Wikipedia

Malky Mackay

For his father, seeMalky Mackay (footballer, born 1942).

Malcolm George Mackay(born 19 February 1972) is a Scottish professionalfootballcoach and former player, who is the sporting director atScottish PremiershipclubHibernian.

Malky Mackay
Mackay as manager ofCardiff Cityin 2012
Personal information
Full name Malcolm George Mackay[1]
Date of birth (1972-02-19)19 February 1972(age 52)[1]
Place of birth Bellshill,Scotland
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Hibernian(sporting director)
Youth career
Queen's Park
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1993 Queen's Park 70 (6)
1993–1998 Celtic 34 (4)
1998 →Norwich City(loan) 1 (0)
1998–2004 Norwich City 212 (15)
2004–2005 West Ham United 18 (2)
2005–2008 Watford 52 (3)
Total 387 (30)
International career
2004 Scotland 5 (0)
Managerial career
2008 Watford(caretaker)
2009–2011 Watford
2011–2013 Cardiff City
2014–2015 Wigan Athletic
2017–2018 Scotland(caretaker)
2021–2023 Ross County
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mackay, who played as adefender,began his playing career in Scottish football withQueen's ParkandCeltic.He joined English sideNorwich Cityin 1998, remaining there for six years. Between 2004 and 2006, he achieved consecutive promotions to thePremier Leaguewith Norwich,West Ham Unitedand finallyWatford.Mackay won fivecapsforScotlandtowards the end of his playing career.

After retiring as a player in 2008, he became manager of Watford in June 2009. He was manager ofCardiff Citybetween June 2011 and December 2013, achieving promotion to the Premier League in 2013 but was dismissed after a dispute with club ownerVincent Tan.Mackay was appointed manager ofWigan Athleticin November 2014, and was dismissed the following April. After a spell working for theScottish Football Association,he was appointed Ross County manager in May 2021.

Playing career

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Early career

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Born inBellshill,[1]Mackay began his career in his native Scotland, coming through the youth ranks ofQueen's Park,[2][3]before joiningCelticin the summer of 1993. He made his Celtic debut on 13 May 1995 in a 1–0 away win againstDundee United.

His first Celtic goal was scored on 27 April 1996 in a 4–2 away win againstPartick Thistle.[4]He made 46 appearances in five years with theGlasgowclub, and in September 1998 moved to England, joiningNorwich Cityfor a fee of £350,000 after a one-game loan spell.[5]

Norwich City

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At the end of the2001–02season Norwich fans voted Mackay in second place behindGary Holtin the voting forNorwich City player of the year.In the2003–04season, his sixth at Norwich, the club was promoted to thePremier Leagueafter winning the thenDivision One,however he was released by Norwich at the end of the season. He was named in theFootball League First DivisionTeam of the Year in the 2003–04 in which they got promoted. Mackay scoreda bracefor Norwich in anEast Anglian derbyagainst Ipswich Town.[6]

West Ham United

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Mackay was signed forWest Ham Unitedby managerAlan Pardew,for £300,000, on 10 September 2004.[7]He played 18 league games for the Hammers, although none after March, as West Ham reached the play-offs, beatingPreston North Endin the final to reach the Premier League. Mackay was released before playing a top flight game.[5]

Watford

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Mackay was picked up on a free transfer byAidy Boothroydas part of his rebuilding ofWatfordand soon become one of the key figures in Boothroyd's side. Mackay was involved in some excellent defensive displays as well as scoring some vital goals, including one againstfierce rivalsLuton TownatKenilworth Roadin a 2–1 victory.[8]At the end of the2005–06 seasonMackay achieved the feat of being promoted to thePremier Leaguefor the third successive season, asWatforddefeatedLeeds United3–0 in theplay-off final.[9]

After having been released following his two previous promotion campaigns, Mackay was assured by Boothroyd that he would play a part in Watford's Premier League campaign, citing his experience as an important asset to the team. Although he was not a first-team regular, Mackay made 14 Premier League appearances in2006–07.In January 2007, Mackay took his first step into coaching by being promoted to first team coach, following the departure ofDave Hockaday.[citation needed]

