You make it sound as though the club decided to get rid of Tomasson. The theory that Waggott has got more power might be the case, more likely because Broughton is fed up with Tomasson going or that his task is being made more and more difficult bordering on impossible rather than again a choice by the club as the owners dont sack/sideline due to incompetence as we know so it wont be based on more admin failings. Eustace wasnt even at Coventry when Waggott was so that seems a lazy link. And lets face it, the choice to not reinvest the Wharton money will be solely down to Venkys, especially admist their court hearing being delayed. Either way, the club is fucked and Eustace is walking into a shit show and wont appease the fan base even if he is a reasonable appointment.

I suppose we might never know. But Broughton discussed that when Tomasson was to leave, the next head coach would be brought in to implement the same style, I suppose he does have history of bring through academy players but the style is very different or at least was at Birmingham. Doesnt scream direct replacement.

You are right that whoever has the job is going to be up against it with these dreadful owners. That being said, amidst the restrictions, his stubbornness to playing expansive football was leaving a limited group unnecessarily exposed. Our defence may not be great but it isnt the worst in the league. A more pragmatic manager like Eustace may suit working under such restrictions. It wasnt worded well, but my point was that it wasnt the club who decided to make a change. We arent a normally run club and it was Tomasson himself who made the decision that he couldnt continue. I think although Tomasson agreed to go for free in the summer, maybe he wasnt willing to agree to buy out his contract if like as he seems about to do, another job comes up within the final 2 years of his contract. Changing managers and keeping the same owners (and to a lesser extent, board) does feel like moving the deckchairs on the titanic.

Tomasson leaves as a bit of a martyr and its hard not to like him considering how hes not been shy in speaking out amidst the owners really strangling him and it feels like his departure is a bit of a fuck you to them and their associated cronies. Im not too sure how his managerial career will pan out from here or if he is a really talented manager or not. I feel like peoples opinions of him are perhaps biased because of what I mentioned in the first paragraph but there have been signs even allowing for the limitations the squad of weaknesses in his management. The defensive and set piece records are unacceptable (worst in the league) and he has been too stubborn in his style which has been counterproductive. That being said, last season he did very well to match the points tally of the season prior and narrowly miss out of the play offs. He like Mowbray before found a small and young squad struggling to maintain the pace of promising starts to get over the line. Our progress in the cups has also been a huge positive under him. I am genuinely unsure whether at a more normal club (or it seems country, unsure if that will suit him without that time on the training ground) he will flourish or if his weaknesses will continue, as he clearly has the capability to improve players. Rankin Costello, Szmodics and Adam Wharton came on leaps and bounds under him.He seems to have clashed with big personalities at times (notably Travis and Dack) so I wonder if that is a potential red flag. Interestingly, if you split his time here into half seasons, his most successful was the first half of his first season when he had yet to properly get his style across and we were very pragmatic but also incredibly clinical and efficient. As time went on we started to dominate teams but that caused results to slide. The "project" has obviously changed since and im unsure if it was partly down to the instructions of Broughton etc to play a certain way but he hasnt got the best from what he has this season which admittedly isnt much. I feel like putting the general mess to one side for a minute, Tomasson is not the right man for the job even if it took him to decide that after the final straw of the McGuire farce. Hopefully Eustace can solidify us but its hard to think anything other than warmth towards Tomasson as a person.

I think he certainly exceeds my low expectations of who would come next and in fact I would suggest his more pragmatic and defensive side at Birmingham perhaps suggests that he is more suited for the fight we are in. Ignoring other stuff for a second, Tomasson had become very stubborn with his style and it was leaving us realy exposed with a woeful league worst defensive and set piece record. Eustace has a limited track record but showed promise at Birmingham. I do wonder if he knows what he has let himself into. The toxic atmosphere I suspect will remain for the immediate future perhaps ready to erupt unless we go on a sudden run of wins. The issues are above him with all roads going to India.

I disagree. He has made out in the past that Tomasson would be replaced by someone similar in style. Eustace isnt that, he is much more pragmatic and probably a better fit for a struggle.

They ordered curry after a successful window? Even with McGuire on loan it was a shit window. @glen9mullan was any detail shed about the Wharton money and if thats as we all expect just vanished?

He is a chancer keeping it as vague as possible to cover all bases.

I know you may be desperate for gossip but youve not really gone to the right person.

The costly aspect of the Brereton and Rothwell situations was down to the owners rejecting £12m for them combined. Much of the stuff about things like attendances etc is certainly on the money though. The sad thing is he is here for the duration under Venkys.

It had those 3 but it had a lot more crap and it didnt have players like Szmodics, JRC, Hyam, Wharton, (who we had for all but 1 game so far) Tronstad, Carter, Pickering, Dolan etc. Im basing on the half season prior to the Wharton sale.

They are totally different situations to compare. Mowbray inherited a much worse squad and situation. We then had a season in League 1 limiting who we could bring in. Then he had money to spend on 3 players before a couple of summers where the purse strings were tightened and then his main players were sold/suffered career ruining injuries. Tomasson inherited a much better situation and had a bit of money to replace those out of contract. Not as much as Mowbray had but equally the squad at that side wasnt nearly as bad so it levels out. He this season has had it as rough as weve seen in years and we have gone as low as weve been in years as youd expect. Both were decent managers for us and most likely the next man will be a downgrade on both.

