Yeh, I don't think anyone with half a rugby brain would disagree with that. Just some forum members, ( who are apperantly in the know) would have people believe , that we'd gone to the trouble of agreeing terms with carney and wakefield for michaels! Then to ask Thompson if it was ok. It's just bollllocks! Gutted we ain't signing him myself , think he's exactly the type of player we needed

Are you saying Jamie Shaul lied? Why would he do that? I saw him and asked him about Carney. He offered up the stuff about "Thommo" as he called him. He also said (which I found a bit odd so didn't mention it in my post on here) that he would feel uncomfortable getting changed in front of Carney. Are you suggesting I'm lying or are you suggesting the whole club have been sat down and given a spiel on what to say if anybody asks? Why can't you just accept it, I had no reason not to believe Jamie in what he was saying. I can even tell you what dogs he was walking if you don't believe I spoke to him

I don't think anyone would disbelieve you (or Shaul for that matter) but the unbelievable part is that the Club would get everything set up with the players , agents and boards and then decide to ask the players. Maybe we just expressed an interest , heard rumblings of discontent and spun the story to get kudos for trying and for taking the players feelings into account? If they really did do all the work and then realize that "Thommo" may not be happy then that makes you worry about AP's judgement - again.

Thank you

Maybe there was dialogue of increasing seriousness over a period of time as potential options were explored with Carney and Michaels, in parallel to discussions with our players who as a group weren't keen, and ultimately a bigger offer came in from Koukash.

In what way did the club spin the story though? Can you link to quotes on the clubs website?

No. That's usually the way spin works though isn't it? Indirect stories , leaks , not denying rumors etc. if they've done that , fair play. Make the best out of a situation. I'd much rather it were that than the other option because we need the management to be running the club not the players.

This thread gets weirder by the day

Maybe but we get some cash , Carney is available , will it upset Thommo , ask him , yes , decision to be made , shall we go for it and lose Thommo or keep the status quo. Bid or no bid at that point. How long would that take?

Carney's being courted other clubs. We may have other options. Other senior players may have been asked for input. Painting this is a simple sequence of binary decisions could well be a huge oversimplification.