' Malky Mackay interview after Arsenal defeat '

' Malky Mackay tells Cardiff City fans not to get down about Premier League position after Arsenal defeat '

Saturday 30th Nov 2013


The Cardiff City boss says the key to Premier League survival will be not getting too down after defeat or too high after victories


Malky Mackay has told Cardiff City's "class act" supporters not to get down about their league position after insisting their performance against potential Premier League winners Arsenal has only fuelled his belief the Bluebirds are in the Premier League to stay.

Mackay watched as his men were given a big a home beating in his time in charge after Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey with two made it three-nil to the Arsenal at Cardiff City Stadium.

The result leaves Cardiff one place above the drop zone ahead of a midweek clash at struggling Stoke, both sides on 13 points and meaning there is little room for error at the Britannia before a trip to take on rock-bottom Palace in six days' time.

But Mackay, who hailed the home fans for applauding old boy Ramsey even after his double denied them a second shock result of the week after the recent 2-2 draw with Manchester United, insisted the performance against the Gunners and other big guns have shown Cardiff can compete with the best on their day.

And he claimed it was vital not to worry about positions after taking heart from a performance where he claimed the eventual scoreline was not a reflection on the fight his men offered.

Mackay said: "We were playing against the best and we were certainly not out of our league. We've now played against Spurs, Man City, Chelsea, United now Arsenal and we've been competitive in all games.

"And that is something that gives me great belief we will be in this league next year. We go on road now and have another two tough games but we've come off back of games with two biggest clubs in Europe and equipped ourselves very well.

"We now go to Stoke and have two games in the space of four days and we will turn our attentions to that now.

"But as well as about being consistent, it is about not getting too high or too low. As to where we are, we know what mini league we're in in this division and it's about having that belief and calmness that what matters where we are in May."




There also seemed to be an acceptance from the home fans that they were beaten by simply a better side, with Mackay admitting it was "not rocket science" that Arsenal now had a serious chance of lifting their first title since 2004.

"They are sitting first today and in the last-16 of Europe so as well as a chance of getting to a European final it speaks for itself they have a very good chance of winning the league," added Mackay.

But the Scot - again left exposed by speculation over his position in the build-up to this game - insisted the defeat was not a fair reflection of the overall game, claiming Arsenal's two late goals were as a result of "going for it" in an attempt to claw a draw from theGunners' grasp.

He said: "Obviously we were playing against a very good team, but overall I was proud of the team I've got myself. Tactically we made sure kept ball in front of us in the first half and limited them to a few chances in that half."




BBC
Saturday 30th Nov 2013.

' Cardiff boss Malky Mackay praises team in spite of Arsenal defeat '

Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay praised his players in spite of their 3-0 home defeat by leaders Arsenal.

Former Bluebirds player Aaron Ramsey scored twice on his return to Cardiff as Arsenal moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.
But manager Mackay felt his players gave a good account of themselves against a "top team".
"I thought all through the team we played well but I thought second half we were very brave," he said.

Mackay on Aaron Ramsey

The Wales international did not celebrate his goals and acknowledged the warm applause by tapping both hands against his head - known by Cardiff supporters as the Ayatollah - following an impressive display.
"He's a very good young player - he's one of the best," said Mackay.

Cardiff trailed to Ramsey's 29th-minute header until the 86th minute when Arsenal twice caught them on the break to score through Mathieu Flamini and Ramsey again.
Before that, home striker Fraizer Campbell forced a superb save out of Wojciech Szczesny to deny Cardiff an equaliser - a key moment in the game, according to Mackay.
"We were on top and if the header goes in it goes to one each and that's the difference and the fine lines in the game," he said.
"I've got a whole host of players there who gave a good account of themselves against some of the best players."


The result left Cardiff one place above the relegation zone with a game against Stoke City on Wednesday up next.
Both sides are on 13 points and Mackay concedes there is a lot at stake.

"They're all tasty fixtures but it's about making sure we stay calm and making sure we're consistent," he said.
"It's not about knee-jerk reactions about where we are on any given day, it's about where we end up - and if we keep putting performances in like that we'll be fine."

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Too slow
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=128270

That's fine as long as he and his players perform in the upcoming Games.

That's fine as long as he and his players perform in the upcoming Games.

Perform like yesterday and we will come away with the results we want.

i admit we are playing good at times, but defend for most of it! can we see a game coming up when we can say, we are gonna stuff these? No. I mean in the championship teams like barnsley we'd say, score 4 today, but against any team in the prem ? no. We arent good enough, sorry for being negative, as I know I am, but defending for ourlives is bad news

I'll stop worrying when it's mathematically impossible for us to be relegated.