The Tom Scully Saga

[Grimes is Great 183]

Why? What would they say? The same thing they have always said - "we respect Tom and his management's decision to put off talks, we will resume them in due course."

The club could only pour fuel by saying something.

And since when does Andy Maher have the standing in our great game to demand a response from us?!

This thread should be tacked on to the back of the 'Scully' thread, I don't want to drown in Scully threads.

Maher maybe a goose but he obviously has some mail from a respected source or he would not come out and say it on radio. I want him to stay like everyone else does.

[Tony Tea 2,806]

Maher said his Scully info was also on AFL360 last night. I didn't see 360 last night. So, was it?

[Strawbsodwyer 0]

its not a matter of whether scully is a liar its a matter of the rubbish rules where he is not allowed to disclose that he has signed with GWS until the end of the year.

[dees189227 12,369]

The thing is I dont care who says it the fact is its another person saying he will probably go even though he said Scully has tried to get out of it. Most footy people think he is going.

The thing is I know he will get a heap of money chucked at him, probably to much for a 3rd year player but I just hope he realises it isnt everything.

The thing is why would he want to go to GWS. Thye are going to be worse than Gold Coast and wont play finals for years. Id like to think next season we will be well cemented in the top 8.

I reckon Tom would be the sort of player that would get frustrated with lack of wins.

Please stay Tom.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

pointing out what a [censored] Maher is does not change the thing he has said

i find it extremeley hard to believe anyone would say that without good reason

same goes with McGuire and Sheahan

not looking good folks

[Choko 493]

FWIW Heads of Agreement can be enforceable, but in this case there is no way an HoA could be enforced, because of the formal requirements, the fact this is employment and also who would try to enforce a player who didn't want to play with them.

So there is every chance Maher is full of it more generally, but he is absolutely without doubt full of it when he says Scully would find it difficult to pull out of an HoA.

[rpfc 28,250]

pointing out what a [censored] Maher is does not change the thing he has said

i find it extremeley hard to believe anyone would say that without good reason

same goes with McGuire and Sheahan

not looking good folks

If he has such impeccable sources then I question why they would say it.

Gubby Allan is a conniving bastard of the highest order - he is brilliant. And these rumours are exactly what he wants floating around. It's designed to push the Melbourne footy club into a position to do something stupid like throwing down an ultimatum or constantly talking about loyalty (ala Mark Thompson last year).

I have heard the same rumour as Maher but without knowing who his sources are I can't say they are impeccable.

They are all whispers in the air to me.

[mauriesy 7,256]

not looking good folks

Why not?

What Maher has said is either another load of rubbish or it has some truth. If it's a load of rubbish, it's just another in a cavalcade of rumours and concoctions to sell media. If it's true, it's not a binding contract and according to the source Scully wants to stay, therefore he can ignore it and back out.

I don't see reason for more hand-wringing and head banging, or for yet another Scully/GWS thread.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

So there is every chance Maher is full of it more generally, but he is absolutely without doubt full of it when he says Scully would find it difficult to pull out of an HoA.

So his impeccable source is plain wrong on this point. Next....

[H_T 3,043]

Have merged threads. It's all Scully...

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

Why is this worrying?

He's either going or staying, and there's not a goddamn thing any of us can do about it.

So have an extra glass of warm milk before bed and get on with the rest of your lives.

...............

So Andy Maher has an "impeccable" source?

What of those impeccable sources who say Scully's staying?

This GWS/Scully affair is a mine field of vested interests, scuttlebutt, disinformation, and plain old sh*t-stirring.

Who can possibly make sense of it? Not Andy Maher, Mike Sheahan, or anyone except Scully and his manager.

[stranga 328]

Too many people are putting their reputations on the line now for this to be purely speculation. This suggests to me that there is some truth in it. Maher for example is not usually a rumour monger from memory.

Also, the fact is that history tells us that most players who were strongly spoken about for the GC last year ended up leaving. Scully is high on the list.

In Scully's press conference he wasnt definitive either way. Used a lot of words like "Hope to". People in football tell white lies all the time.

The CBA probably wont even be resolved by contract date now so that excuse goes out the window. Plus as weve seen other players (murphy, pendlebury) are indicating they will put pen to paper soon.