In the2007–08season Mackay's only first team appearance came during anFA Cupmatch againstWolvesin January 2008. He took over ascaretaker managerat Watford on 4 November 2008 following the departure ofAidy Boothroyd.[10]

International career

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During his sixth and final season at Norwich, at the age of 32, Mackay became the oldest man to make his debut forScotlandin 37 years.[11]

It came in a 1–0 defeat toDenmark;Mackay later played in a 1–0 victory overEstoniaand a 4–1 win againstTrinidad & Tobago.In total, Mackay won five caps for Scotland.[12]

Coaching career

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Watford

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AfterBrendan Rodgersresigned in June 2009, Mackay took over as themanagerof Watford. Watford drew 1–1 on their league visit to Reading on 26 September 2009, and by their second meeting late in the season Rodgers had been dismissed by Reading after only a few months in charge.[13][14]As for Mackay and Watford,2009–10was a difficult season where their Championship status was under threat for a long time, but by the end of April survival had been achieved against Reading, ending the season 14th place in the league.[15]

Cardiff City

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Mackay (right) afterCardiff Citywere beaten in the2012 League Cup Final

Mackay signed a three-year contract asCardiff Citymanager on 17 June 2011, with Watford receiving an undisclosed fee in compensation.[16]His reign began with a 1–0 away win overWest Ham United.The side were undefeated in September, resulting in Mackay being nominated for the SeptemberChampionship Manager of the Monthin his first month managing the Welsh club.[17]Another unbeaten month for Cardiff resulted in Mackay winning the award in November.[18]

He guided Cardiff to their first everLeague Cupfinal, following wins overOxford United,Huddersfield Town,Leicester City,Burnley,Blackburn RoversandCrystal Palacein earlier rounds.[19][20]

The week before the League Cup final, Mackay signed a three-and-a-half-year contract extension, tying him to the club until June 2016.[21]Mackay's side were beaten byLiverpoolin the Wembley final, losing 3–2 on penalties, with a 2–2 scoreline after extra time.[22]Cardiff's season ended where it began, as they were beaten 5–0 on aggregate byWest Ham Unitedin the promotion playoffs.[23]

Following the success of his first season in Wales, Mackay was reportedly one of the candidates to replacePaul LambertatPremier LeaguesideNorwich City.He turned down the offer and said he was fully committed to Cardiff City.[24]He oversaw Cardiff's strongest ever home start to a league season, as they won each of their first ten fixtures atCardiff City Stadium,the previous club record being nine consecutive home wins. Mackay went on to lead Cardiff to promotion to the Premier League, and sealed theChampionshiptitle after a 1–1 draw away atBurnley.[25]Mackay was voted theLeague Managers Association(LMA) Championship Manager of the Year on 21 May 2013.[26]

During the2013–14 season,Mackay came under criticism from club ownerVincent Tanconcerning his signings, transfer budgets, results and style of play.[27]In December 2013, Tan told Mackay to resign from the club or be dismissed.[28]After a 3–0 home defeat toSouthampton,Mackay was sacked by Cardiff on 27 December 2013 after a meeting with the club's directors.[29]

Wigan Athletic

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Mackay was appointed manager ofWigan Athleticon 19 November 2014, despite fan opposition,[30]after the Championship side had dismissedUwe Rösler.[31]The appointment was criticised by theKick It Outcampaign, who said that the club had disregarded the ongoing FA investigation into text messages sent by Mackay.[32]Wigan chairmanDave Whelansaid that the club had inserted a clause in its contract with Mackay stating that they could terminate the contract if he was found guilty by the FA.[32]A shirt sponsor of the club, Premier Range, withdrew their backing after Mackay was appointed.[33]

