoring record for that price was a steal.



Kevin Theophile-Catherine (£2.2m from Rennes) - 8

Arguably the pair’s most unlikely triumph. The unknown right back has looked the part since joining from the French league.


Gary Medel (£9.5m from Sevilla) - 9

The marquee signing Moody and Mackay managed to engineer. They picked him up at a testimonial at Old Trafford and drove him back to Cardiff for his signature.


Steven Caulker (£8.5m from Tottenham Hotspur) - 9

A masterstroke of a deal and one of the shocks of the summer window. Caulker didn’t come cheap but his signing moved Mackay’s squad to another level.


Simon Moore (£150,000 from Brentford) - 5

The young keeper is third choice but highly rated by the Brentford fans who he left behind.


John Brayford (£1.5m from Derby County) - 3

A player Macaky tracked for two seasons. Eventually joined but hasn’t been near a Premier League start.


Andreas Cornelius (£7.5m from FC Copenhagen) - 4

While it’s unfair to be too critical of the injured Dane. On his few outings to date, he has looked raw.



Fraizer Campbell (£650,000 from Sunderland) - 8

Signed on the cheap at a time when Cardiff needed his goals. The fact Fraizer is Malky’s number one striker in the Premier League proves he was a bargain.



Craig Bellamy (free from Liverpool) - 8

Even though he is not getting any younger, Bellamy’s affect on the dressing room has been undeniable in the quest for promotion and in the Premier League.



Nicky Maynard (£2.5m from West Ham) - 6

Obviously a great coup for Mackay and Moody but Maynard’s injury problems mean he has had little impact.




Craig Noone (£1m from Brighton) - 7

Was always a danger in the Championship but has had a tough time breaking into Malky’s Premier League team. But £1m was a good price.



Heidar Helguson (free from QPR) - 5

While never looking like a Premier League player, Mackay’s former team mate did a solid job in the quest for promotion.




Etien Velikonja (£800,000 from Maribor) - 4

Probably the worst signing of Mackay’s reign. Whatever led to the Slovenian joining the Bluebirds probably has all parties regretting the move now.




Kim Bo-kyung (£3m from Cerezo Osaka) - 9

An undisputed triumph for the Mackay and Moody. Kim-Bo was little known when he arrived from Japan. Has all the skills to be a Premier League star.




Tommy Smith (undisclosed from QPR) - 6

One of Mackay’s former team mates. Smith knew the manager and Moody from Watford and was happy to join them.




Jordon Mutch (£1m from Birmingham City) - 8

Another man who had worked with the pair at Watford and look like a potential Premier League star. Now worth 10 times what the Bluebirds paid for him.




Matt Connolly (undisclosed from QPR) - 6

A solid defender who looked the part as the Bluebirds defence resembled a 20ft wall at times in the Championship. His Premier League future looks in doubt though with the form of Theophile.





Joe Lewis (free from Peterborough United) - 7

A free transfer from Peterborough hardly got pulses racing when he arrived but Lewis’ first Premier League start at Hull showed he has all the attributes required.




Filip Kiss (£500,000 from Slovan Bratislava) - 4

When he arrived from Slovakia, Kiss looked like a potential star. But the lanky midfielder has never really expressed himself in South Wales.




Ben Turner (£660,000 from Coventry City) - 8

When Mackay arrived at Cardiff, he chased Turner for several months. While he looked good in the Championship, he has been superb in the Premier and touted for England honours.




Rudy Gestede (Free transfer from FC Metz) - 6

Made a barnstorming start to his Cardiff career at West Ham but, despite scoring some vital goals, Rudy has failed to really make his mark in Malky’s attack.





Joe Mason (£250,000 from Plymouth Argyle) - 6

When young Joe put the Bluebirds ahead in the Carling Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley he looked like the bargain of the century. But since has struggled for a spot and looks to be heading out on loan.


Andrew Taylor (Free transfer from Middlesbrough) - 8

One of Malky’s Premier League steady Eddie’s. They worked together at Watford and Taylor remains one of the first names on Mackay’s team sheet.




Kenny Miller (£1m from Bursaspor) - 6

When he arrived at Cardiff City, the former Rangers man had everybody excited but, despite some important goals, never really lit up the stadium.



