The Real Poisoned Chalice In Football Management.

By Tommy Kinsman

Over the years the England Nation Job has always been the one role that has been tagged with the title as the poisoned chalice. However the recent events in Wales may make the management position at Cardiff the true poisoned chalice role.

Since the sacking of Scotsman Malky Mackay, club owner Vincent Tan is now searching for a replacement but who would take this job?

In some management job you have a fan base with ridiculous expectations or the media that turns the screw no matter what the results are. All of these are simple and easy problems to take on board when compared to what is waiting on Tan’s next managerial pawn.

Tan is a very well respected businessman and has strong plans to push the league back in his home country of Malaysia. The problem with the eccentric owner is that his knowledge of the game is just not there. It would be hard enough for any manager to take over at a club when the owner doesn’t understands the game but when the owner is very much involved in the day to day running of the club then it becomes a far bigger problem.

It is clear that there was a potential time bomb at the club even last season. Tan demanded promotion and Mackay delivered but there are those who believe is Cardiff had only made the playoffs that Malky would have been fired even before the playoffs had been played.

The lack of football knowledge also caused the problems with the transfer budget. Mackay and his team came in under budget but of course they felt the amount given to them was to pay for the players transfer fees. The owner however thought that the amount covered everything, which of course it didn’t. The fall out from this was the firing of Mackay's right hand man.

Tan has also made it clear he hasn’t liked how the side has performed, understandable if he has issues with some of the Cardiff defeats but not when it is with the style of play when they win against sides like Manchester City. The lack of football knowledge is so clear that he seems to expect them to come out each week and wipe the floor with the opposition.

So what else will the new man have to look forward to? Well having the owner complain about the players performance will be high on the list of things to come for that man. The owners disgruntled comments that Medel isn’t moving forward enough is an interesting thing to say about probably one of the best defensive midfielders is in the league. And of course there is the new club mandate that Tan has imposed for the side to sign players with an 8 in their birth dates.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the next manager for Cardiff will be if Tan actually gets what he truly wants. The ego of Tan is pointing towards a big name but Cardiff isn’t a big name club. So unless he is willing to just throw money at someone there isn’t much of a chance of a Van Gaal or Hiddink showing up in South Wales. The one name that might fit the role is Sven Goran Erkisson but he has recent said he would like to stay in China for another year. Another name that would have the same impact as the Swede would be that of Lippi, who is also plying his trade in the Chinese league. The reality for Tan and the Cardiff fans might be that the club will get an average manager to run the team but as the search continues the club will no doubt start to fall apart even more without anyone behind the wheel.

Tan turned the club around but now that he has dipped his toes into the football world and injected himself into the day to day affairs at Cardiff he has now shackled the club to the point that they are in serious danger of going back down again this season.


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