" MALKY MACKAY AND DAVE JONES/ WHO HAS THE EDGE? "

Why Malky Mackay has the edge on Dave Jones in the management stakes
by Terry Phillips,Nov 30 2012



" Malky Mackay and Dave Jones "


WILL Dave Jones recognise the club he left 18 months ago when he returns for the first time as manager of Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday?

For the changes at Cardiff City since Jones’ successor Malky Mackay took charge 17 months ago have been vast.

On the pitch the personnel has changed enormously, even if key players like Mark Hudson, Peter Whittingham and (for a second spell) Craig Bellamy remain.

Behind the scenes, Mackay has put in place a new ethos and philosophy which City have benefited from to sit astride the top of the Championship.


“If any player has an ego it must be left at the door when he comes in every morning,” says Mackay.

Jones doesn’t suffer fools gladly, any journalist will vouch for that.

But it’s undeniable that in his time at Cardiff he oversaw a difficult dressing room full of big personalities and, one by the end of his tenure, some believed he had lost control of. Jlloyd Samuel and pre-match nights out anyone?

I know from my dealings with the City camp that the training ground is a happier place these days.

The players are a closer-knit group than I’ve seen in many years covering the club and their fitness levels match anything in the past decade or so.

Jones, without doubt, is a good, solid and experienced manager who knows what is needed to mount a Championship challenge, even if he was never able to finish the job at City.

But his achievements should not be forgotten. He turned the team into consistent promotion contenders and won worldwide recognition for Wembley visits in FA Cup and Championship play-off finals.

Those three visits to Wembley are something City fans will never forget.

But he was also perceived by many as dour and arrogant and someone who found it difficult to acknowledge his own weaknesses.

Jones was always out on the training pitch, but it was Terry Burton who provided the key coaching element on a daily basis.

Burton’s knowledge and input was crucial and perhaps his importance has been underlined this season.

Wednesday swept to promotion from League One last season with Jones and Burton very much in harness.

It was a scintillating ride into the Championship but the partnership was split up when Burton took the Arsenal Reserves job and Wednesday have struggled since.

Former Cardiff first-team coach Paul Wilkinson is now Jones’ assistant but any chemistry off the field has struggled to achieve positive results on it.

Mackay, of course, inherited a small playing staff from Jones, confronting a huge challenge when he left Watford to walk into the club in the summer of 2011.

The Scot had been left with 10 first-team squad members... and five of those hadn’t been playing regularly.

Of the 11 who started in Cardiff’s horrific 3-0 home play-off defeat to Reading in Jones’ final match, eight were no longer at the club when Mackay arrived.

The policy of recruiting high-profile loan players had ultimately failed.

Only two – Kevin McNaughton and Whittingham – started against both Reading at home on that disastrous day and again in Mackay’s first game at West Ham the following August.

Jones brought in big-name signings like Robbie Fowler, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Bellamy, lifting the club’s profile in the process.

Mackay is not averse to a big-name signing – Bellamy’s return – but value for money is a principle of his work in the transfer market.

That was underlined when he moved to sign Richard Keogh from Coventry in the summer, the deal appearing complete until an auction ensued.

When the transfer fee and wages rose fast, Mackay backed off – and Keogh went to Derby.

Whereas Whittingham – who has signed three new deals since Mackay took charge – Mark Hudson and Bellamy are the leaders of the pack, the Scot has been quick to sign young emerging players with transfer value.

Kim Bo-Kyung, Jordon Mutch, Joe Mason, and Craig Noone all have re-sale value and Mackay is more than ready to give youth a chance.

He did not hesitate to start with teenagers Ben Nugent and Joe Ralls in his back four at Derby on Tuesday, whereas Jones seemed to pull back from putting his trust in young players.

Among his worst errors of judgements in dealing with youngsters was the way he criticised Adam Matthews after an own goal at Ipswich.

“What’s in his head? I haven’t got a clue,” was Jones’ rather harsh assessment.

“I haven’t got time to mollycoddle people. It’s a man’s world now and it’s a tough old world and you’ve got to pick yourself up.

“He’s got to bounce back quick otherwise he’ll find himself dumped in the reserves and not playing football.”

