Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Fri Mar 29, 2019 5:19 pm
Remember it is only the Sun.
But they do back it up.
Warnock and McKay used to be friends but Sala tragedy has pushed them apart
SunSport's Chief Football reporter provides you with the inside track on the game's biggest stories
By Neil Ashton
Friday 29th March 2019
FOR years, Neil Warnock and Willie McKay were pals. Not any more.
McKay, the controversial transfer broker at the centre of the Emiliano Sala tragedy, has fallen out with Cardiff’s manager.
The late Emiliano Sala's tragic transfer to Cardiff has pushed Neil Warnock and Willie McKay's friendship to breaking point
The late Emiliano Sala's tragic transfer to Cardiff has pushed Neil Warnock and Willie McKay's friendship to breaking point
Those with intimate knowledge of the transfer, the real motivation behind the desire to bring Sala to the Premier League, claim it has reached breaking point.
The Cardiff City story is starting to crack.
The rift threatens to lift the lid on some more of the intimate details surrounding Sala’s proposed £15m transfer from Nantes.
One source, speaking to this column on the condition of anonymity, claims the relationship between Warnock and McKay is beyond repair.
He says Warnock’s decision to publicly distance himself from the agent was terminal.
Warnock did this in the days following Sala’s disappearance on Jan 21 and his public utterances have not go down well in McKay’s household.
This column’s source is privy to some of the finer details relating to McKay’s proposed £1.5m – plus another £500,000 if Cardiff stayed up – commission.
'FURIOUS'
He said: “Willie is furious with Neil for what he did.
“To come out and say they were never pals, that they have never been close is a joke – he cannot believe he said that. He signed Willie’s two sons at Cardiff for a start.
“They were on the phone to each other all the time over this deal.
“Everybody is trying to save themselves over Sala.
“They are both friends with Barry Hughes in Scotland for a start – Neil can’t deny that.”
Hughes, boxing promoter, security boss and football agent, is a surprise new name in the Sala story.
He is mentioned, in passing, because Warnock, McKay and Hughes are all friends, but is not involved in the Sala deal.
Cardiff’s manager certainly needed McKay’s unique negotiating skills when Sala was offered to Cardiff in the January window.
BREAKING POINT
Those words tipped McKay over the edge.
On Feb 10, Warnock had claimed: “It’s suggested I am big pals with Willie McKay.
“Am I? I don’t think I am. He is an agent. You need these agents if you want to do a deal.”
They were also enough to travel in and out of France, sitting together in cramped private planes when they watched Sala in action for Nantes.
Details of the cross-channel operation to sign the striker has been made public after Dave Edwards, chief exec of the Air Charter Association, obtained the flight data.
Warnock, along with assistant Kevin Blackwell, travelled to Nantes with McKay and his son Mark on Dec 5, 2018.
After watching Sala play against Marseille in a Ligue 1 fixture, the four flew back to Cardiff the following day.
It is at that point Sala became – in the words used by Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman – “a critical hire”.
A month later, with Warnock pressing Cardiff to get the deal done, he flew out to meet Sala in France.
On Jan 8, in another plane provided by McKay, Cardiff’s manager travelled to Nantes with the agent and son Mark, along with the club’s player liaison Callum Davies.
The aircraft flew back to Cardiff the same day.
Warnock and McKay were on friendly terms then, with Cardiff’s manager sold on the idea of bringing the Argentine forward to the Premier League.
Willie McKay says Emiliano Sala was 'let down' by Cardiff in tragic plane crash
LONG HISTORY
These two go back a long, long way.
QPR are still carrying the financial scars of the four-year deal given to McKay’s client Joey Barton in 2011 worth an eye-watering £90,000 a week.
Warnock also claimed he had only signed three players from the McKay stable down the years.
Barton and Sala, along with Sol Bamba, are three he was referring to, but this overlooks his influence into signing McKay’s two sons for Cardiff.
Jack and Paul McKay were signed by the Bluebirds on Warnock’s recommendation, but have recently been spirited away from south Wales.
Warnock is battling on at Cardiff, trying to make sense of it all after the most testing period of his managerial career.
After this, he will have to do it all without Willie.
Yes thank
But they do back it up.
Warnock and McKay used to be friends but Sala tragedy has pushed them apart
SunSport's Chief Football reporter provides you with the inside track on the game's biggest stories
By Neil Ashton
Friday 29th March 2019
FOR years, Neil Warnock and Willie McKay were pals. Not any more.
McKay, the controversial transfer broker at the centre of the Emiliano Sala tragedy, has fallen out with Cardiff’s manager.
The late Emiliano Sala's tragic transfer to Cardiff has pushed Neil Warnock and Willie McKay's friendship to breaking point
The late Emiliano Sala's tragic transfer to Cardiff has pushed Neil Warnock and Willie McKay's friendship to breaking point
Those with intimate knowledge of the transfer, the real motivation behind the desire to bring Sala to the Premier League, claim it has reached breaking point.
The Cardiff City story is starting to crack.
The rift threatens to lift the lid on some more of the intimate details surrounding Sala’s proposed £15m transfer from Nantes.
One source, speaking to this column on the condition of anonymity, claims the relationship between Warnock and McKay is beyond repair.
