His record last season, as well as our general performances were very valid reasons to be critical.
We did not win a single home game under him in the entire time he was here last season, despite playing several teams around/below us.
I will caveat that with some very impressive away wins at Leeds and Leicester.
However.
This season has been an unmitigated success, to date.
Early performances weren't the best, yet we still picked up some decent wins.
Then following a little run of defeats, we've gone on this 6-game winning streak - and we have shown a bit of everything. Grit to grind out wins in dull games, flowing football leading some great team goals and we look a greater sum of our parts than we ever did under JDT (or TM).
My gut feeling says that he's trying to leverage this wave of success by trying to find another job, either closer to his home, or in the Prem.
But either way, this season I feel that he's answered a lot of questions some fans had about him.
I think he's doing an excellent job right now.