Matthews did bounce back at Celtic, part of the team who beat Barcelona in the Champions League this month.

So what next for Jones and Mackay? Well, the future certainly looks brighter for Mackay.

Lose at the Cardiff City Stadium and Jones might have to endure cruel cries of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning.’

While Jones’ aim is to stay up and stay in a job, Mackay’s target is promotion.

One of the reasons City have missed out on their Premier dream too many times is their failure to strengthen in the January transfer window.

Jones knows all about that but Mackay must – and will – top up his squad to cash in on the top-flight’s riches.

He already knows who he wants and probably has them lined up, with a replacement for stricken striker Nicky Maynard top of his agenda.

And Mackay is leaving nothing to chance, introducing a new sports science department charged with ensuring players are fit, sharp and ready to play, no matter how exhausting the fixture schedule becomes.

“Lots of extras have been introduced to prevent injuries and ensure every player is in the best possible shape for matches,” said Mackay.

“We must measure tiredness in players, dehydration levels and so much more.”

It’s that attention to detail and a trust in the staff around him which picks out Mackay as a manager going for gold.

Ultimately, though, he will be judged on the success or failure of this season’s promotion challenge.

Mackay knows he must finish the job he has started – starting against Dave Jones on Sunday.

ALTHOUGH a lot of what you have said is true the BIG fact that you are missing out is the funds both managers were given I am not a DJ lover and really believe he took us as far as he could .IF you want to to compare managers then you have to compare LIKE to Like on a level playing field and being honest i do not think that is what is happening with your comments It appears that DJ was never actually given money to go out and buy players but could get players in and pay them high money (in other words the club were not willing to pay much if anything in transfer fees) Malky has been given money to go out in the transfer market and ACTUALLY buy players he wants Also when DJ came he lost most of his good players and he had to start building but when he had a good player HE HAD to sell him. Malky can keep his players . Dj i believe did have a lot of weaknesses like wouldnt let the youth progress etc Im not saying MALKY is not a good manager Im not even saying he is not a better manager than DJ (only time will tell)What i am saying is i do not think you are looking at it fairly

On the day, it won't be anything to do with the managers IMO, it will be down to the players, and who wants it the most.
Which is why I believe Cardiff will come out on top. Oh and not to mention the. Fact that Wednesday have an injury crisis as well.

AGREE 100%

Thereis obviously a big build up for this game and it will grab the fans attention for the very fact that Dave jones and Bothroyd are in town.

But the bottom line is this is a game that we should be winning regardless of who is on the touchline purely because we have the better players, more confidence, we are home and our aspirations this season far outweigh Sheffield wednesday's

We have got some players coming back from injury and im hoping to see a convincing win with a few goals, however will settle for the 3 points. As after all that is the most important thing on Sunday......3 Points

Jones did more good than bad for me , still gotta lotta time for the guy ! Malky is still learning the game & don't agree he has the edge as of yet , but City's are the better players & that needs to be shown on the park Sunday !

We tend to forget that most of Jones' successes came when HE was given money to spend.

At Cardiff, he undoubtedly did a good job, but ultimately his ventures into the loan markets
proved to be his undoing. Far too many 'big' players on big wages doing a small job. Did he
'lose' the Cardiff dressing room? Well from his own admission, it seems he never really 'had it'
to begin with and was happy to let the senior players take control. To me thats bad management
in any workplace. His record thus far is obviously better than Malkys but i think Mackay is going to
be a superb manager in the long run. The building blocks he has put in place regarding staff/diet/
training/discipline/scouting/youth set up/ ... these are the sign of a man who knows what he wants
and knows how to get it. Tactics? he is making the odd cock up. But the foundations are all there.
Malky will go a long way in the game. Hopefully with us!!

Hard to judge as Jones wasnt given the money Malky has and often had to sell his best players. Malky does seem to rule with an iron fist, which wasnt Jones style, he expects adults to act like adults which maybe was his undoing.


How would Malky fair for instance if he had to get rid of Whitts?

Either way its pointless looking back, I thank DJ for playing his part but its time for Malky to take us to the next level now, albeit with a massive helping hand from VT which shoyldnt be forgotten.