by Joe McHugh
Former Celt Malky Mackay continued his impressive start in management last night as he guided Watford to a 1-0 win away to Plymouth.
Tom Cleverley’s fourth minute goal was enough to give the visitors the points and lift Watford into sixth place in the Championship.
Stepping into management is the great unknown. As players Roy Aitken and Willie Miller seemed naturals to move into management but like many other accomplished players before them they were unable to translate their on-field leadership into the dug out.
Mackay the player was a similar type to Aitken and Miller in being a powerful leader and organiser but never achieved the same level of success although there are few players that have managed to survive a decade in the cut-throat world of the Championship.
QUALIFICATIONS
At 37 he is one of the youngest managers in the division but has been preparing for the move into management for some time collecting qualifications on both sides of the border.
All the qualifications in the world count for little when you’re left to your own devices to manage a team, especially so when the Premiership parachute payment ends and other clubs in your division pick off your better players and your own transfer targets come from Aberdeen and Carlisle Utd.
That’s when management ability kicks in.
Speaking after his side’s win at Plymouth Mackay transferred all the praise to his players, he said: “I see the maturity of two or three of our players and I think that it’s outstanding, they keep learning and I think that they’re going to play an awful lot of football in their careers.
ACADEMY
“We had 10 Academy products in the squad, Plymouth changed all three forwards in the second half and sometimes you deserve a little bit of luck.
“To come down to Plymouth and and win 1-0 is very pleasing, we had to withstand a lot of pressure near the end and the players made me proud.
“Our youngsters have been alive all season, they are alive to any sort of quick free kick or set piece, these things can win or lose a game for you and I impress that on them.”
BLEATING
In contrast to Mackay, and quite predictably, John Barnes is bleating about his players and blaming everyone but himself as his revolutionary management plans run aground at Tranmere Rovers.
Dealing with reality, and the fact that he isn’t managing the Brazilian national team was a big issue for Barnes as Celtic manager, an issue that he has carried into the Tranmere job.
Management by definition is about managing the players that you have, not wishing that you had Kaka and Robinho to pick in the same midfield.
P45 time doesn’t look too far away for Barnes, once you start blaming the players for your own shortcomings it’s unlikely that the dressing room will dig you out of a hole.
RESPONSIBILITY
Washing his hands of blame for Tranmere’s start to the season Barnes said: “I’m not going to take all the responsibility. The players have to take responsibility and if I could make changes I would.
“I’m thinking of making changes, if I’m still here, and I’m hoping to be. We can’t get players in because we haven’t got the money to bring players in.
“But I’m sure we’ll have a conversation this week now. So we’ll have to wait and see what happens. But it can’t continue because I can’t have those players out there making those decisions.”
In Barnes’ mind the problem is never him, the problem is always elsewhere. It looks too late for him already at Tranmere and doubtful if he’ll get another job having waited nine years in between managing Celtic and Tranmere.
Should he ever be given another chance he could learn from others that management is about managing and dealing with players, getting the most from them rather than pointing his finger elsewhere to deflect the blame.
With Tranmere currently second bottom of League One, ahead of Southampton who started the season with a ten point deduction, it looks like the end is nigh for the one-time Celtic manager.
