Why could Eales not of made the decision? Just because he backed Appleton through bad results doesn’t mean he will do the same to another manager.
Eales has access to all of the background information that we don’t, the results didn’t go Appleton’s way to begin with but he was building something, learning and improving while keeping good relationships with everyone and had bought into the whole ethos that Ashton/Eales wanted at the club while the club was in transition from previous to new ownership.
Clotet came in after we had been promoted and stabilised in league one, it may not of been a perfect situation but it was better than the hand that Appleton was dealt. Clotet went his own way with player recruitment, obviously with Eales backing but still he must of convinced him that it would bring success, when it didn’t, and the foreign player have flopped badly, only one person was going to take the blame for it.
Add in some terrible performances on top of worsening form, the fact he was given new players he was reluctant to play, rumours of not getting on with backroom staff (which Eales would know the truth of) and Eales was in decision making time.