Craig Conway (Free transfer from Dundee United) - 7

After a good first season Conway wanted to leave Cardiff for first team football. Mackay convinced him to stay and he scored the goal that won the Championship at Burnley. Now out on loan though.



Robert Earnshaw (Free transfer from Nottingham Forest) - 5

The man billed as the saviour when he arrived back at the Bluebirds from Forest. But after a brief flirtation with the 4-4-2 formation, Mackay relegated Earnie to the bench – where he stayed before being released.



Aron Gunnarsson (Free transfer from Coventry City) - 9

Another genuine success story. If Jordon Mutch is now worth 10 times what Cardiff paid, scooping Premier League regular Aron Gunnarsson on a free transfer must rank as Malky and Moody’s biggest bargain.

I really don't understand some of those ratings. How can Simon Moore get a 5 when he has clearly been bought for the future and was never gonna figure in malky's plans for this season.
I also think it is quite obvious that moody wasn't responsible for finding some of the transfers above, bellamy and earnie are two clear examples of this.

You can hardly call odemwingie a find, most clubs were after him. Someone like Theophile is what you could class as a find, someone that no one really knows about. So has moody really been that successful? Not really. Most of those players were common knowledge to most people/clubs. 3 other finds in etien, kiss and cornelius have not produced anything so far so maybe moody going is not the end of the world, but of course we need sum1 better than a decorator.

So unless he knew them from previous experiences the jury's out. We paid big bucks to get the summer signings, some say (Jol) we may have paid over the odds to land them

Where is Cowie ? IMO a massive success.

I think we need to remember the difficulty of Moody's job this summer. We were a newly promoted club who has never been in the top flight before and we were looking to attract top quality players from the continent. It it notoriously difficult to do this when everyone is expecting you to go back down.

From what I have been told, the biggest achievement Moody accomplished this summer was gaining massive respect all over the continent. He has built up major contacts and trust from clubs abroad. Now all this has been undone by one ridiculous impulsive decision!

humblegringo.. dont delete the above thread,, you are bang on there. I watched all them games too. and yes they were shit except for the odd game and that 1 eddie may year. i remember 2000 crowds, and ninian not rocking. you could hear the players shouting instructions at each other, like a sunday park game..they were not a sleeping giant then,, that was a coma

humblegringo.. dont delete the above thread,, you are bang on there. I watched all them games too. and yes they were shit except for the odd game and that 1 eddie may year. i remember 2000 crowds, and ninian not rocking. you could hear the players shouting instructions at each other, like a sunday park game..they were not a sleeping giant then,, that was a coma

it's in the 'felt envy at pompey thread' with 112 replies below mate. Its a good thread with some good replies

Robert earnshaw was not signed by Mackay and Moody, he was signed when we had no manager. Agree that some of these ratings are ridiculous. How can Velikonja be rated 4 when he has only played 45 minutes in his time with us? Should be -4!

I think we need to remember the difficulty of Moody's job this summer. We were a newly promoted club who has never been in the top flight before and we were looking to attract top quality players from the continent. It it notoriously difficult to do this when everyone is expecting you to go back down.

From what I have been told, the biggest achievement Moody accomplished this summer was gaining massive respect all over the continent. He has built up major contacts and trust from clubs abroad. Now all this has been undone by one ridiculous impulsive decision!

From what I have been told in other words know fucall and your making shit up.

Of course I am. Gold star for cleverness for you.

Velonijka 4

Earnshaw 5

Earnshaw 5

Don't think you've seen the paper the report is published in cause its 7 in the paper

Helguson only 5 when velikonja is 4 helguson more about 7. You can't rate a player who hasn't played.

Helguson only 5 when velikonja is 4 helguson more about 7. You can't rate a player who hasn't played.

look at all the freebies

VELIKONJA -10

I'd rate Cowie as a 7, which is good really.

Also Helguson would be a 6 in my book, maybe 7.

what's clear is that overall the signings have been pretty good...

Jordon Mutch (£1m from Birmingham City) - 8

Another man who had worked with the pair at Watford and look like a potential Premier League star. Now worth 10 times what the Bluebirds paid for him.

Now worth 10m

Much had a very indifferent season last season and still has plenty to prove imo.

Thing is you can twist and turn any player and justify them to be better or worse

Overally I think our signings have been decent and solid without being spectacular.