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

same goes with McGuire and Sheahan

McGuire is renowned for checking his facts before rushing to the microphone.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Why is this worrying?

He's either going or staying, and there's not a goddamn thing any of us can do about it.

So have an extra glass of warm milk before bed and get on with the rest of your lives.

...............

So Andy Maher has an "impeccable" source?

What of those impeccable sources who say Scully's staying?

This GWS/Scully affair is a mine field of vested interests, scuttlebutt, disinformation, and plain old sh*t-stirring.

Who can possibly make sense of it? Not Andy Maher, Mike Sheahan, or anyone except Scully and his manager.

Shut up, I'm sick of being told how to feel about the Scully situation

The bloke is going to be the next Judd and could well be the difference between winning a flag or not winning a flag

If he leaves it is a disaster and just because i personally cant do anything about it does not mean im not going to worry about it. I personally cannot affect the outcome of this week's match but i am still emotionally invested in it, if thats ok with you

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Too many people are putting their reputations on the line now for this to be purely speculation. This suggests to me that there is some truth in it. Maher for example is not usually a rumour monger from memory.

Also, the fact is that history tells us that most players who were strongly spoken about for the GC last year ended up leaving. Scully is high on the list.

In Scully's press conference he wasnt definitive either way. Used a lot of words like "Hope to". People in football tell white lies all the time.

The CBA probably wont even be resolved by contract date now so that excuse goes out the window. Plus as weve seen other players (murphy, pendlebury) are indicating they will put pen to paper soon.

bingo

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

Enjoy your worry then. Hope your fingernails stand up to the punishment.

[rpfc 28,250]

Too many people are putting their reputations on the line now for this to be purely speculation. This suggests to me that there is some truth in it. Maher for example is not usually a rumour monger from memory.

Also, the fact is that history tells us that most players who were strongly spoken about for the GC last year ended up leaving. Scully is high on the list.

In Scully's press conference he wasnt definitive either way. Used a lot of words like "Hope to". People in football tell white lies all the time.

The CBA probably wont even be resolved by contract date now so that excuse goes out the window. Plus as weve seen other players (murphy, pendlebury) are indicating they will put pen to paper soon.

Pendles signed a 1 year contract - so he has ended the speculation...

And one player manager said the CBA wouldn't be done until December.

I would think there is an incentive for all parties to get it done - players like to get paid, the AFL likes to run a football league...

[rpfc 28,250]

It seems to me that many on here see Tom as far more honest on the footy field than he is as a person.

And that is an indictment on you, not him.

[loges 6,767]

HEADS OF AGREEMENT - Non binding agreement outlining main issues relevant to a tentative agreement

[Prof 15]

A person VERY close to Tom Scully told me 2 weeks ago that Tom has signed nothing and that Tom's management have had NO talks what so ever with GWS. Here's hoping!

[Jarka 767]

Shut up, I'm sick of being told how to feel about the Scully situation

The bloke is going to be the next Judd and could well be the difference between winning a flag or not winning a flag

If he leaves it is a disaster and just because i personally cant do anything about it does not mean im not going to worry about it. I personally cannot affect the outcome of this week's match but i am still emotionally invested in it, if thats ok with you

Curry, I feel your pain, and I'm sure everyone else feels the same because we all want the same thing, a premiership, and Scully appears to be a crucial component to achieve that.

My old man once gave me some advice, 'don't stress over things that you have no control over', which was great advice and I find myself constantly thinking those words when I realise the stress levels are getting too high. You have every right to worry and every right to voice your opinion, but I see this new rumour as being comforting, if it's false then nothing has changed, if it's true then Scully wants to stay. That's great news, and thanks to our legal eagles we know that the Heads of Agreement isn't a binding contract.

At worst it's just another rumour, at best it's the best news we could possible hear.

Having said that I'll probably still worry until he signs, and sadly it will continue until after the season finishes.

[The Chazz 4,077]

Maher said his Scully info was also on AFL360 last night. I didn't see 360 last night. So, was it?

TT, it was discussed on 360 last night. Robbo has a similar impression as most, that the result of Friday night was a big positive in us trying to keep him. They commented on the way all players got around him after he kicked his goal, even though it was a pretty standard 40m set shot.

