lets face it, He had no problem signing a 3 year contact at a point where he had no idea whether or not he could cut it in the prem. He was happy to take the money a year ago when he could not have predicted whether or not he would have been value for money to the club. That contract was given to him as a show of loyalty for what he had done in the previous 2 years. It could easily have been money down the drain.
) paying someone who clearly is unhappy at the club £15/16k a week to train with and play for the reserves over a point of principal? Better to offload - for an appropriate fee and get somebody in who wants to be here and is am +ve rather than potentially -ve and risking demoralising the other troops. Don't forget the emphasis they put on deirs and team spirit - they're a close-knit group.
! Compared with that, what's happened is pretty much as good as you could hope for. Also, considering the pressure of work CH must have been under for the entirety of his year at relegated, transfer-embargoed and cash-strapped Birmingham, I'm really glad he has had time off -- though I imagine NCFC has occupied his thoughts for most of his "holiday" anyway. 