If I remember correctly, we didn't need to pay Leigh a fee for Hilly, but did. And I recall that Leigh were very happy with the sum that they received. In retrospect with Chris going on to become an England player we did very well out of it, but all that is with hindsight. Anthony England for instance has not done nearly as well so far.
As for 'losing his desire to play for Wire', I would imagine his prime motivation will be £££££££££££££. Not that I blame him, a professional rugby players career is short and he needs to look after himself, but if we had just got through to another Wembley final I suspect that Mickey might just have a different perspective about leaving mid season to join his home town club.

No, Chris was contracted when the club lost Arthur Thomas but offloading him helped us to survive before regrouping. Wire's behaviour was very honourable at that time though

You're welcome!

Good luck to him. He has served our club with distinction and always gives 100%.

We should wish him well with no ill feeling whatsoever.

My thoughts too. Yes I'm sure the situation could have been handled better, by all sides, but hey.

Good luck to him.

I don't get it, he's been a model pro given everything for all his clubs, has enjoyed a somewhat indian summer with his latest (and probably what was expected to be his last) club, has been to a number of finals, and been very successful in most of them. He's enjoyed a great relationship with the club and its fans.

And then when asked to go to leigh he's like a kid in a sweet shop and cant say Like Adrian Morley did, "i'm contracted till the end of 2015 thats it".

Instead he sees we've just lost one of the best hookers ever to grace superleague and have replaced him with a young kid who is struggling for form and the only other back up is an even less experienced kid....and decides its perfectly acceptable to ask if if he can he love off half way through the year and leave us in the .

I'd do what Wayne Bennett did to Justin Hodges and send him the out on loan to North Wales Crusaders (Hodges went to Toowoomba Clydesdales but its the same thing).

If you've no Loyalty, I've no Sympathy

I tend to agree with your sentiments but not your punishment. If it's a done deal and Mickey's head and heart aren't with us just let him go, we should behave like a big club.

What is a worrying trend for me, is that a number of senior pro's seem to be ending their time at Warrington in a messy fashion.

It leaves a pretty unpleasant taste in the mouth all round, to be honest. Higham would have been one of the last players I'd have expected to bail out early when the club and team need him most, having cashed his loyalty chips in on the way out.

As has been commented on, he is probably on a very nice contract, and has enjoyed success, prestige and glory at Warringon in the twilight of his career. But this should work both ways, though it seldom does these days, and a player (particularly a senior player) should reward the club with full commitment to the contract he has signed when times were good, when the waters get choppy.

Higham has also just enjoyed what, I assume, was a lucrative testomonial for services to the game and I'm sure he had the full weight of the club in support of this as a recognition of his efforts in the P&B.

All rather tawdry, disappointing and distasteful I'm afraid, and not for the first time of late.

Around 6/7 weeks ago,
Hilly and Micky was on Radio Manc.

A caller asked Micky "when is he coming to Leigh.
To my surprise is answer was "I don't know", okay not wrong, but I would have thought he'd had said the usual I'm under contact at Warrington.... line.

As soon as I heard that Leigh had made a move, the first thing I thought of was that interview.
It gave me the interpretation that he and Leigh may have had unofficial dialogue way ahead of the official anti tampering date.

iv known mick all his life and hes always said he'd love to finish his career back at leigh if he had the chance and thats when even he played at wigan so its not a surprise he gave that answer,but like iv said before ur only hearing one side of the story

What an absolute load of tripe.
Listen to Lenagans interview on Wigan t.v. where he STATES that Wane, Radlinski and himself have regular meetings to discuss recruitment for the following seasons. I don't think they'd be bothered with 34 year players though.

Onto Charnley, he was in the team until he got injured. Then Manfredi came in, scoring 12 tries in eight games, an impressive strike rate I think you would agree. Deservedly he kept his place in the tean even when Charnley was fit again. Manfredi got injured v Cas so it's up to Charnley now in the next four weeks to play well enough to stay in.

I also heard the absolute tripe that Wane said also on local radio (regarding sam t) that he has nothing to do with the signing of players, that it is down to Ian Leneghan and Kris Radlinski.
He knows nothing until told otherwise and will he just trains the players he has.

That kind of contradicts everything outside your red highlights so I can only presume he is a liar or Leneghan is a liar as it seems one of them isn't telling the truth.

Well if Higham is off to Leigh, based on today's game so far, he's got some real indiscipline and niggle to learn.

They aren't that good either.........but wakey are pooper

Wane also said that he had spoken to Sam Tomkins two weeks before the signing was announced. Do you honestly believe that he he didn't ask Sam about a possible return to Wigan. If the answer was in the affirmative Wane would then have spoken to Lenagan and Radlinski and it would have been their job to get the deal done. You do know that Moran also put his bid in don't you, not Tony Smith.

As with ALL clubs the coach will have a say in who HE wants but the CEO and the owner will have the final say.

I heard him also say he often speaks and msg ST.
Like you I also think their talking would be more candied.

But...that wasn't what the Ape said happens over ST signing and others. His interview was as clear cut as I said, he left no room for ambiguity.

ST was never going to come to Wire.
Simon Moran alleged bid was a no frills double whatever you get offered from the Pies. Take it or leave it.
If it takes more than 3 seconds to consider that offer, then he had no intention of going anywhere but the Pie dome.

Apparently Mick's walked out from the club.

I hope it isn't true, an absolute disasterous way to end his time with us. And if he does end up at Leigh, you can bet your behinds he scores the winner for them or something.

All very unsavoury, if true. I'll lose a lot of respect for him if he's walked out on a contract when we need him more than we have at any point in his time with us.

If this is true, it's an absolute disgrace

I heard Warrington told him he could speak to other clubs because they weren't renewing his contract a couple of weeks ago and he exercised that right,so when his agent told them about leigh and if he could be released early to take up a 2 1/2 year contract they've made it out hes gone behind their backs,they could quite easily say yes you can go to leigh but only at the end of the season and mick would honour his contract but they've come out and put the blame on mick and made out hes the bad guy

it is. Hold his registration and take him to court for breach of contract? I can't see Micky Higham doing that though, seems very out of character. I understand his will to leave, jump a sinking ship (

) for a long term deal at Leigh that gives him security, but I don't see him as the type to go AWOL.

Nope, the finger is pointed squarely at Leigh.

Micky & Leigh had every right to discuss a 2 yr contract starting November 2015.

Leigh had absolutely no right to discuss with the player a contract starting immediately.

IF Micky has walked out, the huge amount of respect I had for him is gone - I'll wait till both sides of the story have been released officially before I cast a judgement.

+1

It doesn't matter who is at fault now.
Micky and the club need to tidy it up amicably.
Sort out Micky's move.
Show no ill feeling an invite Micky back to the club so the fans to wish him well.

Move on.