It was hugely refreshing to hear Mackay's answer to the question, "You're in the final and you're third in the Championship, which do you prioritise?" No bull, no lip service to the now standard mantra, Mackay replied, "We prioritise both."
Good on him! Cardiff fans must be choked to see Swansea playing out of their skins in the Prem, but they now have their own bragging rights. And they could well join Swansea in the top division next season. How wonderful would that be for Wales?
Mackay had to cope with a massive turnover of players in the summer - just like Allardyce - and he has led them brilliantly. They're not great - no team in this division is - but they play decent football and they give a good account of themselves every time they take to the pitch; and you can't ask more than that!
True we are four points ahead of Cardiff at the moment, but most pundits expected the gap to be larger at the start of the season - and we crashed out of both Cups at the first hurdle. Why can Cardiff give a good account of themselves in both League and Cup, whilst we have had to sacrifice Cup glory in the name of pragmatic pursuit of promotion?
Far be it from me to suggest this, but might modest Malky Mackay be a better manager than arrogant Allardyce? Perish the thought!
Many managers are better than Allardyce. The trouble is, there a lot more that they are even worse than Sam. And we had them all: Avram Grant, Gianfranco Zola and many more...
ReplyDeleteSo for us, if we compare the last two managers we had, Sam is surely an improvement. He is far from ideal however. The big problem for us is what do we do with Sam if we are promoted this year. What we have now in the team and tactics is not good enough for the Premier League. Therefore, either Sam has to change, or we have to change Sam.
Mackay was on our short list when Moron Grant was sacked so I think his quality is seen by many owners. I wonder if he. Lambert, Malone, etc are possible replacements for Sam whenever that time comes.
ReplyDeleteOn top of that he bought in QUALITY players something west ham managers never seem to have an eye for! Also big sam has never tried in cups its all about the league in with the injuries we have had this season the squad couldn't stretch to a promotion campaign and two cup runs we had to choose one were doing worse than expected but were TOP of the league and there is a more positive attitude at the club all we need to do is trim the dead wood and bring in a quality striker that we have desperatly needed since the zamora and ashton days
ReplyDeleteExactly SAV!
ReplyDeleteAlso big sam has never tried in cups its all about the league
ReplyDeleteWhat about the season he took Bolton to the League cup final against Boro?
lets hope they take there eye off the ball in the league,still a long season lets see where it all plays out cant see cardiff beating liverpool or city.so just a question where we both finish in the league.
ReplyDelete1348, yes we all share that hope. But Cardiff have had huge fun this season and, strangely, that's what I thought football was meant to be about. I know people will say it is a business, but only for those who invest in it. For fans, it is supposed to be entertainment. And how much entertainment have we had this season for pity's sake?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would rather stay in the Championship, play entertaining football, and try in the cups, rather than bludgeon our way to promotion and to survival in the Prem, sacrificing fun in the cups as part of the "deal". So what that we are not in the top division? If the football is entertaining and we are competing at the top end of the table, we would enjoy each season. Ths desire to be in the Prem is masochistic when you think about it!
You never run a business have you HF - you've always been an employee haven't you? If you had ever had the guts you'd realise why it might be a priority of the owners to get us back to premiership by any means necessary.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with you HF. We have to get back to the Premiership. We are not a Championship team. Our long term survival depends on that too.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is how to deal with it once we get there. What we get from Sam now is surely not sufficient. It is not pleasant for the fans nor any where near enough to win us the points we need to remain in the Premiership. There is too much quality in the PL. The present strategy and current team and quite possibly the current manager will just not work.
I'm a Cardiff supporter and having fun and enjoying myself this season more than ever.
ReplyDelete4th trip to Wembley in as many years.
We will be there at the end of the season....don't you worry!
Look Sav, if we can't enjoy ourselves in the Championship, what chance is there of doing so in the Prem?
ReplyDeleteDisagree completely HF, I hate our club being in the championship. West ham should do all it takes to get back into the premiership, pitting ourselves against the cream of the crop, because that is where we truly belong.
ReplyDelete19:49 your arguments are just so GAY. I know a lot of posters on here go on about you being mentally ill, manic depressive, unloved as a child, small penis, Daily Mail reader etc., but I reckon you're actually a homosexual who's in denial.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, Sam can do a job for us and get us back to the Premiership. I am willing to put up with that if he is successful.
ReplyDeleteBut I am worried because this formula will not work for us as a Premiership team. I don't see the 2 Ds sacking Sam after he is succesful. It wouldn't seem right anyway. So, let's hope that he can adapt his tactics once we get there.
Look HF- If we can't get out of the Championship, and soon, we may not exist to be able to enjoy ourselves anywhere, let alone the premiership. Sav gets it, I get it, but you just won't.
ReplyDelete2025, congratulations on the most juvenile comment ever! So gay is still an insult in your book is it? If I was gay, I wouldn't deny it! I'd advertise it and take all the sex that was available. I'm not though.
ReplyDelete2222 I do get it. But others got up playing football and entertaining their fans. We don't have to play the Allardyce way!
ReplyDeletejust like to mention how well our former promotion-winning player chris powell is doing at charlton :)
ReplyDeleteHF, would you consider powell as a possible future manager for us even though he is still very young?
Gaylord!
ReplyDeleteMy point is that even if we were willing to put up with this style of playing once we are back in the Premiership, it will simply not work. We will need to be playing proper football and keep the ball much better than we do now. Swansea and Norwich have managed it. I don't see why we couldn't if we get the right players in and make some adjustments.
ReplyDelete0104, for some reason the idea of an ex Charlton manager sends me to sleep!
ReplyDelete