' CARDIFF CITY'S LAST 5 MANAGERS... '

' CARDIFF CITY'S LAST 5 MANAGERS... '

How have Cardiff City's last five managers fared since leaving the Bluebirds?
By Ian Mitchelmore


Tuesday 25th April 2017

It's safe to say they've had mixed success since leaving the Welsh capital


Neil Warnock has worked wonders since his arrival at Cardiff City having steered the Bluebirds away from the Championship's relegation zone following the club's disastrous start to the season under Paul Trollope.

The Yorkshireman has an impressive 41% win rate with the Bluebirds having collected 14 victories in his 34 games in charge of the club.

Warnock has helped to galvanise the whole club and is hoping to lead the Bluebirds into the promised land of the Premier League next season.

But what has become of the men who occupied the Cardiff City hotseat before him?

Here we take a look and how the Bluebirds' last five permanent managers have fared and deliver our verdict as to whether or not they've improved since leaving Wales...


Paul Trollope

Cardiff record: P12; W2; D2; L8

It proved to be a truly disastrous reign for Paul Trollope who secured just two wins from his 11 league matches in-charge of the Bluebirds.

He also oversaw his side crash out of the League Cup to his former club and Cardiff's Severnside rivals Bristol Rovers in August.

The Bluebirds were left languishing in the Championship's relegation zone when the club's hierarchy made the swift decision to axe Trollope, with Warnock arriving just days after the former Wales international's sacking.

But the 44-year-old won't be bumping into his former employers any time soon having just helped Brighton secure promotion into the Premier League.

Trollope has been Chris Hughton's assistant manager at the AMEX Stadium since November and could see the Seagulls secure the Championship title against Bristol City this weekend.

Verdict: It was a truly torrid time for Trollope with the Bluebirds, but having secured promotion with the Seagulls, it's safe to say the move has been a good one for the ex-Cardiff boss.


Russell Slade

Cardiff record: P86; W32; D27; L27

Having seen the Bluebirds relegated from the Premier League just months earlier, Russell Slade was the man tasked with stabilising the club and reducing Cardiff's wage bill following the departure of Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

After a turbulent debut campaign in which the club finished 11th, Slade enjoyed a significantly more settled second season as the Bluebirds challenged for a play-off place.

But a run of just one win in their last seven league games saw the Bluebirds finish in eighth place, six points adrift of a top six spot.

It led to Slade being moved from manager to Cardiff's head of football, although the switch did not last as he resigned from the role less than a month later.

And in the year since his departure from the Welsh capital, Slade has certainly fallen into the bracket of having more clubs in his career than Tiger Woods.

Ill-fated stints with Charlton Athletic and Coventry City did little to enhance his reputation in the Football League.

And Slade was recently appointed as manager of League Two outfit Grimsby Town for the second time in his career, with the Mariners winning two of their three games so far under the leadership of Slade.

Verdict: Many Bluebirds feel that Slade is now at his level with Grimsby, and following his disastrous spells with Coventry and Charlton, it's clear that his managerial career has been on a significant downward spiral since departing Cardiff less than a year ago.


Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Cardiff record: P30; W9; D5; L16

One of only two men to manage the Bluebirds in the Premier League, Solskjaer enjoyed the perfect start to life with Cardiff as his side came from behind to beat Newcastle 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup.

But the Bluebirds lost their opening three league games under the Norwegian, two of which came against Manchester United and Man City.

And Cardiff won just three times in 18 Premier League games under Solskjaer's watch as they made a swift return to England's second tier, with the Norwegian being sacked just a month into the 2014-15 Championship season.

After more than a year out of the game, Solskjaer returned to former club Molde - where he started his first team managerial career and also spent a season during his playing days - in October 2015.

He boasts an impressive 52% win rate over the 44 games he has managed in his second stint with Molde who are currently fifth in Eliteserien after five games of the new season.