On 22 November, in his first game as manager, Wigan drew 1–1 againstMiddlesbroughat theDW Stadium.[34]He was dismissed on 6 April 2015,[35]after a 0–2 defeat toDerby Countyleft the club eight points from safety of relegation in the division.[36]During his 138-day tenure, Wigan achieved 19 points from a possible 72, winning 5 games of 24 played in theChampionship.[37]The move was welcomed by fans with Wigan Athletic Supporters Club spokesperson Caroline Molyneux telling BBC Sport: "I think [Mackay's sacking] is a popular decision among the fans."[38][39]Mackay had received public backing by newly appointed club chairmanDavid Sharpeas recently as March 2015 when he described Mackay as "a big part of what we are doing here".[40]

Scottish Football Association

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In December 2016, theScottish Football Association(Scottish FA) appointed Mackay as its performance director, responsible for overseeing the development of young players.[41]The appointment was criticised by some people, including politicianClare Haughey,due to Mackay's previous behaviour.[42]The anti-racism campaign groupKick It Outmade comments that were supportive of Mackay, pointing out that he had since received equality and diversity training from the (English) FA.[42]

During his tenure with the SFA, Mackay was appointed caretaker manager of theScotland national team.[43]He gave four players debuts in his only match, which the team lost 1–0 to theNetherlandsin a friendly atPittodrieon 9 November 2017.[44]Mackay resigned from his position as performance director in November 2020.[45]

Ross County

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Mackay was appointed manager ofRoss Countyin May 2021.[46]The move was once again met with fan backlash as a section of Ross County fans criticised the club's decision to appoint Mackay as manager.[47]In his first season as manager, County finished in sixth position in theScottish Premiershipdespite being favourites for relegation. They fell to an 11th-place finish in2022–23,and avoided relegation by winning a play-off againstPartick Thistleonpenalties.[48]Mackay was sacked by County on 15 November 2023, with the team on a nine-game winless run and sitting in 11th place in thePremiershiptable.[48]

Hibernian

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On 14 May 2024,Hibernianannounced that they had appointed Mackay to a sporting director role.[49]The news came on the same day as the sacking of head coachNick Montgomery,with the club saying that Mackay would lead the process for appointing his replacement.[49]

Controversies

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Mackay was expected to become manager of Premier League clubCrystal Palacein August 2014, but dropped out of contention after Cardiff City sent a dossier tothe Football Associationalleging misconduct by Mackay and sporting director Iain Moody.[50]It subsequently emerged that some of the allegations related to text messages considered to be racist, sexist and homophobic in nature.[50][51]Cardiff questioned the fees paid to agents and lawyers relating to transfer deals made while Mackay and Moody worked for the club.[52]A source of tension between the two clubs was the alleged leaking in April 2014 of a Cardiff starting line-up to Crystal Palace, where Moody had become sporting director after leaving Cardiff.[51][52]Moody resigned from his position at Palace after the allegations were publicised.[51]

Via a statement published by the LMA, Mackay apologised for writing two messages that he admitted were disrespectful of other cultures, but denied stating anything of a homophobic or sexist nature.[53]The LMA itself apologised for characterising the messages as "friendly banter" in the statement.[54][55]After conducting an investigation, the Football Association announced in July 2015 that it would not charge Mackay or Moody with any offences.[56]

Personal life

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Mackay's father (also namedMalky Mackay) is a former footballer who played as a striker. The Mackay family are all supporters of Glasgow-based clubQueen's Park.Mackay Sr. is a member of the board at the club.[57]Mackay Jr. played for amateur side Queen's Park as a teenager, whilst working in a branch of theBank of Scotland.[58]

Managerial statistics

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As of match played 11 November 2023
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
P W D L Win %
Watford(caretaker) 4 November 2008 26 November 2008 5 2 1 2 040.0 [10][59]
Watford 15 June 2009 17 June 2011 99 33 25 41 033.3 [16][60]
Cardiff City 17 June 2011 27 December 2013 125 54 37 34 043.2 [16][60]
Wigan Athletic 19 November 2014 6 April 2015 25 5 4 16 020.0 [60]
Scotland(caretaker) 13 October 2017 16 February 2018 1 0 0 1 000.0 [43][61]
Ross County 26 May 2021 15 November 2023 107 31 25 51 029.0 [60]
Total 362 125 92 145 034.5 —

