I'd agree that the knack for spotting a gem seems to have left the club wih Caisley, as the sister thread I started pretty much demonstrates. Some of SM's signings did repay his faith - Menzies, Heath, BK, Semi, Morro, Scruton, but not enough.

Some of the signings we thought were far too low quality at the time of signing turned out to be very solid players IMO such as James Evans, Marcus St. Hilaire.

As per, spot on.

Recruitment in recent times, shambolic.

Lots of common denominators.

It's clear where the lack of steering, judgement and direction has emanated from.

Sorry, I thought it was widely known. Cant remember his name just that he was a prop with another Yorks team (not Leeds).

It's nothing to do with Francis Stephenson

No.

Who is it? I'm oll oyt of ideas.

Yeah philgee I mention richie and stephen!!

It is alright praising caisley but it does alarm me how his slight faults are brushed over. His willingness to go over the cap as chairman who could have said no- was he not super league chair when salary cap came in?? scruples a plenty.
His willingness to tout our young talent and sell to the highest bidder whilst still having a major share in this club.
Again he agreed with nobby to sign harris (a solicitor unable to read small print) even though he knew it may cause ruptions due to his huge salary and lose home grown stars.

3-4 years time these stop gap signings will be coming to an end- youth will have experience and our squad will have built some stability we need to be patient.

Indeed.

He was a rough and ready prop who the club thought they could make into a SL player. Based on his subsequent career he was no great loss. Not the real McCoy so to speak.

Playing union in Dubai ?

Letting Hanley go?

Er...it was rather more complex than that. We went over the cap because the RFL ruled that image rights paid to Harris's company by a so-called unconnected third party - a device used widely, it seems (see, e.g. "Sculthorpe; Gillette") were subsequently deemed to nevertheless count under the cap. For reasons that only those party to the affair will be fully au fait with. Even though arrangements like Scully's were seemingly fine.

Coincidentally, we were in the middle of the mother of all legal disputes with Leeds over Harris at the time, and of course the conspiracy theorists asserted that the RFL was at that time the enforcement arm of the Leeds club. What ARE these conspiracy theorists like, eh...?