Mackay expected the sack

Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay has admitted he expected to be sacked over the weekend.

On Monday, the Scot confirmed reports that he had received an email from club owner Vincent Tan prior to Saturday’s Premier League match at Liverpool, telling him to resign or be relieved of his duties.

Cardiff subsequently released a statement on Sunday confirming Mackay would remain in charge, with dialogue planned between the manager and Tan.

In a press conference 24 hours later, Mackay said: “I did feel I was going to lose my job on the weekend. The email (from Tan) deeply upset me.

“I declined to resign and expected to be sacked over the weekend. To give the fans a clap (at Anfield) was something I wanted to do for the support they had given me.

“I don’t know if we can talk. Mehmet (Dalman, the Cardiff chairman) has been trying to do this for three months, as have I.

“There are certain areas that have to be addressed that were in the email. I will find out when I go to the meeting.

“At that point I will take stock of where I am.”

Mackay revealed his agent had been working hard to arrange a meeting with Dalman and Tan to try and put the issue to bed, but those attempts had fallen on deaf ears.

“My representative has been talking to Mehmet in recent days because I have been busy looking after the football side,” he added.

“I wanted that meeting to be today and that was declined, or tomorrow and that was also declined.

“Unfortunately it doesn’t look like being until the end of the week.”

Mackay took charge of Cardiff in June 2011 and took the club to the League Cup final in his first season before masterminding promotion to the top-flight the following year.