Malky Mackay

Malcolm George MacKay (born 19 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player, who most recently managed Scottish Premiership club Ross County.

Mackay, who played as a defender, began his playing career in Scottish football with Queen's Park and Celtic.

Born in Bellshill, Mackay began his career in his native Scotland, coming through the youth ranks of Queen's Park, before joining Celtic in the summer of 1993.

He made his Celtic debut on 13 May 1995 in a 1–0 away win against Dundee United.

His first Celtic goal was scored on 27 April 1996 in a 4–2 away win against Partick Thistle.

He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining there for six years.

He made 46 appearances in five years with the Glasgow club, and in September 1998 moved to England, joining Norwich City for a fee of £350,000 after a one-game loan spell.

At the end of the 2001–02 season Norwich fans voted Mackay in second place behind Gary Holt in the voting for Norwich City player of the year.

In the 2003–04 season, his sixth at Norwich, the club was promoted to the Premier League after winning the then Division One, however he was released by Norwich at the end of the season.

He was named in the Football League First Division Team of the Year in the 2003–04 in which they got promoted.

Mackay scored a brace for Norwich in an East Anglian derby against Ipswich Town.

Between 2004 and 2006, he achieved consecutive promotions to the Premier League with Norwich, West Ham United and finally Watford.

Mackay won five caps for Scotland towards the end of his playing career.

Mackay was signed for West Ham United by manager Alan Pardew, for £300,000, on 10 September 2004.

He played 18 league games for the Hammers, although none after March, as West Ham reached the play-offs, beating Preston North End in the final to reach the Premier League.

Mackay was released before playing a top flight game.

Mackay was picked up on a free transfer by Aidy Boothroyd as part of his rebuilding of Watford and soon become one of the key figures in Boothroyd's side.

Mackay was involved in some excellent defensive displays as well as scoring some vital goals, including one against fierce rivals Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in a 2–1 victory.

At the end of the 2005–06 season Mackay achieved the feat of being promoted to the Premier League for the third successive season, as Watford defeated Leeds United 3–0 in the play-off final.

After having been released following his two previous promotion campaigns, Mackay was assured by Boothroyd that he would play a part in Watford's Premier League campaign, citing his experience as an important asset to the team.

Although he was not a first-team regular, Mackay made 14 Premier League appearances in 2006–07.

In January 2007, Mackay took his first step into coaching by being promoted to first team coach, following the departure of Dave Hockaday.

In the 2007–08 season Mackay's only first team appearance came during an FA Cup match against Wolves in January 2008.

After retiring as a player in 2008, he became manager of Watford in June 2009.

He took over as caretaker manager at Watford on 4 November 2008 following the departure of Aidy Boothroyd.

During his sixth and final season at Norwich, at the age of 32, Mackay became the oldest man to make his debut for Scotland in 37 years.

It came in a 1–0 defeat to Denmark; Mackay later played in a 1–0 victory over Estonia and a 4–1 win against Trinidad & Tobago.

In total, Mackay won five caps for Scotland.

After Brendan Rodgers resigned in June 2009, Mackay took over as the manager of Watford.

Watford drew 1–1 on their league visit to Reading on 26 September 2009, and by their second meeting late in the season Rodgers had been dismissed by Reading after only a few months in charge.

As for Mackay and Watford, 2009–10 was a difficult season where their Championship status was under threat for a long time, but by the end of April survival had been achieved against Reading, ending the season 14th place in the league.

He was manager of Cardiff City between June 2011 and December 2013, achieving promotion to the Premier League in 2013 but was dismissed after a dispute with club owner Vincent Tan.

Mackay signed a three-year contract as Cardiff City manager on 17 June 2011, with Watford receiving an undisclosed fee in compensation.

His reign began with a 1–0 away win over West Ham United.

The side were undefeated in September, resulting in Mackay being nominated for the September Championship Manager of the Month in his first month managing the Welsh club.

Another unbeaten month for Cardiff resulted in Mackay winning the award in November.

He guided Cardiff to their first ever League Cup final, following wins over Oxford United, Huddersfield Town, Leicester City, Burnley, Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace in earlier rounds.

Mackay was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in November 2014, and was dismissed the following April.

After a spell working for the Scottish Football Association, he was appointed Ross County manager in May 2021.

The week before the League Cup final, Mackay signed a three-and-half-year contract extension, tying him to the club until June 2016.