Thu Dec 05, 2013 6:36 pm
Malky Mackay warns Crystal Palace it will take Tony Pulis and Iain Moody three windows to get team right
5th Dec 2013
After earning six points from their last three games, the Selhurst Park faithful are starting to believe that their struggling side can haul their way clear of the Premier League drop-zone under Pulis' tutelage but Malky Mackay urges patience
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Tony Pulis is a master at transfer dealing
Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay has warned excited Crystal Palace fans that it will take managerial 'dream team' Tony Pulis and Iain Moody three transfer windows to get their team right.
After earning six points from their last three games, the Selhurst Park faithful are starting to believe that their struggling side can haul their way clear of the Premier League drop-zone under Pulis' tutelage.
But the Bluebirds boss urges patience as it won't be straightforward for the Newport born boss, even though they impressed him by beating his former club West Ham 1-0 on Tuesday night.
Marouane Chamakh celebrates after scoring Palace's opener against West Ham
He said: “Palace have a new manager and that always brings momentum. The Palace players showed that against West Ham.
“That will make it a tough game for us.
“Tony is a very experienced manager and somebody who does a lot of hard work with his team.
“But it's going to take him time to mould Palace into what he wants and that will probably take three transfer windows to fully achieve.”
Pulis, who admitted on Tuesday night that he does fancy a dabble in the upcoming January window will be tapping into the knowledge of Mackay's former head of recruitment Iain Moody, who controversially left South Wales in October.
Of the lieutenant who he trusted and worked so closely with, Mackay said: “Iain is a good man who has a common sense approach.
“He will bring the right structure to their recruitment department.”
The former Stoke boss, who used to watch the Bluebirds as a boy, is keen to reunite with coaches Gerry Francis and David Kemp at Selhurst Park, echoed Mackay's sentiments today saying: "Malky has done a good job at Cardiff. They have invested well.
"I think I improve players.
"Given time, I think I can improve the structure at a football club.
"They (the fans) were wonderful on Tuesday night."
Mackay heads to South London desperate for an away win which will lift his team further from trouble.
He is hoping stars Andrew Taylor and Craig Bellamy can recover from their respective injuries so that he can have a full squad to pick from.
Of Bellamy, the manager said: “He suffered a tightness in him hamstring and we decided to leave him behind. But he will be right for the weekend.”
Left back Taylor was replaced by Declan John at Stoke and will struggle to get back into Mackay's starting 11 at Palace, after the excellent show from the teenager.
The manager said: “He had a fitness test yesterday and just failed it. We will assess him again before Saturday but John was immense. He came through with flying colours.”