I'm probably in a minority but I'm not too gutted about this. Do I think Beale has the makings of a good coach? Yes, absolutely. We've seen the evidence of this. Is he the finished article? Absolutely not as we saw from losses to Coventry, Huddersfield and (in particular) Hull and Blackpool. We're 7th, not top with a 6 point gap to second.
I think the fact Beale came to us - and did well at first - is as much of a reflection of where the club is at now as it is about him as a coach. We have a good group of young players who are getting better, and our finances are in order. That allowed us to recruit in key areas with the likes of Paal and Clarke-Salter joining in the summer. Between Willock, Chair and Dieng there is some good value in the squad, little of which was built by Beale. That, plus our location and general trajectory, makes us a very attractive proposition to any good manager out there - including the likes of Critchely, who would be my top pick.
Those of us sad to see Warburton go were pleased with what we saw from Beale and I'm sure we can all be pleased again - especially bearing in mind SLF has picked good managers to date.
As for Beale - I think it's an odd choice for him and short-sighted but that's no longer our concern or care. I wish him no ill-will but it's hard to see him doing well out of this imo.