This is a very shrewd appointment by Solly Lew and his board. The "elephant in the room" is obvious to all therefore no "skeletons in the closet" anymore. McInnes has "paid for his misjudgements" and is now moving on. By admitting his error, and being very mindful that if he repeats it he will be well and truly finished, he can now get on with his core skill set.

However, I doubt that if McInnes again transgresses, he will find much forgiveness in Lew and his board.

For McInnes, its an incredible opportunity to "erase" the negatives by demonstrating his retailing prowess and delivering to his "saviour" the financial returns he desires.