McKay agrees terms with Rangers - work permit pending

[der Berliner 3,247]

So what did the Rangers do in the past to anger the Italian ... ? (Heck, we agreed not to babble along in this transfer rumour thread!)

[Gazza_8 233]

For a split second I thought the headline would read that he's agreed terms with another club. Looking forward to seeing this guy in a Rangers shift.

[Zappa 0]

I'd heard they quoted �£4m for Weiss earlier this summer to a Spanish side.

 

Weiss would be a cracking investment for �£4m. Sign a player of that quality for that money on a five year deal before this transfer window closes and I'd be very very happy indeed.

[Jim White 0]

Matt McKay remains keen to secure a move to Rangers, but is unsure if he will be able to join the SPL champions.

 

More...

[GovanAllan 0]

I knew it never straight forward.

[Craigy1881 79]

I knew it never straight forward.

 

if wanyama can get one after 11 caps for kenya I am sure McKay will get one on appeal.

[GovanAllan 0]

if wanyama can get one after 11 caps for kenya I am sure McKay will get one on appeal.

 

Sure he will to,think the problem is he has to apply in Aus before he comes back over which takes it's time reported this morning deal done and just waiting on his paperwork from Aus should have said he wanted a job in the Louden Bar would have got one that day.

[Guest Dutchy]

Good news about the McKay signing, at least we're bringing in players now and from all reports this one sounds a good buy.

[GovanAllan 0]

Good news about the McKay signing, at least we're bringing in players now and from all reports this one sounds a good buy.

 

Would have been nice to get him in for the Maribor game and the game on sat not going to happen, maybe a good thing one look at Callies ground and he might change his mind.

[Craigy1881 79]

Work Permit appeal has been set for Friday, in the mean time here is a nice wee article about the lad from STV

 

Some Rangers fans may be scratching their heads and scouring the internet for more information about new signing Matt McKay, but they need not worry. The 28-year-old has all the attributes to be a success in the Scottish Premier League.

 

Primarily a central midfielder, McKay is also comfortable at left back or on the left wing, and his versatility is one of the main reasons why he has been a permanent fixture in Holger Osieck’s international squads as of late.

 

Indeed, McKay enjoyed a fantastic 2011 AFC Asian Cup campaign back in January and played an integral role in the Socceroos’ run to the final. Having set up Harry Kewell for the winner against Iraq in the quarter finals, his best performance came in the 6-0 semi final demolition of Uzbekistan, where he set up three goals and claimed the Man of the Match award.

 

As well as his exploits on the international stage, McKay was an integral part of the Brisbane Roar side which swept all before them in the 2010/11 Hyundai A-League season.

 

The team went a record 28 games unbeaten before staging a monumental comeback from two goals down to defeat the Central Coast Mariners on penalties in the showpiece Grand Final. He topped off an excellent campaign by being named captain of the Players’ Team of the Season.

 

McKay’s coach at the Roar, Ange Postecoglou, has nothing but good things to say about his skipper and knew as far back as January that bigger clubs would come knocking, especially given the excellent Asian Cup performances.

 

“It's fantastic for our club to be represented on the national stage like that,” said Postecoglou at the time. “That's a fact of life for us [possibly losing McKay].The better we do, the more our players will get that attention. That's fine; I'm totally comfortable with that.

 

“Letting players move on doesn't have to be a negative thing, they are going on to bigger and better things and that is acknowledgment of the work we are doing here.”

 

A graduate of the Australian Institute of Sport, McKay was a member of the inaugural Queensland Roar squad for the 2005/06 season. When the North Queensland Fury entered the A-League in 2009, Queensland Roar became Brisbane Roar and midway through that season McKay was appointed club captain.

 

Since then he has been the on-field face of the club, and now holds the record number of appearances while also sitting second on the list of all time goalscorers. He has also spent time on loan in both Korea and China with Incheon United in 2006 and Changchun Yatai in 2009.

 

A permanent move overseas was always likely for a player of McKay’s calibre, especially with the A-League currently on a seven month hiatus between March and October. With the 2014 World Cup qualifiers getting underway for Australia in September, Holger Osieck has been quite vocal in advocating his players to play regularly at the highest level possible, and a move for McKay to a high profile club playing European football will tie in well with that philosophy.

 

In McKay, Rangers can expect to see a hard working midfielder whose left foot is very damaging. He will also provide some added leadership on the field even if he’s not given the role in an official capacity.

 

The A-League still gets a rough ride from sections of the Australian public and the standard of football is often looked down upon by outsiders, but with more players like Matt McKay making an impression outside of these shores, the future is bright for what is still a very young competition.