I thought the team played well when Pope was in charge, and I've never bought the simple "Pope = Dark Lord" narrative (which is not to say he's all sweetness and light either, it's usually a bit more complicated). But it was clearly over with the fans and that meant he didn't have a role effectively.
I also don't buy the "puppetmaster" line - it makes perfect sense for PR to have an MD he trusts in an area he is not an expert in, that's how most businesses work. But we ought to give PR credit here, he has seen that it isn't going to work with Pope now and made the change. Combined with putting Whis in charge, that seems to be a good couple of decisions aimed at trying to appease fans (or rectify mistakes). Now, you wouldn't see that happening at Hull...
So, good news really, as it makes for hopefully a more settled environment.