I think they're terrified by the sort of realistic shortlist of candidates they can put together and the potentially enormously serious ramifications of getting it wrong again.
I have also read it suggested that none of Brands' targets are available currently and therefore there is no desire for change on his part if he has to recommend "settling" for someone else. There is some logic to that admittedly but it doesn't leave anyone, including him, in a good light overall.
It would hardly have been a huge stretch of the imagination to forsee this very scenario unfolding.
And I think appointing a more "horses for courses" candidate is made more difficult after Allardyce - nobody credible will accept a six-month deal knowing they have the club over a barrel if they want to sack Silva now.
Perhaps they could make a permanent offer conditional on certain targets being met first but that will only further muddy the waters as far as timings go.
It is a mess and one of their own making. This is what happens when there is an absence of leadership at executive level and clear delegation.