Brands took 3 years of that though - at a certain point if you're constantly and frustratingly jumped over and not allowed to do your job then, yes, you'd leave.
If a manager was hired who doesn't want or fit the DoF role model and we have a DoF who's trying to get players of a certain quality - what's the point of the DoF trying to do his job? We're currently seeing exactly that - Dyche doesn't like certain players because he's a stubborn idiot. No doubt some of those will, like always, go on to be very good somewhere else and then the news of "he was a transfer target/trialist at Everton and they rejected him" will start appearing. Not every single one works out, but even for Brands (for whom the consensus is that his tenure was crap) - he's left us with Branthwaite and several other purchases, while being very vocal about some of the bigger "name" signings not being his decisions and I'm willing to believe this honestly as the trend is exactly the same but with Thelwell.
Not even that Big Nose is some fantastic DoF or anything, but this is not a good structure to actually progress and I honestly don't see Thelwell wanting to stay much longer, unless he has a better outline for the future and/or was promised more actual control over things.
Thelwell should leave if one thing happens. The next choice of manager has to be either directly his or one he is full agreement with if it's the owners choice.
I disagree on one part, I think Thelwell is actually a very good DoF mate. Why,, just by analysing the resources he has and the massive obstacles he had to overcome. I'll list what I think he's done very well.
First thing he did was get rid of Unsworth and the group of former players milking a living in the academy setup. Since then we've seen progress being made in the types of young lads we are bringing in and former decisions made on if they'll cut the mustard or not (few are doing the Pennington thing of being a academy player in their mid 20s still nowadays).
Lowered the wave bill hugely, a lot of that by the hard choice of biting the bullet and letting contracts expire, also been decent at getting them loaned out to somewhat mitigate the losses and sold ones whose wages weren't effectively blocking any sale.
Recruited in general younger players with potential to improve or ones who'd had a dip season. Avoided any long term contracts on older players, and spent almost nothing on players with no resale value due to their age.
Negatives
So e of his signings or 'renewed contracts' have been on the surface very debatable.
I'll list the 5 I class as dodgy and the possible reason why the surface view isn't the full picture.
Beto - DCL was injured we had no other CF going into the season, we had zero money whatsoever, Udinese where the only team willing to sanction a sake of a 'proven' scorer to us, in hindsight DCL stayed fit and Beto looked unnecessary, but if DCL had broken down we'd have needed Beto massively.
Overall though not a good buy - very much a desperation needs must one.
Maupay - just horrible, no arguing. Supposedly was imposed on him from Moshiri, guess the best we can say is he shipped him out on loan and then sold him again mitigating the costs a lot, bad buy, good recouping of the expenses.
Doucoure contracts extension, yeah don't like it, obviously a case of not wanting what was a key player to leave the team when we couldn't replace him, stands out as the one bloated contract we didn't let expire - thankfully he's gone next summer, can see why he was extended though as ges been a regular starter under everyone bar Frank.
Coleman extension - don't like, only excuse is he's an extra body in the position. Overall this seasons was a mistake to give him an extension.
Young - free and then extended.
As a one-year stop gap for a new manager getting in someone he knew and wanted, not gonna moan too much, but having had him a season and seeing how bad he'd faded too, giving him another season was a terrible choice.
Not fixing certain obvious positional needs, pacey winger, right back, left back
Winger - tried his hardest, probably the position we've been closest to getting in over the last two seasons, problem is the way we have to finance desks leaves us open to getting gazzunped, mongo, Prighones being two obvious cases, Gnoto fell down due to financing also.
Right back - obvious to me we've kicked the can down the road repeatedly, I'm guessing we've tried to make stop gaps work hoping Patterson finally gets and stays healthy and/or Dixon develops to take that roll. Problem being both senior right backs have hit the wall and are not fit to task. Funny thing though a new manager could come in play Dixon, get Patterson back in the squad and we could end up wondering why it was regarded as such an issue (maybe the solution is already there)
Left back - simply haven't got the money to buy a backup there - getting highlighted more as Myko looks worryingly like he's starting to physically break down.
