' Malky Mackay set for the Sack as he refuses to Resign '

facing end as Cardiff owner tells him: quit or be sacked
" Vincent Tan sends ultimatum in extraordinary email, Manager set for sack as he refuses to Resign "
Stuart James

The Guardian, Friday 20th December 2013

Malkay Mackay has experienced a turbulent relationship with the Cardiff City owner, Vincent Tan.



Malky Mackay is facing the sack as Cardiff City's manager after it emerged that the Scot has been told by Vincent Tan, the Premier League club's owner, to resign or he will be forced out. With Mackay adamant he has no intention of quitting, it appears inevitable that the manager will be dismissed. The only question is when.

Mackay is due to attend a press conference at Cardiff's Vale of Glamorgan training ground on Friday, before flying to Merseyside for Saturday's Premier League fixture at Liverpool. There is a growing sense that the game at Anfield could well be Mackay's last in charge of the club he led to promotion last season, sealing their return to the top flight after a 51-year absence.

The relationship between Tan and Mackay has been broken beyond repair for some time – Mehmet Dalman, the chairman, has been acting as a go-between – but this week's extraordinary events have brought matters to a head. The owner, having publicly criticised Mackay in a remarkable club statement released on Monday, when Tan said that "not a single penny" would be available to spend in the January transfer window, sent the manager a remarkably long and detailed email, outlining a list of grievances that culminated in him ordering the 41-year-old to tender his resignation or face being fired.

Within that email it is understood that Tan is critical of results, the playing style, some of the signings made in the summer, when the owner alleges that the club spent £15m more than was budgeted, and even rows back on Mackay's record while in charge at Watford and draws comparisons with how Cardiff performed at the same time under Dave Jones.

In a bizarre twist on yet another head-shaking day at Cardiff, Jones, who took legal action against Tan after his sacking as manager in 2011, has emerged as a possible candidate for a director of football role at the club.

With Mackay not entertaining any thoughts of walking away from Cardiff, Tan is expected to carry out his threat at some point over the next few days and make a decision that will go down extremely badly with the club's supporters – there is already talk of a possible protest against the owner before the Boxing Day match at home to Southampton. It will also cost the Malaysian businessman a significant seven-figure sum in compensation, something he has been doing his best to avoid.

It is believed that Cardiff have already started to consider possible replacements for Mackay, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Roberto di Matteo. Gianfranco Zola could also come into the frame. Given that Solskjaer, who is in charge of Molde, has spoken in the past about Sir Alex Ferguson advising him to choose an owner rather than a club when it comes to management, it seems difficult to believe that the former Manchester United striker would warm to the idea of working under Tan, whose reputation for interfering and making unfathomable decisions now precedes him in the world of football.

Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, accused the Cardiff owner of knowing "absolutely nothing about football", which is pretty much what the managing director of one of Tan's many companies said in a filmed conversation in Malaysia earlier in the year. "He doesn't know any rules about football," Al Chuah claimed, laughing. "It doesn't matter. It's another new business," Tan said, smiling.

For Mackay the reality is that the writing has been on the wall ever since Iain Moody, his head of recruitment, was sacked in October and replaced with Alisher Apsalyamov, a 23-year-old from Kazakhstan who had no previous experience of working in football. Apsalyamov, in another farcical development, was subsequently forced to stand down because of a problem with his visa. Moody has denied Tan's accusation that he went over-budget last summer.

Despite everything that has gone on, Mackay was hopeful that he might be able to see the job through to the end of the season and keep Cardiff in the Premier League in the process – which is on the cards, with the Welsh club in 15th place, four points above the relegation zone.

In his previous two years at the club Mackay lost to Liverpool in the League Cup final and reached the Championship play-off semi-finals in his first campaign, and won the Championship title in his second season. Quite what Tan expected from this term is anyone's guess.

"I find all the talk about Malky incredible," said Rodgers, a friend of the Scot's since their time together at Watford, speaking before it emerged that Mackay's time at Cardiff is up. "He is going to become a big manager at a top club and I find it astonishing that there is talk about him leaving. Absolutely astonishing.

"My only conclusion when I look from the outside is that you have a business guy operating the club who knows absolutely nothing about football."

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

f**k off you maggot.

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

It is embarrassing, but you guys are the disgrace with your Union Jack flags everywhere.

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

look at the jacks harping on about the high court as if its never happened to you. At least we pay our way to stop getting wound up jacky boy! As for a disgrace to Wales, how would you know? You're capitals' London if I'm not mistaken. You're about as welsh as Vinny Jones. On another note, you better get as many of your Den Haag chums out as possible to Naples when you go out there otherwise you'll be as hole-y as Jesus Christ coming home.

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

We'll be fine but you'll always be a spineless weasel - a gutless coward of a failure. Enjoy the rest of your minimum-wage parochial life and maybe try to help some of the people who really need it in your town - now that really is a national disgrace:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01db84y

As you clearly aren't able to help, it even takes your players to try and do something:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21098006

All you have is the football. Nothing else. Never will. Happy Christmas. Ho Ho Ho.

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

1-0................

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

Ha ha you wish, no just a parting like Huw had with Sousa and others, life goes on

Malky can hold his head up high he has done an outstanding job, and will walk into another top job

When he leaves he will always be loved by City fans good luck to him in the future

not good madness times ---- never a dull moment with this club

Looks like your in the shyte again,no manager, next thing will be Tan pulling out and taking his money with him,looks like it will be back to the high court writs again,that club of yours really is an embarrassment and disgrace to Wales

Jump in early when you can, you don't know who the replacement will be yet ????????????