Verdict: To go from the Premier League to a significantly weaker league in his native land is no doubt a drop in managerial standards, although the Norwegian is still learning his trade and could benefit in the long term from being kept out of the limelight in the early days of his career in the dugout.


Malky Mackay

Cardiff record: P125; W54; D37; L34

The Scot boasts the highest win percentage (43.2%) of the men on this list and will always be highly regarded in the Welsh capital after leading the Bluebirds to the Championship title in the 2012-13 season.

But after falling out with owner Vincent Tan, Mackey was sacked by the Bluebirds midway through their debut Premier League campaign.

He later became embroiled in a row over a series of text messages sent during his time as Cardiff manager in which he was accused of sending racist content, an accusation he strongly denied.

Back on the pitch, Mackay became the unpopular choice as Uwe Rosler's replacement at Wigan, although he was dismissed after just 25 games in-charge of the Latics where he secured only five victories.

He is currently working as the Scottish Football Association's performance director, being appointed just weeks after Scotland's 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to England at Wembley in November.

Verdict: Off-the-field problems have blighted Mackay's career since he was axed by the Bluebirds in December 2013, and given that he's no longer in management after a woeful spell with Wigan, it's fair to say the Scot has gone backwards in his managerial career in recent years.


Dave Jones

Cardiff record: P315; W132; D84; L99

Close but no cigar.

The perfect phrase to describe Dave Jones' time in the Welsh capital.

Jones famously led the Bluebirds to the FA Cup final in 2008 and oversaw the club secure three consecutive top seven finishes in his final three seasons with the club, with the final two being fourth-placed finishes.

A heart-breaking play-off final defeat to Blackpool at Wembley in 2010 was followed by a semi-final play-off defeat to Reading a year later, a defeat that cost Jones his job.

After 10 months away from the game, Jones was named as Sheffield Wednesday manager in March 2012 following the controversial sacking of Gary Megson who left the club in third place in League One.

The Owls went on to secure promotion under Jones and finished in 18th in their first season back in the Championship.

But a disastrous start to his second full season in-charge saw him sacked after securing just one win in his opening 16 league games in the 2013-14 campaign.

He was out of management for just over three years before being appointed as manager of League Two strugglers Hartlepool in January this year.

And it's safe to say he endured something of a nightmare at Victoria Park, winning just four of his 18 games as Pools boss before being sacked following Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling's furious on-air rant calling for the former Cardiff manager to be axed .

Verdict: His time with Hartlepool was an unmitigated disaster to say the least, and he's left the club on the brink of exiting the Football League following Newport County's sensational revival under caretaker boss Mike Flynn. Those days of challenging for a Premier League spot will seem like a distant memory for Jones.

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Chris, Not one of them managers even compare to Malky Mackay and if Malky and Tan had not fallen out (not going in to all that again ), I honestly believe Malky would of gone on to bigger things

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Chris, Not one of them managers even compare to Malky Mackay and if Malky and Tan had not fallen out (not going in to all that again ), I honestly believe Malky would of gone on to bigger things

Annis, you're right on the others not being a patch on Malky and I'm sure he could have finished the job he started if he had been given time but sadly, I will always believe Malky contributed to his own downfall and only has himself (and his truly racist mate Moodie) to blame. but as you rightly say, this has been done to death and the reality is that to date, Malky is our most successful manager since Fred Stewart

I honestly belive if Malcky had stayed in charge we would have had at least another season in the prem but as you say, he only has himself to blame for everything that went on. I'll never forget coming home from that Man City game thinking we've really got something going on this year. Such a shame that what should have been the best season in this clubs history turned into a very sour year. Enough of that though, can't wait for next season to see how it all pans out, one thing for sure is we're definitely on the up!