However, Gerard Whateley was asked if he thought he was staying or going, and he believes he is going. this was based on nothing, but Robbo did say that by saying this, he is in fact calling Tom a liar.

There was one interesting point that I saw. Whateley started talking about this list of 9 names that he in under the impression has signed. Robbo asked if Scully was on that list, to which he didn't really confirm. I know that sounds vauge, but that's how it came across. But then in the next breath, Whateley put up a list of 7 players that it was public knowledge were on the shopping list of GWS, and Tom Scully's name was on that list, but so too was Daisy Thomas.

I think they did mention that Scully MAY have signed a Heads of Agreement, and that after Friday night, he (Tom) was pretty adamant to stay a Demon.

The thing with Whateley was that he didn't name any sources, and it was clear that he had no idea if Tom would stay or go. His opinion is gut-feeling, just like the rest of the football community. Robbo made the comment how one journo walked out after the presser and said that he was staying, but then Sheehan walked out and said he was going. This point about Sheehan is totally inaccurate. When Sheehan first walked out, he was convinced he was staying, and they even posted their online video thing and Sheehan confirmed this thought. However, in the space of a few hours, he was back on the "he's going" bandwagon.

Personally, my sources say he hasn't signed anything. This is probably a more reliable source than what anyone else has mentioned, and I'm happy to name the source if anyone is interested.

The other question I have for the forum is this opinion that he will be the poster boy if he were to sign up. I don't think this is entirely true. Don't get me wrong, I think he will be an amazing player, and is already showing he is well on the way to becomming a superstar, but is that enough to sell this to potential supporters? I have a couple of concerns about this - one being that I don't think he has the runs on the board yet to become a poster boy, especially if they were able to land Pendles or someone next season. The other being that I'm not sure if Scully is the type of person that would want that exposure.

[Grand New Flag 3,227]

Tom Scully must be feeling intense pressure.

Seriously guys, if Tom Scully was staying at the Melbourne FC, he would have signed or at least indicated that he wished to play for Melbourne "subject to contract agreement". One simple announcement like this would ease the pressure immensely. The fact is he has not made this simple announcement that would get the heat off him and allow him to concentrate on his football is because he is going.

The rumours have been strong for some time that he has signed with GWS and now wishes to change his mind. I have no idea whether this is true or not but I have heard this rumour over and over for at least a month. If he has signed a contract and changed his mind he should be able to get out of it (with some difficulty) and potentially cost. Standing up publically and straight out stating that you do not wish play for GWS and wish to play for MFC would go a long way in getting him out of such a contact. No football team wants a players (especially a marquee player) that does not want to play for them. If he has signed a heads of agreement he will be able to renege without any difficulty, heads of agreement are not binding.

The evidence is mounting for Scully leaving, his word is the only evidence against leaving, all other evidence points to a coup for GWS. I have no expectations of him staying, I think the odds are low, but if he does I will be ecstatic as I think he is gone.

[Guest 36DD]

Too many people are putting their reputations on the line now for this to be purely speculation. This suggests to me that there is some truth in it. Maher for example is not usually a rumour monger from memory.

Also, the fact is that history tells us that most players who were strongly spoken about for the GC last year ended up leaving. Scully is high on the list.

In Scully's press conference he wasnt definitive either way. Used a lot of words like "Hope to". People in football tell white lies all the time.

The CBA probably wont even be resolved by contract date now so that excuse goes out the window. Plus as weve seen other players (murphy, pendlebury) are indicating they will put pen to paper soon.

Wouldn't have thought so, his first gig was on a footy show on Optus Vision where he was the one asking the questions to a "deepthroat" in a darkened carpark, the questions and subject matter were no doubt prepared by the muppet himself. BTW he was terrible then and remains to this day, how do these people keep their jobs?

[agent_orange 0]

Nobody knows what Scully will decide, no media, no GWS or MFC. That is why there has been no real action. Tom wants to play footy. I think the club know they have to leave it up to Tom to decide. I doubt they will issue any requests.

At the end of the day, 22 players will win us the premiership not one. I'd love to see Skully become captain of our club because he is everything that our club hasn't been for 40 odd years.