I'm getting a bit tired of the he's a board member thing. It's just a benign nod to them showing they value the role of head coach when they don't; they do what the fuck they like.
Charnley was trying to bank on, and perhaps still is, that he can play this off as a transition season for McClaren - if he keeps us up then we can kick on, rome wasnt built in a day yada yada.