Off to Wigan for talks, statement from the chairman on the official website. Wish him all the best if he goes and hopefully we've got a replacement lined up.

 

http://ictfc.com/news/club-news/1471-billy-mckay

Edited January 28, 201510 yr by Guest

I've been getting all misty eyed watching Billy's goals from 2012/13 and 2013/14. 

 

 

 

If I were a Wigan fan watching those, I'd be absolutely wetting myself with excitement.

I think I'm right in saying that since Billy's arrival at the start of season 2011/12, and despite his lack of goals in that first season, nobody has scored as many goals in our top flight.  A quick bit of addition suggests he has 54 in that time, whilst Commons has 43, Michael Higdon 40 and Niall McGinn 36.

Great viewing, good luck Billy whatever you decide to do!

I think I'm right in saying that since Billy's arrival at the start of season 2011/12, and despite his lack of goals in that first season, nobody has scored as many goals in our top flight.  A quick bit of addition suggests he has 54 in that time, whilst Commons has 43, Michael Higdon 40 and Niall McGinn 36.

Hooper, Griffiths and Stokes also all over 40 in that timeframe - but nobody even comes close to Billy's 54 league goals.

One last hurrah against County ??

One last hurrah against County ??

Doubt it, if he's having a medical today he will be signed for them today.

I've been getting all misty eyed watching Billy's goals from 2012/13 and 2013/14. 

 

 

 

If I were a Wigan fan watching those, I'd be absolutely wetting myself with excitement.

 

We have a habit of signing players with a prolific record and then they flop massively.

 

I've read a few comments on here about the work rate of Mckay which sounds promising given our situation.  We tend to play a 4-3-3 formation with two wingers partnering the front man who is often isolated.

 

Would Mckay be able to play the loan striker role or does he rely on others around him?

Edited January 29, 201510 yr by chnwh

I hope McKay had an uncomfortable night 'sleeping on a decision' after being shown around the facilities at Wigan and no doubt discussing personal terms!

Maybe, there's just something that he saw that is making him have second thoughts - maybe even the prospect of Wigan being relegated - anything!

However, more realistically, with the medical being a formality, I do expect an announcement that he's signed. 

Disappointing, of course, but as with all the players who leave after serving us well, I hope he succeeds at his new club.

 

This coming on the back of the Shinnie news is a hammer blow.

I would go as far as to say that not only are the pair key components of our current set-up, but they would both be included in my all-time ICT 'dream team'.

Shinnie would be my obvious choice for the left-back position ahead of the likes of other stalwarts Stuart Golabek and Richard Hastings.

Although we've had some terrific strikers over the years, Craig Dargo, Dennis Wyness, Paul Ritchie, Iain Stewart, Adam Rooney etc. I'd be picking McKay for one of the 2 or 3 forward berths.

That's the high regard in which I hold these guys - both are all time greats, and will be difficult to replace - certainly in the short term.

REMEMBER

 

 

 

We have a habit of signing players with a prolific record and then they flop massively.

 

I've read a few comments on here about the work rate of Mckay which sounds promising given our situation.  We tend to play a 4-3-3 formation with two wingers partnering the front man who is often isolated.

 

Would Mckay be able to play the loan striker role or does he rely on others around him?

 

 

Mckay struggled for quite a while here when the former manager had a style of play which involved lumping the ball upfield to the 6' 4" striker.  After a while of this being pretty unsuccessful he finally realised that Mckay is only 5' 7" and we started playing it on the deck a bit more.  There seem to be a couple of types of goals in the compilations here which represent the type of situation in which Billy will score.  The first is having players who will clock his running off the ball and in particular his diagonal runs which invite team mates to slip the ball behind the defenders and into his path.  The second is getting wide and drilling in low balls into the middle. 

 

But there is more to his play than just scoring goals and he has often made excellent contributions to games even when going through a bit of a barren patch in terms of goals.  He works hard and pressures defenders, he can hold the ball up pretty well and lays it off well.  He can also drift wide and take defenders with him making space for midfielders coming from deep.  He loves to go for goal as all strikers do, but he has good awareness of others and is not selfish.

 

One reason why strikers often flop is that folk expect too much too soon.  Players like Billy score goals when they are on the same wavelength as their team mates.  It can take quite a while for people to gel but football fans and many football managers can be very inpatient.  If the crowd gets on a striker's back because they haven't scored in the first 4 or 5 games then they get to feel the pressure and either snatch at chances or hesitate.  We're a patient lot up here and like to give players a chance to show that they can realise the potential the manager saw in them when signing them.  Billy might not save you from the drop this season, but he may well be a major factor in you bouncing back up next year.

Hi all,

 

As a Wigan fan I'm pretty happy with us possibly signing McKay but obviously not from an ICT point of view.  He always seems to be the guy to grab a goal when needed.

 

I help run a Wigan fan site similar to this one, www.cockneylatic.co.uk and was wondering if we do sign him if people will be able to answer a few questions on McKay's attributes?

It was refreshing to read one of your (Wigan's) fans forums about the impending arrival of Billy. Not one patronising reference about 'it's only in Scotland' which is often bandied about by supporters of English clubs regarding players from our league.

One stat I can give you about him is his record at Inverness in competitive games from the penalty-spot. Netted his first 7 but more 'recently' missed a few!

