Moving past this a bit (because we all seem to be entrenched in our opinions on the fella), the things that concern me aren't necessarily who replaces Thelwell (owners are within their right to go with someone new and potentially better suited to the structure or new circumstances), but rather two issues:
Firstly, you would hope our planning for the biggest summer in recent memory is already well underway and I question how this change isn't going to disrupt this. The DoF would be heavily involved at this stage, so with Thelwell now being a lame duck in this regard, how can he be effectively contributing to the summer planning? It seems unlikely we will get someone new in shortly, so it seems unlikely Thelwell is going to be contributing productively here.
Secondly, if you cut through the noise a little bit, names like Doherty, Newsom and Weir have Moyes's stamp all over them. My concern is that the model becomes a Sir Alex Ferguson model where we hang everything around Moyes - he has final say on everything and he becomes the defacto DoF as well as manager. This might suit some of our older readers and Brexit voters who hate change and want a return to a 442, but I think reliance on one individual like this is potentially dangerous and, when Moyes leaves, it means we have to rip the structure up and start again. The whole point of the DOF model (when done properly) is to negate this.
If you read some of the stuff Thelwell has been implementing at youth level and consistency of approach, it's actually really impressive and just needs further funding. I'd question if Moyes has the bandwidth to take all of that on.
As much as I appreciate the work Thelwell has done, it isn't his departure that concerns me so much as the potential structure the Friedkins implement. As much as I think Moyes is a great appointment as manager for the short to medium term, if the structure going forward is with him as the almighty, I think it potentially leaves us exposed.
