James will probably want to go, but then I wasn't really convinced he was going to stay anyway. Allan might be a bit miffed but I can't see him kicking up a fuss, and from what I've seen of him we are very much his level at this point in his career, he ain't slumming it here. Doucoure would have walked over broken glass to come here the season before we signed him, and again, he is absolutely not getting a better gig than this so would have no reason to go. I repeatedly said I didn't want Ancelotti to be sacked but I won't lie I feel like this is a massive bullet dodged and the opportunity to get back on track. Whether we'll make the right appointment to do that is anyone's guess, but I had no faith whatsoever that we were going anywhere under Ancelotti. He wasn't a good fit at all, and I think the best we could have hoped for was a similar season next year where we just clung on to Europe instead of falling away. There was no chance of lasting success going about things the way he did.
Yes I share a lot of those views. I have been very defensive of Ancelotti, partly because I think the points he's got are better than the league position but partly because in general I think we turn on managers a bit quickly and I am in favour of giving people time. But the doubts certainly started to creep in for me.
I kind of felt we had got to a bit of a fork in the road. One way was the way Ancelotti wanted to go, the other was the way the club probably needs to go if it wants to move in a sustainable direction. I don't think there was anyone in the club who was able/prepared to stand up to Ancelotti and say no, and the concern was that we may have gone further down a rabbit hole.
There is a chance of a re-set now, and the positive is it's not a re-set in mid season with us in or around the relegation zone which leads to a short termism. We finished 30 points above 18th (twice as high) last season so to me there is no excuse for a pragmatic choice of coach. I understand the criticism of Brands, but this has to be his moment to stamp his authority on the club as to what we want to do moving forward. Selecting a coach that fits that brief becomes important.
I think overall we are all a bit guilty of a bit of an old fashioned outlook, that getting the biggest name manager is how you turn a club around. What you really need is a good process, a process that makes sense for where you sit and the to be consistent and patient with it.
The alternative was Ancelotti was going to be to gamble again. Gamble on 2 or 3 players who will offer nothing in terms of "sell on" in the hope we could gate crash the top 4.