News: Shepherd Deal Is Off

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Feel sorry for the guy, to make the decision to up your family and move to the other side of the world to progress your career, only to fail a medical must be a tough pill to take.

Wish him all the best for finding a new club/recovery

Beat me to it, Eds!


FHS.

exactly Matt - this must be a difficult time for the lad - ends up in the other end of the world with suddenly no job.

I hope he finds another club soon and can move on - as we must.



“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Benjamin Franklin

Tetleys Block F E143

Ditto. Good luck to him.

You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes well you might find, You get what you need.

Richards/Jagger

50p says he ends up at Sale.

you don't say

More likely London Welsh

I really think this reflects badly on the club, I know if I were in his position i'd be none too happy. And also the club wants to look at who is party to confidential information in that a couple of weeks back someone was able to relay this very news on this site it is rumoured before the player was informed himself.

Now i'm sure one of those that thinks the club can do no wrong will tell me off!

This is positively my last comment on this topic. If there's one thing that perhaps the club should learn from this, and some previous similar events, is that they should not announce any signings until AFTER a medical has been passed. That scenario would be helped if they arranged their own medical examinations as soon as the contract is ready for but before signing even if that entails expensive trips to or from the UK for that purpose.

I would agree - we did this once already - and to misquote outrageously -

Quote:

Oscar
To lose one player after signing on medical grounds, Mr Robson, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness

“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Benjamin Franklin

Tetleys Block F E143

Quote:

Chris B
50p says he ends up at Sale.

...or with our luck, a future superstar at 'Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon' as it appears to be known in this country.

Just a thought here and I've not checked the timelines involved but: Did Cam announce he'd signed for us BEFORE the club released it?

If so that may explain why the club announced it before his second medical

Nope, only announcement we all knew publically before saints announced it was Wilson thanks to our French Saint friend

So if the club waited until now to announce his signing, does that mean the last 3 months would have been full of "why haven't the club announced the signing of Cameron Shepherd?!"

Joe, The Saints did announce Shepherd's signing but really never said when he was arriving.

I don't think Wilson is a direct replacement, I noticed recently someone asked him how long he was at Northampton for and the reply was just a year. Now that can be extended but its some way off the 3 years Shepherd was on. Plus the original timings of the announcements by saints of Shepherd and the french article saying we had signed Wilson don't really add up to that argument.

It certainly looks like we will have our options open to us and we also have a pocket full of cash available if required too.

David - Not so
Saints Duncan timeline is he said he would be coming here 3 weeks before the announcement

90 days ago on this site:

Quote:

Glorydayz
Re: Cameron Shepherd
Posted by: glorydayz (79.75.105.253)
Date: 04 May, 2012 07:04

I can add a bit to this thread as I know his brother through work and when I asked him if he would sponsor me for tomorrows SWHX he told me the news. Pretty definite that he will be joining us - house hunting already.

Then his tweets from 6th May stating he would be arriving here end Aug
Then 3 weeks later the club announcement

David L

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

- Live wrong and preposterously

True David,

I think the point there is that what we see and what we know outside the club and the players in general.

We only see a snippet of the lives and just because one person said something outside of that doesn't mean thats when it's happening.


There is and has been too much said about this subject and what probably started out as a simple question was probably executed badly as I know when I read a topic suggesting that the shepherd should decide if he is coming or going was a little bit out of sorts. It's fine to be curious but I thought thew whole debate had gone beyond curious and bordered on personal for not being told. Add several opinions to that and you almost get a mini warfare or words and confusement.

As it turned out the contract was signed with conditions, one of them clearly being subject to final medical (probably something that has in line with the current injury the player had). There would have been a medical done in Australia by some means but it's not done by the Saints Medical staff whom have to become responsible for the players wellbeing and it appears that after seeing the player in person either before or after the 1st August that they was not completely satisfied with the findings and the club then invoked the said clause in the contract. All parties would have been made aware of this and known that this could have been a potential outcome.

The only lapse in communication may have been from the club was to announce at point of announcement the player was subject to a final medical (something that is common in Football so not something that has to be kept secret, the outcome is different). Had this been done then maybe some peoples minds might of been a little more at ease.

The delay after that probably as some have said, lawyers and contract talsk need to be worked through and dealt with properly.

To be honest though, it's not even the first game of the season yet and it was reacted to like we was playing a match this coming weekend and the player was needed.

The two major parts of this failed signing that concern me are;
1. We have made the same/similar mistake that was with Balan and Van Niekirk - signing announced before player completing a full medical. Why couldn't we get medical and performance conditioning staff to a suitable facility in AUS or fly the player in - he wasn't playing in the build up to the signing announcement.
2. The time that goes by - certainly for 1 or 2 months maybe we thought his squad position was covered and so may have missed out on a suitable replacement in the interim who has either joined another club or re-signed at his present team.

I believe we are not short of numbers in the back three, however I believe we are currently short of quality!!

These are supporters concerns Buck not necessarily the coaching staff, sounds to me he had a number of fitness goals to hit prior to starting and he hasn't satisfied one, some or all of these. If you had made the call in May he wasn't fit so wouldn't have signed him, but they have given him a decent chance to prove fitness ahead of teh current season.

On your second point i doubt given the fitness conditions he was seen as a nailed on signing by the coaching staff and would have planned around this.

Agree with David T, we only get a small piece of the jigsaw and make up the rest with speculation. Shame for everyone concerned but right decision has been made IMO.

Quote:

believe we are not short of numbers in the back three, however I believe we are currently short of quality!!

Anyone remember when Bruce Reihana was announced?, not a world class super star, best known for appearing in the 7's and yet he quickly became a legend..

It's a dissapointment for us, a great shame for him and egg in the face for the club.

I agree with those who say that the club got it wrong in announcing the signing too early but the bigger concern for them must be how this news got leaked in the first place.

I hope that Sheppard gets a new club and that this incident doesn't affect his employment chances too much. "Best of Luck Mate" as the Aussies would say.

Once more this site is making conclusive judgements without knowing the facts. Heresay plus possible plus maybe do not add up to definite. We do not know anything about detail of contract, prior medical checks, post medical checks, criteria to be met, family upheaval or impact on player. It is just speculation and as such just as damaging as the original situation. Fact - player signing announced. Fact - Club decides not bringing player announced.

It is not good to criticise the club, our club, when we know next to nothing.

Sad to see that he is not coming.

Having watched him play for the Waratahs and locally with the Western Force he never failed to deliver and was held in high regard by all those who were involved with him.

I was really looking forward to seeing him in the GBG and have already booked with Setanta to watch Saints this season with him being a bit of a bonus

Sadly it didn't work out but hopefully he will get fit and continue a career sadly blighted by injury.

Now watch him become a star for Sale.

According to Celebriani, Cam is training at Sale. Hope it works out for him and he doesn't punish us to much.

According to Loopy Fissler in today's R/T
He has signed for Sale on a short term deal.

David L

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

- Live wrong and preposterously

This is pretty official.


Looks like he needs to lose a few pounds as well.

You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes well you might find, You get what you need.

Richards/Jagger