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Alan Hardy has hit back at Forest Green Rovers's claim that Notts County have breached FA rules in their pursuit of Liam Noble. Rovers chairman Dale Vince had claimed that County had made "behind-the-scenes contact" with Noble, having had offers for the midfielder rejected. However, Magpies owner Alan Hardy insisted his club had acted "in a professional and diligent manner". "I feel compelled to set the record straight regarding a number of comments made by Dale Vince, chairman of Forest Green Rovers," he is quoted by the Nottingham Post as saying. "Firstly, in respect of his claim that we have released a number of press statements about their player, we put them to proof on this matter. "The only statements made by the club have been those attributed to me or Kevin Nolan over the past 48 hours. "I can confirm that a number of bids have been made by the club, and that the final bid was for a transfer fee of £100,000 payable immediately. "Why Dale Vince would deny this when it is fact baffles me. "Furthermore, our Football Operations Director Jason Turner, who has been handling this matter in the strictest of confidence, was told by James Mooney of Forest Green Rovers when the final bid was rejected that they would not sell him to us for double the price. "Dale Vince also claims they have been very clear from the outset that they did not want to sell Liam. "While this may be the case, they have also been very clear from the outset that an offer of £100,000 guaranteed would be acceptable. "It was only when this bid was lodged that they changed their minds. "I am more than comfortable that we have negotiated with Forest Green Rovers in a professional and diligent manner but we now move on and look forward to welcoming them to Meadow Lane in October." Let Pride of Nottingham know your thoughts by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining the conversation.

Forest Green Rovers have responded to Notts County's criticism of the Liam Noble transfer saga by describing their conduct as "megaphone diplomacy" and suggesting that they have issued false stories in the press and broken FA rules. For weeks, the Magpies have been trying to sign their former player, but this week it was confirmed that he would not be leaving the newly promoted League Two club. This led to Alan Hardy describing the whole saga as a "huge waste of time and effort by everybody at the club" and claimed that he and his club were messed around by FGR. In response, chairman Dale Vince released a statement which read: "We've watched with an increasing sense of bewilderment as Notts County have released a series of press statements about their interest in our player. It's one thing to engage in such megaphone diplomacy, and quite another to put false stories in the press. We have received a series of bids for Liam, the first we considered to be a joke. Their latest 'final' bid we received was not for £100k as their owner claimed in the press yesterday. Equally, the claim made yesterday about us suggesting they could double that amount and still not get him is completely false. We've been very clear from the outset that we did not want to sell Liam and the antics of Notts County since then have only firmed up that position. Liam Noble - Captain of our play-off winning side - is not for sale. We want Notts County to stop what they are doing, including the behind-the-scenes contact with the player, which we consider to be a breach of FA rules. Forest Green Rovers may be the newest and smallest member of the Football League family, but we know how to conduct ourselves and how to undertake a transfer negotiation the right way - quietly and respectfully club to club." Share your thoughts about this story on the Pride of Nottingham forum.