Chris, Not one of them managers even compare to Malky Mackay and if Malky and Tan had not fallen out (not going in to all that again ), I honestly believe Malky would of gone on to bigger things

Annis, you're right on the others not being a patch on Malky and I'm sure he could have finished the job he started if he had been given time but sadly, I will always believe Malky contributed to his own downfall and only has himself (and his truly racist mate Moodie) to blame. but as you rightly say, this has been done to death and the reality is that to date, Malky is our most successful manager since Fred Stewart

Chris, We will never know what the outcome would f been, but I believe Malky did a good job in his time here and the facts and his record speak for themselves

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I honestly belive if Malcky had stayed in charge we would have had at least another season in the prem but as you say, he only has himself to blame for everything that went on. I'll never forget coming home from that Man City game thinking we've really got something going on this year. Such a shame that what should have been the best season in this clubs history turned into a very sour year. Enough of that though, can't wait for next season to see how it all pans out, one thing for sure is we're definitely on the up!

My opinion, Malky would of kept us up and we had some very good times under him, None under the others( But I did enjoy DJ'S Fa cup run)

Fans say Malky was negative how come we scored 72 goals in a season under him,from all different positions, Brighton top now,have scored one more 73 goals.

http://www.annisabraham.co.uk/2017/04/2 ... -managers/

Paul Trollope

Trollope was a disaster, thought he may have had enough about him but failed miserably. He talked a good game and seem to have good ideas talking in interviews but nothing related onto the pitch sadly. I can see why the club did it to keep continuity but thankfully they didn’t waste too much time to replace him when it clearly wasn’t working.


Russell Slade

Terrible manager, didn’t get the best out of anyone, wasted and ignored talent that didn’t fit into his rigid 4-4-2. Terrible football, awful interviews often contradicting himself. People will say he kept us going despite mass sales but we still had a very strong squad and massive collection of talent to choose from, if the club had invested in a decent manager the club could have made cut backs while progressing.



Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Massive disappointment, came here with a big reputation and didn’t turn around our fortunes in the premiership, probably the wrong manager at the wrong time. Backed in the championship but we didn’t seem to have any kind of pattern of play and to many changes to often with a huge squad. I did wonder if he could have turned it around given a little longer in the championship however overall disappointing.


Malky Mackay

He was the manager I wanted us to get and was really pleased when we got him, did brilliant in the championship with what was at the time a huge budget, the whole club had a good feel about it. Unfortunately in my opinion his ego got the best of him and he was out of his depth in the prem despite the biggest budget in promotion history and we were sinking quickly, he thought he could do whatever he wanted and didn’t have to answer to anyone. Only manager on this list I would not welcome back to the club in any capacity


Dave Jones

Loved the Day Jones day, good attacking football (if not a little frustrating at times) the likes of Chopra Jay, Bellamy, Koumas etc. Another who was obsessed with a 4-4-2 however DJ did know how to use it. Unfortunately he just couldn’t get us over the line and for me he was sacked at the right time. People called him miserable etc but I actually enjoyed his interviews. Like many I wonder how he would have managed with the money Malky spent to take us up, we will never know.




http://www.annisabraham.co.uk/2017/04/2 ... -managers/

I dont agree with Luke's opinion on Malky or Arrogant Jones, but I respect Luke's opinion
Link

http://www.annisabraham.co.uk/2017/04/2 ... -managers/

Personally I also think Malky would have kept us up just about - or at the very least made more of a fight of it, although playing for a draw away against the teams around us at the time (Stoke, Palace, Norwich) for me always felt a bit pessimistic and that kind of mentality would have seen us in or around the relegation places throughout the rest of the season either way - if we had stayed up it would have been close.

I do wonder just how patient the fanbase would have been with Malky if we hadn't had the distraction of the rebrand? And if rose-tinted glasses (mine included) would have been around so long? I also wonder what could have been if we had signed a decent striker (possibly even two) instead of Cornelius.

A lot is said of Malky's signings but for me he was trying to put a spine of quality to the side in Caulker, Medel and Cornelius and then would have built around that in following windows - which is pretty sensible and if Cornelius had been a 10-15 goal striker we could have stayed up comfortably and maybe even be an established premier league side by now.

