Prestwich_Blue said:
As a former union official I had to back and defend members & other situations even if it was personally distasteful to me. Any disagreements would be hammered out behind closed doors. That's the way it works. I don't particularly like Gordon Taylor personally but he's a union official and I'd expect him to back his members publicly. Once you accept something that isn't quite in accordance with the agreed rules then you set a precedent for the future.
The criticism I'd have is that you need to be careful that you choose the right battle to fight. If the PFA is saying it doesn't believe Tevez refused to play, then they need to be very sure of their ground. I would assume they'd seen the evidence presented at the club inquiry but if they haven't then they're fighting the wrong battle. If they were to fight the size of the fine on its own, then they'd have a better case in my opinion. But I also know that negotiators often initially take extreme positions when they've got a less extreme fall-back position.
As a former union rep who went to the TUC union 'school' in Manchester in the 1980's I can confirm this is how we were taught to negotiate too.
It could even be argued that PFA intervention may be better for City, as they are more likely to tell Tevez the bare facts of likely success or not. Certainly moreso than a fancy lawyer whose primary interest could be spinning it out for as long as possible.