For me its seems the owners really haven't learnt from what happened with Comolli/Kenny. A DOF only works if he can dicate to the first team coach to some extent. It seemed like it was the other way round for us over the last 12 months.
Kenny is a manager not a first team coach. And if you're appointing a manager you don't need or want a DOF. You don't appoint someone like Kenny, Wenger, Mourinho, Baconface etc and then appoint someone above them to oversee their 'football' work. They just aren't going to give up control of parts of the football operation. Maybe an exec above them looking after the deals like Dein did for Wenger but not a DOF.
If we're sticking with Kenny then a DOF just isn't needed IMO so sacking Comolli is fair enough. Will bringing in another DOF work any better? Is Kenny going to let a young DOF dicate to him? No. Is Kenny going to let Johan Cruyff dicate to him? No. So its pointless...if we're sticking with a 'manager' like Kenny.
And that's it - I don't think FSG will be sticking with Kenny. I suspect Kenny's going to be the next to go in the summer. For me the key statement from Werner was this:"We feel there is enough talent on the pitch to win and, as I said, we've been dissatisfied, as most supporters have been, with the results so far." For all of Comolli's weaknesses in negotiations and regardless of whether the players purchased were his or Kenny's decision, it's Kenny's job to get the most out of them on the pitch. The more I think about it, Kenny was not their first or even fifth choice for the job and by all accounts, they were reluctant to give him the permanent position. This season, we've won the Carling Cup, but it's clear the owner's care most about top 4 and the CL money and marketing potential and we've fallen terribly short.
IMO, they know it's suicide for them to sack Kenny (especially mid-season) with the backlash they'll get from the fans, so they'll continue to back him completely publicly and then will push him into some sort of position upstairs in the summer. The new DOF when hired will have a bit of time to settle in and pick his guy as manager before the transfer window opens. Anyway, that's how I think it'll play out.