' Back to football and its going to be tough '

As if Malky Mackay doesn't have enough problems, next his Cardiff City side face Liverpool FC and Luis Suarez
18 Dec 2013


As Cardiff City find themselves engulfed by in-fighting, they now face the most daunting task possible as they visit Luis Suarez and co

In about 48 hours time, Malky Mackay sends his Cardiff City team into battle against high-flying Liverpool and bang-in-form Luis Suarez.

Presuming, of course, Mackay is still in charge of the Bluebirds by then.

That last comment is meant semi tongue in cheek, but with Cardiff right at this moment in time let’s just say there can be no certainties.

Meeting Suarez and his Reds at their Anfield lair is never the easiest of tasks during the best of times, let alone against the backdrop with which Mackay’s Bluebirds travel up to Merseyside.

If it’s stretching it a tad far to say Vincent Tan has shredded his manager’s credibility into pieces, he has certainly made Mackay’s position at the helm pretty much untenable.

It wasn’t just what was said in that official club statement the other day, it was the tone of the content too.

“Not a single penny” will be given to Mackay in the January transfer window, declared Tan.

How dare Malky “unfairly raise supporters expectations” and “place unnecessary pressure upon the club” by suggesting, as any manager in the Premier League would, that he wished to strengthen the squad?

And so on and so on. Things, it appears, never run smoothly at the good ship Cardiff City FC.


Just what must Mackay’s players be thinking as they prepare to tangle with second-placed Liverpool?

Thus far they have staunchly supported their manager – certainly in terms of their deeds and endeavours on the field of play – but the unexpected club statement this week has cranked up the row between Tan and Mackay tenfold.

There is an old saying in football about certain bosses becoming lame duck managers and it’s hard, in the current circumstances, to think of Mackay in any other way.

He will, as always, be ultra-professional in preparing his players for the big match at Anfield, and any subsequent games he is still in charge of.

But at some point, the Bluebirds players know this is going to come to a definitive head. You can’t run a football club properly when the owner and the manager don’t talk. It is an unsustainable situation.

The only questions are how many more weeks it is sustained and how it indeed does come to a head? Well, there are three scenarios as I see it.

The first – the one most of us want - is for Tan and Mackay to put aside their differences and begin getting on again in the splendid fashion they used to. There is too much vitriol flying around for that to happen.

The second – the one we presume Tan wants – is for Mackay to walk out. Preferably into another job, whereby the Bluebirds could get rid of their man and also, perversely, receive compensation.

Opportunities, though, are restricted and Mackay will sit tight, refusing to walk away from the job under even the most intense of pressure applied by his own Board.

There are three million good reasons why he won’t quit... the sum of compensation he will be entitled to if he is sacked.

I'd get Medel to stick to Suarez.. Best option for me

I agree stick medel on him and get him to ruffle his feathers, hopefully get him sent off maybe we will have a chance