To this day I still think we should have had a crack at trying to sign Defoe who was just falling out of favour with Spurs if memory serves me right? Or if he wanted a big guy for a 451 maybe bringing Kenwyne in earlier would have worked?

All ifs, buts, daydreams and guesswork though...

One thing I do know for sure though is that in Warnock we now have a manager who is better than any of our last 15 managers let alone the last 5!

I honestly belive if Malcky had stayed in charge we would have had at least another season in the prem but as you say, he only has himself to blame for everything that went on. I'll never forget coming home from that Man City game thinking we've really got something going on this year. Such a shame that what should have been the best season in this clubs history turned into a very sour year. Enough of that though, can't wait for next season to see how it all pans out, one thing for sure is we're definitely on the up!

My opinion, Malky would of kept us up and we had some very good times under him, None under the others( But I did enjoy DJ'S Fa cup run)

I'd have to argue with you on that one and say that the FA Cup run under Dave Jones was a pretty good time in my book!

OK we didn't win the FA Cup but as far as I know I don't actually think a second division side has done so since before I was born (West Ham in 80 for the Stattos) and it's only us and Millwall who have got to the final - so it was still a great achievement and I for one definitely enjoyed the day!

I would have thought the time under Malky would be the worst time in the red.

I would have thought the time under Malky would be the worst time in the red.

Luke if you read my previous posts on other topics, off the field its our worst time in our history and looking at that them hurt big time. What I and others are saying on the pitch Malky succeeded where other managers have all failed at Cardiff City, 100% True/Fact,

I would have thought the time under Malky would be the worst time in the red.

Luke if you read my previous posts on other topics, off the field its our worst time in our history and looking at that them hurt big time. What I and others are saying on the pitch Malky succeeded where other managers have all failed at Cardiff City, 100% True/Fact,

Very true, in the championship he was excellent.

Malky is a legend in my eyes,struggled in premier league but so have many other top managers including Neil Warnock
Dave Jones in my opinion was very underappreciated,after the FA cup run,fans were demanding promotion and I feel Dave cracked under the pressure.Was responsible for some excellent performances and of course some awful ones.Ive always wished him well and to be honest I don't care if hes a miserable git.
Trollope was woeful and even though hes in the prem with Brighton ,hes a good coach but a failure as a manager
Slade did a good job with what he had, 8th while having to cut wage bill is a decent performance.Was hated by the fans
Solksjaer was just totally inept sadly and would have took us towards league one if he stayed in my opinion.Left us a massive wage bill

Paul Trollope
The cheap option and you know they say when you pay pennies. Adding to that it makes me wonder what goes through our boards minds when you here they thought Trollope would get us playing the Wales way because he was part of it. Very careless driving from our board.

Russel Slade.
Did ok here in my mind. A mass improvement on Ole, steady the ship under cut backs and deserved another season with us. That season I thought he was going to get us a play off spot after the Burnley away game. I just feel that half time talk at Fulham away not only killed our play off chances but gave the board a reason to remove him from the managers spot. I believe Slade expected it but must have been insulted when Trollope replaced him.

Ole Gunnar.
If I thought the board knew nothing about football before Oles selection then his appointment confirmed it to me they didn't. This was a playboy appointment to go with our playboy premier season. Just a stupid stupid appointment from a stupid bunch of naive individuals.

Malky Mackey.
Played business football that got us to the Premier. I believed he would have kept us up if it was not for the fallout with Tan. even allowing for his mistake with Acorn as well. He has never recovered from the Tan onslaught and I doubt he will.

Dave Jones.
I believed he has had the best squad ever here at Cardiff. When the football was good it was very good. Unfortunately when it was bad it stayed bad for quite a few games. His inability to turn it around quickly cost him the promotions.

malky is legend