I don't think speech impediments are a taboo subject for humour, for instance the Only Fools and Horses episode about Tony the Singing Dustman was absolutely hilarious; there was also the Pontius Pilate sketch in The Life of Brian. But there was no humour in the sun story, just simple sneering at a decent man.
Just been reading the Neville story - full credit to Hodgson, he's not exactly hanging around - he knows things need to be in place quickly and he's responded with appropriate decisive action. This appointment could be a lot of fun...