Uncle Dave,

From reading your posts in this matter it’s pretty easy to ascertain two things....

1. Your intention is to take the job over and stab your friend in the back...

2. Your ego is so inflated that you are failing to see that you are a "hired gun" in this situation and nothing more.

If you want to run the show that's fine but get your own gig. Attempting to take the gig away from the person that hired you in the first place is unconscionable. There is no "gray" area when it comes to ethics; you either do the right thing or the wrong thing. In my opinion your ethics leave something to be desired but if its works for you and you don't feel any guilt, great.

If the management offered me the gig I'd never take it no matter what, even if the other guy was fired. I've turned down many lucrative gigs because the person I'd be replacing is a friend. Knowing that there will never be any animosity between me and my friend is worth far more to me than what I was offered to take the gig. Of course YMMV from mine greatly.