News that Malky Mackay is now the bookies’ favourite to be the next Ross County manager has stirred a reaction from Staggies’ supporters.
Bookmaker mcbookie.com has suspended betting on the former Watford, Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic boss replacing John Hughes at Dingwall.
‘Yogi’ Hughes surprisingly parted company with the Victoria Parkers on Monday just over a week after guiding them to safety in the Premiership with a comeback win at Motherwell.
Many names are already in the frame to permanently take the job and chairman Roy MacGregor is already actively looking for the the next man to move the club on.
Mackay was the Scottish FA’s performance director for four years until calling time on that last November as the nation gears up for competing in this summer’s European Championship finals, including two ties in Glasgow.
Led the Bluebirds into the top-flight
The 49-year-old’s high point was in 2013 when he led Cardiff City into England’s Premier League.
However, by the end of that year he departed the Bluebirds after a tough start to the season in the top division.
All the money has been for Malky Mackay to be the next Ross County manager. Doesn’t look like people are guessing and would suspect there is definitely something to it. Market suspended at the moment pic.twitter.com/55k8lXK1x4
— McBookie (@McBookie) May 25, 2021
Tough times for the Scot
The highly rated coach was subject to an FA investigation for allegedly sending racist, sexist and homophobic texts when at Cardiff.
He went on to manage Wigan in the Championship but poor results led to him being sacked in April 2015, just 138 days into the job.
Hampden calling
The Scot returned north of the border in December 2016 when he accepted the Scottish FA position of performance director.
He even had a spell in the dugout in November 2017 when he took caretaker charge of the team in a 1-0 friendly defeat by the Dutch in Aberdeen.
He has received equality and diversity training from the English FA over his alleged conduct at Cardiff City and when he landed the SFA job anti-racism campaign group Kick It Out acknowledged this following his appointment.
Could Cowie and Mackay be the Dingwall dream team?
Now apparently ready for a return to frontline management, how would he fit in at Ross County?
Current first-team Staggies coach Don Cowie played under Mackay down south and MacGregor might want to pair them up in coaching terms, maintaining that local link, on which he places so much importance.
We asked for your reaction to the possibility of Mackay replacing Hughes.
Here are a selection of your views from Twitter:
JailEnder: Can’t question his coaching ability, and has good contacts throughout UK and youth systems. A chequered past though, and does it live up to the ‘values of County’ that Roy spoke about recently? But, in same vein, everyone deserves a second chance. I’d back him if appointed.
David Cross: Everyone does indeed deserve a second chance, but first he needs to acknowledge that his previous conduct was wrong (not just that he regrets it being made public).
Michael: If Malky Mackay is appointed manager of @RossCounty I will not give the club any money in the form of tickets, staggie army or merchandise or anything else. County you want to ensure fans and club are united. This appointment would not do it. He is not welcome at our club!
James Cameron: Plenty contacts in the south rather than signing dross from over the bridge, would do fine!
Kieran: I’d not be renewing my season ticket if he’s appointed.
Ramsay Banks: If he gets appointed then the only thing I’ll be doing related to County in his tenure will be protesting against him.
Graeme Cleland: Would certainly be a big name appointment and he’s had plenty of success in the past, but I’d be very surprised if he took the job given some of the other high-profile vacancies out there right now.
John: Hoping he can match Callum Davidson’s success at St Johnstone along with Caley Thistle’s achievement of getting four under-21s in the Scotland squad.
Alan Cairney: I’d be delighted with Malky.
