Malky Mackay facts for kids
Mackay as manager of Cardiff City in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Malcolm George Mackay | ||
| Date of birth | 19 February 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| 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 | |||
Malcolm George Mackay (born 19 February 1972) is a Scottish football coach and former player. He is currently the sporting director at Scottish Premiership club Hibernian.
Mackay played as a defender. He started his playing career in Scotland with Queen's Park and Celtic. In 1998, he moved to England to play for Norwich City. Between 2004 and 2006, he helped his teams get promoted to the Premier League three times in a row. These teams were Norwich, West Ham United, and Watford. Near the end of his playing career, Mackay played five games for the Scotland national team.
After he stopped playing in 2008, he became a manager. He managed Watford starting in June 2009. From June 2011 to December 2013, he was the manager of Cardiff City. He led Cardiff to the Premier League in 2013. Later, he managed Wigan Athletic from November 2014 to April 2015. After working for the Scottish Football Association, he became the manager of Ross County in May 2021.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Scotland
Malcolm Mackay was born in Bellshill, Scotland. He began his football journey in the youth teams of Queen's Park. In the summer of 1993, he joined Celtic.
He played his first game for Celtic on 13 May 1995. It was an away game against Dundee United, which Celtic won 1–0. Mackay scored his first goal for Celtic on 27 April 1996. This was in a 4–2 away win against Partick Thistle. He played 46 games for the Glasgow club over five years. In September 1998, he moved to England. He joined Norwich City for £350,000 after a short loan spell.
Success with Norwich City
At the end of the 2001–02 season, Norwich fans voted Mackay as the second-best player of the year. In the 2003–04 season, his sixth year at Norwich, the team won Division One. This meant they were promoted to the Premier League. Mackay was also named in the Football League First Division Team of the Year for that season. He even scored two goals in a big game against Ipswich Town.
Moving to West Ham United
On 10 September 2004, Mackay joined West Ham United. Manager Alan Pardew signed him for £300,000. He played 18 league games for West Ham. The team reached the play-offs and won against Preston North End. This victory helped West Ham get promoted to the Premier League.
Time at Watford
Aidy Boothroyd signed Mackay for Watford on a free transfer. Mackay quickly became a key player for the team. He was known for his strong defending and scoring important goals. One of these goals was against Luton Town, a big rival, in a 2–1 win.
At the end of the 2005–06 season, Mackay achieved something special. He was promoted to the Premier League for the third year in a row. Watford beat Leeds United 3–0 in the play-off final. Unlike his previous promotions, Mackay was told he would play in Watford's Premier League season. He made 14 appearances in the 2006–07 Premier League season. In January 2007, Mackay started coaching. He became a first-team coach at Watford.
In the 2007–08 season, Mackay played only one game. This was an FA Cup match against Wolves. On 4 November 2008, he became the temporary manager at Watford.
Playing for Scotland
In his last season at Norwich, at age 32, Mackay played his first game for Scotland. This made him the oldest player to debut for Scotland in 37 years.
His first game was a 1–0 loss to Denmark. He later played in a 1–0 win against Estonia. He also played in a 4–1 victory over Trinidad & Tobago. In total, Mackay played five games for Scotland.
Coaching and Management Career
Managing Watford
After Brendan Rodgers left in June 2009, Mackay became the manager of Watford. The 2009–10 was a tough season for Watford. They were in danger of being relegated from the Championship. However, by the end of April, they had secured their place in the league. Watford finished the season in 14th place.
Leading Cardiff City
Mackay signed a three-year contract to manage Cardiff City on 17 June 2011. His time there started well with a 1–0 win against West Ham United. Cardiff had an unbeaten September, and Mackay was nominated for Manager of the Month. He won the award in November after another unbeaten month.
He guided Cardiff to their first ever League Cup final. They won against several teams to reach the final. The week before the final, Mackay signed a new contract until June 2016. Cardiff lost to Liverpool in the Wembley final. The score was 2–2 after extra time, and Liverpool won 3–2 on penalties. Cardiff's season ended when they lost to West Ham United in the promotion play-offs.
After his successful first season, Mackay was considered for the manager job at Norwich City. However, he decided to stay with Cardiff City. He led Cardiff to their best ever start at home in a league season. They won their first ten games at Cardiff City Stadium. Mackay then led Cardiff to promotion to the Premier League. They won the Championship title after a 1–1 draw against Burnley. On 21 May 2013, Mackay was named the League Managers Association (LMA) Championship Manager of the Year.
During the 2013–14 season, Mackay faced some disagreements with the club owner. Mackay was dismissed by Cardiff on 27 December 2013.
Managing Wigan Athletic
Mackay became the manager of Wigan Athletic on 19 November 2014. Some fans were not happy about this decision. A club sponsor, Premier Range, even stopped their support.
On 22 November, Wigan drew 1–1 against Middlesbrough in Mackay's first game. He was dismissed on 6 April 2015. This happened after a 0–2 loss to Derby County. Wigan was eight points away from safety in the league. During his 138 days at Wigan, the team won 5 out of 24 games. Many fans were pleased with the change.
Working with Scottish Football Association
In December 2016, the Scottish Football Association (Scottish FA) hired Mackay. He became their performance director, helping to develop young players. Some people criticized this appointment. However, the anti-racism group Kick It Out supported Mackay. They noted that he had received training on equality and diversity.
While at the SFA, Mackay was the temporary manager for the Scotland national team. He gave four players their first chance to play for the team. Scotland lost his only match 1–0 to the Netherlands on 9 November 2017. Mackay left his role as performance director in November 2020.
Managing Ross County
Mackay became the manager of Ross County in May 2021. Again, some fans were not happy with the club's choice. In his first season, County finished sixth in the Scottish Premiership. This was a good result, as many expected them to be relegated. In 2022–23, they finished 11th. They avoided relegation by winning a play-off against Partick Thistle on penalties. Mackay was dismissed by County on 15 November 2023. At that time, the team had not won in nine games.
Role at Hibernian
On 14 May 2024, Hibernian announced that Mackay would be their new sporting director. This news came on the same day that their head coach was dismissed. Hibernian stated that Mackay would lead the search for a new coach.
Personal Life
Mackay's father, also named Malky Mackay, was also a football player. The Mackay family supports Queen's Park, a club based in Glasgow. Mackay Sr. is a member of the club's board. When Mackay Jr. was a teenager, he played for Queen's Park. At the same time, he worked at a branch of the Bank of Scotland.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Watford (caretaker) | 4 November 2008 | 26 November 2008 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40.0 | |
| Watford | 15 June 2009 | 17 June 2011 | 99 | 33 | 25 | 41 | 33.3 | |
| Cardiff City | 17 June 2011 | 27 December 2013 | 125 | 54 | 37 | 34 | 43.2 | |
| Wigan Athletic | 19 November 2014 | 6 April 2015 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 20.0 | |
| Scotland (caretaker) | 13 October 2017 | 16 February 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | |
| Ross County | 26 May 2021 | 15 November 2023 | 107 | 31 | 25 | 51 | 29.0 | |
| Total | 362 | 125 | 92 | 145 | 34.5 | — | ||
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
Celtic
- Scottish Premier Division: 1997–98
Norwich City
- Football League First Division: 2003–04
Watford
- Football League Championship play-offs: 2005–06
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 2003–04 First Division
As a Manager
Cardiff City
- Football League Championship: 2012–13
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2011–12
Ross County
- Scottish Premiership play-offs: 2022–23
Individual Awards
- Football League Championship Manager of the Month: March 2011, November 2011
- League Managers Association Championship Manager of the Year: 2012–13
See also
In Spanish: Malky Mackay para niños
