Cardiff City Under Malky Mackay

2. 2013-2014

And so it came to pass that Cardiff City kicked off their first ever premier league game away to West Ham on Saturday the 17th of August 2013. They would lose that game 2-0, but I wager in 10 years time it will be their first home game that fans will still talk about. But before that; a football club is not much use without any players, so lets take a look at how Malky Mackay spent the best part of - what is now a contentious issue - £36m to £50m. 10 players were brought in with Cardiff's transfer record being broken 3 times in the process. The big three were Andreas Cornelius, Steven Caulker and Gary Medel. Of these three record signings, only Caulker and Medal have featured regularly and are regarded by fans as strong signings. However Andreas Cornelius has only made 8 appearances in the premier league, all coming from the bench. With 20 year old Cornelius commanding a price tag of around £7.5m, many fans have regarded the transfer as a signing for the future, when the club needed players for the present. Out the door were mostly players reaching the end of their contract, however several players were sent out on loan, most notably promising young forward, Joe Mason. Despite getting to the premier league being Mackay's greatest achievement with Cardiff, the first win of the season will undoubtedly come close. The date is the 25th of August, and Cardiff are hosting title contenders Manchester City. Things looked ominous for the bluebirds - down on possession with several attempts on their goal, a 52nd minute strike from Edin Dzeko put the blue half of Manchester in front. However a six yard strike on the hour mark from fan favourite Aaron 'Iceman' Gunnarsson levelled the scores. Then, in sync with the 'pinch me I'm dreaming' banners held by Cardiff fans in the crowd, Fraizer Campbell got on the end of a Peter Whittingham corner and put his team ahead in the 79th minute. He repeated the feat in the 87th, leaving Manchester Cities Alvaro Negredo's effort only a consolation goal during the 6 minutes of injury time. Following the Manchester City game several pundits commented on the outstanding support and atmosphere at the stadium, further emphasising the belief many have stated Mackay had given to the club. If Cardiff's premier league credentials were being questioned, Mackay seemed to have the answer - "we deserve to be here" he said. Or so it would seem. The beginning of the end for Mackay's time at Cardiff can probably be said to be as early as October, when his right hand man and head of recruitment Ian Moody is placed on gardening leave by owner Vincent Tan. The man brought in to replace Moody is unknown Alisher Apsalyamov, allegedly a friend of Tan's son's and formally on work experience painting the stadium walls. The facts of this are unknown, with rumours circulating from unconfirmed sources that Moody defended players in a bonus' row with Tan - leading to his departure. The press speculated that Mackay could walk following the incident, but the Scott - no doubt buoyed by the unrelenting support from Cardiff City fans - continued in his role. Following a comment from Mackay on a radio show that he would like to add to the squad during the January transfer window, Vincent Tan issues a statement saying he would not be providing a single penny in funds. On the 21st of December Malky Mackay is sent an e-mail from Tan, stating that he either resigns, or he will be sacked. After refusing to resign, some poor results - notably a 3-0 home loss to Southampton - gives Tan the fuel he needs and Mackay's time as Cardiff City manager runs out.