“I’m the manager here and I’ve got no other thought than how our team are going to play against Celtic at the weekend,” Ross County boss Malky Mackay says he is not distracted by bookmakers linking him with the vacant managerial job at Hibernian…
Mackay Mackay has been speaking to Sky Sports as the build-up to Sunday live broadcast from Dingwall gets underway. The Ross County manager is being linked with the vacant job at Hibs following the sacking of former Celtic star Shaun Maloney yesterday morning but is attempting to keep his focus firmly on the weekend visit from the side Mackay believes to the best team in Scotland on Sunday afternoon.
On the speculation that he’s about to be offered the Hibs job, Mackay was quick to dismiss that from his immediate thoughts to focus instead on playing title chasing Celtic.
“It’s no distraction at all, to be honest with you. I’ve been involved in management for the last 15 years or so and having been linked various times with various things and seeing other managers liked, you kind of realise how these situations work,” Mackay said.
“Your only focus is to get on with your own job. I’ve got a tough enough job here at the moment trying to make sure that ourselves and everyone at the football club finish as highly and strongly as possible, really for the fans, more than anything else to give them the chance to possibly play in Europe.
“So my only focus and drive and the respect that I have for our owner is the fact that I am the manager here and I have got no other thought than how my team are going to try to play against Celtic at the weekend,” Malky Mackay told Sky Sports this afternoon.
🗣️”I’m the manager here and I’ve got no other thought than how our team are going to play against Celtic at the weekend.”
Ross County boss Malky Mackay says he is not distracted by bookmakers linking him with the vacant managerial job at Hibernian👇 pic.twitter.com/3YrBeQGWBk
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 20, 2022
The former Celtic defender also talked about making the top six with Ross County and the mini-league within that between his side, Motherwell and Dundee Utd who will be fighting among themselves to get the final European spot. On Sunday’s game against Celtic Mackay said:
“We’re playing the top team in the country right now, the league leaders. We played them a month ago and they were absolutely on fire. We had ten men and we did okay considering the result they had the following week against St Johnstone (7-0) so we are playing against a really good team, a team who are now out of the Scottish Cup and their focus will now be on winning the league.
“I know that Ange is going to bring a team here that is going to test us to the limit but the last time up here was a helluva game and it went to the 97th minute but I’m too well aware of the strengths of Celtic and the fact that we have got to go into this game with everything we’ve got. It will be a great day, it’s a full house here and there is a lot riding on the game for both teams,” Mackay concluded.
🌍Could Ross County be playing European football next season?
Manager Malky Mackay insists that’s the target as he aims to lead the side to a historic achievement! Watch Ross County vs Celtic live on Sky on Sunday📺 pic.twitter.com/HkA76Q66Fs
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 20, 2022
Just noticed Ross County are unbeaten in the league at home since we beat them with that Ralston goal in the 129th minute back in December.
— Stevie🟢⚪️ (@stevieblock102) April 20, 2022
Obviously what really gets to Malky from that game was how the added time which was applied as a result of embarrassing time wasting tactics from Ross County, were only given to Celtic and not to Ross County. He feels his team of eleven players to Celtic’s ten, should have been allowed those extra minutes too!
🤦🏻♂️
It was bad enough that Starfelt was shown a red card for aletrting the ref to him putting his face in the way of a deliberate elbow which shockingly went unpunished!
Make no mistake, just as the outrageous red card to Starfelt was shown, the added time was there strictly to give Ross County an opportunity to get a winner.
That blew up in the face of the referee as the time-wasting tactics from Ross County did.
What a shame the ref forgot to inform Malky that his team could play those added minutes too!
🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️