I mean what he inherited, ie last summer. Although the squad now is still definitely better than what Coyle left. That squad was shocking. Lowe, Guthrie and Akpan in midfield. Greer, Brown, Hendrie, Emnes, Stokes etc.

We have had many incompetent employees under Venkys but they are the issue. The only one benefit to specifically targetting Waggott is that he will be left uncomfortable as he will actually be there unlike our absent owners. But he still wouldnt walk away and Venkys certainly wont sack him.

Mowbray inherited a much, much worse squad and situation. We did spend on replacements for the out of contract players when Tomasson joined too, a rare window in which we spent a bit of money. We will never know if Tomasson could have properly kicked on from that having certainly shown signs last season that he could before the owners stopped that. He is ill suited to the current predicament. Although im not sure many people wouldnt be. There are a lot of posts to catch up on but I havent seen anyone blame JDT for our demise and if they have then they are obviously misguided. I do think that Tomasson without the rest of the shit show at a normal club would be on very thin ice now. 5 points from 11, the worst defensive record in the league and the worst set piece record in the league is not very good even allowing for the limitations of the squad. But Venkys are the main reason for the mess we are in. As ever. And Waggott, Broughton etc are symptoms of it. That "its not 95" comment was a misguided and stupid but one off comment. The drop in standards came when Venkys came through the door, not through any murky stain that a manager supposedly left, especially not one that did a decent job. Mowbray deservedly got constant pelters at various points in his time here. Especially in that season we finished 15th and the last few months of his last season. Tomasson deserves some criticism for this season even if to say that he isnt the main issue is the biggest possible understatement ever. To me, both managers have done decent jobs. Tomasson seems a flawed but talented manager to which we will never know the full potential of at this club.

Its quite incredible considering all that is going on that so many seem keen to repeatedly mention Mowbray.

Tomasson at a normal club would be very close to his P45 at the moment, a horrendous run of form, stubbornly sticking to his tactics in spite of results and a division worst defensive record and set piece record. We arent a normal functioning club though, and his inevitable departure is further evidence of that. He is a talented manager who had been hamstrung beyond belief having done very well last season and clearly has wanted out for a while. Any replacement will likely be from beyond the bottom of the barrel and there is an evergrowing possibility of relegation, it doesnt bode well when its clear from a public forum that our players lack the mental strength to deal with adversity. The McGuire non signing might turn out to relegate us in a way and not because of missing out on any goals. The fuck up has massively increased the toxicity around the shoddy ownership and the idiots they employ, the manager is about to walk and things are stacking up against us.

Or Moran.

A stupid idea from an idiot to host such a meeting and I dont think it helps anything to have it then swear people to secrecy. Also, if being booed off at half time leaves any of the squad in the wrong state of mind then they wont get far in this game.

Will Szmodics even be fit? Limped off at the weekend.

Im not sure its an accurate comparison because although Mowbray did have more money to spend, the squad he inherited on the brink of relegation was worlds apart from the one that Tomasson inherited off the back of finishing 8th. Lenihan and Rothwell as permanent players admittedly left but were replaced by Hyam and Szmodics in the only summer in years in which any reasonable money was spent. He did well to match the points tally though and definitely showed enough in that second successive league above expectations finish to suggest that in a more normal club he would be capable of achieving something good.

In a perverse way, the off the field shit show might help to preserve his reputation. Hes clearly handicapped by such a limited squad but his stubbornness to change tactics, the defensive record and the set piece woes culminating in a rapid decline down the table with 5 points in 11 ganes is overshadowed. Rightfully so, everyone is focused on the real issues at the club, so he knows that he could lose the next 5 games and I still think no one would turn their ire from Venkys and Waggott. When he moves on, you would think that potential employers would focus more on the 7th place finish compared to this seasons right off unless maybe we went down. Theres definitely a talented manager there. One destined for big things/a big division job? Jury is out.

It seems that the new processes that Broughton promised would eliminate the chance of a repeat were not fool proof. All this talk of he was a busy boy sorting other bits or he shouldnt have to check everything, he is responsible for the recruitment side and again a transfer has fallen through. Is he the main problem here? Clearly not but he does have SOME responsibility here. The whole non football side needs gutting, including him. It wont because the real problem wont do that.

I get how Waggott might massage ticket sales to hit target. Its a bit of a stretch for him to purposely sabotage transfers to try and earn a bonus or earn brownie points. If anyone has done it on purpose its the owners. If he has trusted Silvester to do it without checking it himself after last time, then again, obviously Silvester should go but its also on Broughton who clearly hasnt learnt. Obviously it doesnt mean he was twiddling his thumbs, nor do I think he was responsible purposely. But hes another I think we would be better without.

Again, I totally agree with your stuff on the real problems. The budget slashing, the moving of the goalposts. These are the quite frankly unsustainable issues that will lead to relegation, maybe not this season but next. But what I cant get my head around is that you cant seem to acknowledge that Broughton holds ANY blame in the debacle. If it is a case of purposeful fucking up of the deal, and im not ruling it out totally, then surely he wouldnt be at the club now. IF the issue is as reported, following Broughton promising that this wont happen again and the processes will be changed, yet he hasnt found time on deadline day to just quickly 100% check to be sure the submission has been done on the most important deal of the three, that simply is unacceptable. Just because Tomasson didnt mention him is immaterial. Internal politics. The people he did mention are bigger problems, most notably the owners who are the problem and the rest including even Waggott are just symptoms. But Broughton is still a problem.