He says Warnock’s decision to publicly distance himself from the agent was terminal.
Warnock did this in the days following Sala’s disappearance on Jan 21 and his public utterances have not go down well in McKay’s household.
This column’s source is privy to some of the finer details relating to McKay’s proposed £1.5m – plus another £500,000 if Cardiff stayed up – commission.
'FURIOUS'
He said: “Willie is furious with Neil for what he did.
“To come out and say they were never pals, that they have never been close is a joke – he cannot believe he said that. He signed Willie’s two sons at Cardiff for a start.
“They were on the phone to each other all the time over this deal.
“Everybody is trying to save themselves over Sala.
“They are both friends with Barry Hughes in Scotland for a start – Neil can’t deny that.”
Hughes, boxing promoter, security boss and football agent, is a surprise new name in the Sala story.
He is mentioned, in passing, because Warnock, McKay and Hughes are all friends, but is not involved in the Sala deal.
Cardiff’s manager certainly needed McKay’s unique negotiating skills when Sala was offered to Cardiff in the January window.
BREAKING POINT
Those words tipped McKay over the edge.
On Feb 10, Warnock had claimed: “It’s suggested I am big pals with Willie McKay.
“Am I? I don’t think I am. He is an agent. You need these agents if you want to do a deal.”
They were also enough to travel in and out of France, sitting together in cramped private planes when they watched Sala in action for Nantes.
Details of the cross-channel operation to sign the striker has been made public after Dave Edwards, chief exec of the Air Charter Association, obtained the flight data.
Warnock, along with assistant Kevin Blackwell, travelled to Nantes with McKay and his son Mark on Dec 5, 2018.
After watching Sala play against Marseille in a Ligue 1 fixture, the four flew back to Cardiff the following day.
It is at that point Sala became – in the words used by Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman – “a critical hire”.
A month later, with Warnock pressing Cardiff to get the deal done, he flew out to meet Sala in France.
On Jan 8, in another plane provided by McKay, Cardiff’s manager travelled to Nantes with the agent and son Mark, along with the club’s player liaison Callum Davies.
The aircraft flew back to Cardiff the same day.
Warnock and McKay were on friendly terms then, with Cardiff’s manager sold on the idea of bringing the Argentine forward to the Premier League.
Willie McKay says Emiliano Sala was 'let down' by Cardiff in tragic plane crash
LONG HISTORY
These two go back a long, long way.
QPR are still carrying the financial scars of the four-year deal given to McKay’s client Joey Barton in 2011 worth an eye-watering £90,000 a week.
Warnock also claimed he had only signed three players from the McKay stable down the years.
Barton and Sala, along with Sol Bamba, are three he was referring to, but this overlooks his influence into signing McKay’s two sons for Cardiff.
Jack and Paul McKay were signed by the Bluebirds on Warnock’s recommendation, but have recently been spirited away from south Wales.
Warnock is battling on at Cardiff, trying to make sense of it all after the most testing period of his managerial career.
After this, he will have to do it all without Willie.
Yes thank
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Fri Mar 29, 2019 9:29 pm
I don’t get how Warnock being on the phone to a football agent a lot makes them friends.
Bit of a weird story that.
Bit of a weird story that.
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:02 pm
Llan_Blue wrote:I don’t get how Warnock being on the phone to a football agent a lot makes them friends.
Bit of a weird story that.
agree...sitting together in cramped private planes they were on friendly terms then.
not quite sure what the alternative is to being on friendly terms in those circumstances...
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Sat Mar 30, 2019 7:39 am
I've worked with people , I've been friendly too them, but I wouldn't call them friends.
Friends are people you can depend on in a crisis.
Willie McKay is no one's friend.
Friends are people you can depend on in a crisis.
Willie McKay is no one's friend.
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Sat Mar 30, 2019 9:02 am
Proper Sun shit stirring story.
The more I read it the funnier it gets.
Absolute nonsense all of it.
The more I read it the funnier it gets.
Absolute nonsense all of it.
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:50 am
Llan_Blue wrote:Proper Sun shit stirring story.
The more I read it the funnier it gets.
Absolute nonsense all of it.
Couldn't agree more. It would be like calling us best friends just because I have replied to your post
Total and utter shit stirring.
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Sat Mar 30, 2019 3:23 pm
Tony Blue Williams wrote:Llan_Blue wrote:Proper Sun shit stirring story.
The more I read it the funnier it gets.
Absolute nonsense all of it.
Couldn't agree more. It would be like calling us best friends just because I have replied to your post
Total and utter shit stirring.
What you mean we aren’t best friends what have I done
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:19 pm
Agents often have managers linked to them and I really hope this isn't one of those issues.
My biggest questions is why his son or is it sons? Were signed by us.
My biggest questions is why his son or is it sons? Were signed by us.
Re: Neil Warnock and Willie McKay used to be friends but
Sun Mar 31, 2019 12:43 am
nojac wrote:I've worked with people , I've been friendly too them, but I wouldn't call them friends.
Friends are people you can depend on in a crisis.
Willie McKay is no one's friend.
Correct,he made that clear in the alleged contact,with poor old Emiliano,stating the terms of deal makers,not baby sitters,basically saying they don't give a toss about you,as long as they get paid is the motive,greed greed greed
