MALKY: WE'LL ERADICATE ERRORS
CARDIFF CITY PLAYER on NOWWatch Malky's pre-Hull presser in full,
on Saturday afternoon.Hull City spoke passionately on Friday morning ahead of his side’s home test with Malky MackayA visibly focussed and determined
The early part of the manager’s press conference dealt with the aftermath of Tuesday’s defeat at Charlton, whilst looking ahead to the visit of the Tigers.
“It was a late night on Tuesday – we didn’t get back here until three in the morning so Wednesday was a recovery day," the Gaffer began. "Yesterday we had a good chat about it – a lot of the players got their views out and we watched the clips, because we want to make sure we’re going to rectify the mistakes we made and eradicate our errors. Then we were back out training as normal to get ready for this weekend.
“It’s uncomfortable for a player to watch back their mistakes on a screen, I was like that as a player myself. The group I’ve got now are able to critique each other and take a look at themselves without staying silent, going into their shell, not wanting to speak at these meetings. We can speak openly about things and not take it personally.
“Fifty-two points keeps you in the division, seventy-five points gets you in the play-offs and ninety points gets you promoted; I don’t see that being any different this season, that's the usual marker. We are four points better off than we were at this point last season. We also have the same number of wins away from home as we had last year at this point so we’re in a better place. We’ve scored the most goals in the division, and have the joint-best goal difference.
“As a manager football is constantly on your mind, it’s with you twenty-four seven. That’s certainly the case with myself and it’s also the case with nearly every manager that I know.
“I judge my team every Saturday, every Tuesday. Every day in training, I’ll look at them and see who’s playing well, who needs a rest and obviously the injury situation as well. That’s a constant.
“We’re expecting a tough game against Hull. Steve (Bruce) is an experienced manager and he’s got some good players at the club. We need to apply ourselves in the best fashion possible because we’re playing against a very good team tomorrow.”
In reference to injuries and injury concerns, Malky added:
“Don Cowie’s got a slight knee problem – I had to bring him off the other night. He’s struggling for tomorrow. Other than that I’ve got a couple who’ll be doing fitness tests this morning with bumps and bruises from Tuesday night, unfortunately.
"Jordon Mutch has got a nerve problem – he’s fine with straight running but it’s changing direction that’s causing him issues. It’s been a good week for him – he’s back out with the physios and we’re hoping he’ll be back pretty soon. Craig (Bellamy) is coming on a treat, Tommy (Smith) is going to be slightly longer because obviously his injury is more severe than Craig’s. There may be a couple of week’s difference between those two.”
And in response to questions raised over his captain, Mark Hudson, the Gaffer vehemently responded:
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. I’m lucky in that I see my captain every day, I see him off and on the pitch.
"Mark Hudson’s a fantastic captain for this football club, make no mistake, never more so than in the Carling Cup final last year; he was injured and hadn’t trained for three weeks and he still wore his heart on his sleeve that day. He scores goals and sets them up and is a diamond for this football club.”
