That could be why Hughton not appointed at Wurzels. He expected Bournemouth to go down, Howe to be sacked and fancied another job on the south coast.
Of course, we can never know what goes on in these "by mutual consent" departures. Personally, I would like to think that the club owners at least tried to persuade Howe to remain. He better than most,would have the chance to get them to bounce right back. Your theorty could be a good one BfB but I also think that if you're right, then Bristol City may look to Howe themselves. I'm sure there will be a n umber of clubs interested in Howe over the coming months.