Billy McKay (67%) Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  X  X  X  Y  X

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/554850/Billy-McKay-Inverness-Agree-Terms-Wigan-Athletic

Good luck Billy, you were a treat to watch. I'm looking forward to see who's going to fill your boots! 

Good luck Billy, you were a treat to watch. I'm looking forward to see who's going to fill your boots! 

Why the very different attitude to Graeme Shinnie who served the club as well and for longer and who is at least staying until the end of the season ?

 

Good luck Billy, you were a treat to watch. I'm looking forward to see who's going to fill your boots! 

Why the very different attitude to Graeme Shinnie who served the club as well and for longer and who is at least staying until the end of the season ?

 

I think thats a wee bit obvious?

 

Good luck Billy, you were a treat to watch. I'm looking forward to see who's going to fill your boots! 

Why the very different attitude to Graeme Shinnie who served the club as well and for longer and who is at least staying until the end of the season ?

 

1: He's isn't moving to one of our rivals.

2: He's showing a bit of ambition and testing himself at a higher level

3: He's helping the cub financially by not signing a PC.

Pretty obvious don't you think!

Good luck Billy, you were a treat to watch. I'm looking forward to see who's going to fill your boots!

Why the very different attitude to Graeme Shinnie who served the club as well and for longer and who is at least staying until the end of the season ? Uh! One moves to Engerlund and nets the club in excess of £150,000 and........

The other goes to our rivals and it is announced the week we could overtake them in the league.

No I can't think why people think differently about the two players?

Edited January 29, 201510 yr by Big G

Some of Billy's goals from this season on the BBC website here http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/31024438

 

Some of the goals he's scored in his recent goal-spree have been among his best ever for us. The first against Kilmarnock looks great but his second in that game, where he took the game and the ball by the scruff of the neck by hustling onto the ball in his own half, laying off then being there to finish it says everything about his potential. I'm sure he'll do well at Wigan if he gets the chance to settle in.

 

 

Good luck Billy, you were a treat to watch. I'm looking forward to see who's going to fill your boots! 

Why the very different attitude to Graeme Shinnie who served the club as well and for longer and who is at least staying until the end of the season ?

 

1: He's isn't moving to one of our rivals.

2: He's showing a bit of ambition and testing himself at a higher level

3: He's helping the cub financially by not signing a PC.

Pretty obvious don't you think!

 

It might be obvious why some people are having a go at Graeme but that doesn't make the difference in attitude fair.

 

1.  Of course we would all rather he didn't go to one of our rivals but there is absolutely no reason why he shouldn't.  He's from Aberdeen and it is perfectly reasonable that for family reasons he should want to move to his home town. Or if it is simply because they are offering him more money, why should he not take it?

2.  Who says he's not showing ambition?  Do you know what his ambitions are?  His ambition may be to play in European competition and to lift national titles.  He has more chance of realising those ambitions at Aberdeen than he does by staying put and certainly far more chance of acheiving that than Billy will at Wigan.  And how do you know he does not have ambition to test himself in the English league?  He is still young and success at Aberdeen would put him in a good position for a higher profile move down South at a later date.

3.  How do you know that it is Graeme's choice to sign a PC rather than go now with a transfer fee?  It may be that the club is refusing to release him from his contract because it would strengthen a rival team this year, or Aberdeen may not be prepared to pay an appropriate fee.

 

Both Graeme and Billy have been great players for the club, so why on earth can we not acknowledge their contribution to the clubs success, thank them for it and let them pursue their careers with our best wishes? 

Okay, I'll play 'devil's advocate' here.

Perhaps it could be viewed that it's Billy who's being the mercenary here and chasing the money in going to an unfashionable club in a dreary town whose sporting significance is their rugby league team - whose football manager may also not be there in the near future - and a club who are clearly on a downward spiral after some remarkable recent success, with little-to-zero prospect of those days returning any time soon...or winning silverware. Billy could, next season, find himself back at the level he was at before he came to us....He can do better!

Whereas, Shinnie has arguably shown more ambition by turning-down considerably more lucrative offers down south and moved to club who are clearly on the rise and challenging for honours. They've got their key players signed up for the next few seasons and have a shrewd manager who's got Dons fans more optimistic than they've been for 20 years.

Sorry, but Aberdeen FC are a bigger club than Wigan Athletic.

Opinions, opinions, opinions. All I can say is that I respect the opinion of others but nothing has been said so far to change mine.

I would love to see Mckay doing very well with Wigan & score goals and enhance his international chances ! 

 

Somehow I`m not bothered how well Shinnie gets on with Aberdeen. (Only saying)

I think Billy had done a great job for us over the years, hes put a lot of work into keeping us near the top of the league as have the rest of the team.

Hes moving on and has a new challenge of moving a team further from the bottom of the table.

Best of luck to him and his family. Hes leaving behind a very strong team and probably a lot of good friends.

 

As a mark of respect I hope the team have a cardboard cut out of him and have a dress down like Billy Mackay Friday.

"Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life"
"Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife"
And as he started to go I said "Billy, keep your head lo-o-ow"
"Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me"

BBC Scotland quoting Yogi as saying the Wigan offer was just too good to refuse!