"Mr Minimum". What an insult that is.
I think you forget the state of the moral of the squad, fans and entire community before he was appointed. I for one, can say that it finally feels like being a Blackburn Rovers fan again and it's took some years to feel that way.
The owners clearly trust him and this has shown by the significant transfer fees he has had since taking over.
I think his biggest downfall was spending the money on Bretherton. If that transfer didn't happen I think the general consensus of the fan base would be that last season was a success. However, unfortunately (and understandably) people felt that money could have been used to strengthen other areas of the squad.
The grass isn't always greener and for me and I don't think there is many managers out there who care as much for their club as Tony does for us.