It gives TS a chance to negotiate a lower salary. It might plant a seed in any potential new managers mind, that this is not a forgone conclusion and  that a last minute application from another candidate might usurp him. It's all a bit of cat and mouse at the moment. The next manager is also not stupid and has made himself 'visible' for other jobs that are currently available.

Knowing how Tony does business, he will also be thinking about the next but one manager and there'll be plenty of new kids on the block that he wants to have a look at.

To the tune of Paint it Black.

"I see a cheap option

His name is Eric Black

No Scotsmen any more

Unless it's Eric Black."

sickly child wrote:

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Cheap would be disastrous, we need to think incremental.

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 Cheap and cheerful for me.

Come on then, Ian: who's the bloke with the pipe? Thought it might be Bertrand Russell but clearly not.