Honours

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Player

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Celtic

Norwich City

Watford

Individual

Manager

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Cardiff City

Ross County

Individual

References

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  1. ^abcdHugman, Barry J., ed. (2008).The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09.Mainstream Publishing. p. 276.ISBN978-1-84596-324-8.
  2. ^"People: Malcolm Mackay".QPFC – A Historical Queen's Park FC Website.1 August 2015.Retrieved12 February2018.
  3. ^"Mackay, Malcolm George".QPFC – A Historical Queen's Park FC Website.Retrieved12 February2018.
  4. ^"Celtic Player Malky Macaky details".FitbaStats.Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson.Retrieved7 April2015.
  5. ^ab"Malky Mackay".Soccerbase.Racing Post.Retrieved5 February2011.
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  7. ^"Malky signs".West Ham United F.C. 10 September 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 20 December 2013.Retrieved20 December2013.
  8. ^"Luton 1–2 Watford".BBC Sport. 2 January 2006.Retrieved5 February2011.
  9. ^"Leeds 0–3 Watford".BBC Sport. 21 May 2006.Retrieved5 February2011.
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  11. ^Hughes, Dewi (18 April 2013)."Malky Mackay: The man behind Cardiff City's promotion".BBC Sport.Retrieved9 September2020.
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  31. ^Malky Mackay: Wigan Athletic confirm new manager,BBC Sport
  32. ^abMalky Mackay: Wigan 'protected' if FA finds against new manager,BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  33. ^Conn, David (20 November 2014)."Wigan's Dave Whelan accused of antisemitism in new controversy".The Guardian.Retrieved20 November2014.
  34. ^"Wigan 1–1 M'boro".BBC Sport. 22 November 2014.Retrieved22 November2014.
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  41. ^McLaughlin, Chris (15 December 2016)."SFA: Malky Mackay to be appointed new performance director".BBC Sport.BBC.Retrieved11 March2017.
  42. ^ab"Anti-racism groups back Malky Mackay for SFA job".BBC News.BBC. 14 December 2016.Retrieved11 March2017.
  43. ^abMcLaughlin, Chris (13 October 2017)."Scotland: Malky Mackay takes interim charge for Netherlands friendly".BBC Sport.Retrieved13 October2017.
  44. ^"Scotland 0–1 Netherlands".BBC Sport.BBC. 9 November 2017.Retrieved24 February2020.
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  49. ^ab"Hibernian sack head coach Nick Montgomery and add Malky Mackay as sporting director".BBC Sport.14 May 2024.Retrieved16 May2024.
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  51. ^abcOrnstein, David."Malky Mackay text claims: Iain Moody leaves Crystal Palace".BBC Sport.Retrieved21 August2014.
  52. ^abFifield, Dominic; James, Stuart (20 August 2014)."Crystal Palace left in limbo as Mackay talks end and Hoddle turns down job".The Guardian.Retrieved21 August2014.
  53. ^"Malky Mackay: Ex Cardiff Boss sorry for two 'disrespectful' texts".BBC Sport. 21 August 2014.Retrieved21 August2014.
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  55. ^"LMA forced to apologise for apology statement after calling 'racist, sexist' Malkay Mackay texts just 'banter'".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved22 August2014.
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  57. ^"The big interview: Malky Mackay Sr. on how his son became Cardiff City's leader".25 February 2012.Retrieved21 May2012.
  58. ^Shaw, Phil (12 August 2004)."Mackay soars with the high-flying Canaries",The Independent.Retrieved 12 May 2012.
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  61. ^"Scotland: Results/matches: 2017/18".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 October2017.
  62. ^abcde"Malky Mackay sacked: A factfile of the former Cardiff City manager's career".The Independent.27 December 2013.Retrieved7 April2015.
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