Johnblue21
Player Valuation: £500k
You make some really sound points mate and I think my stance on him is shaped by fans with tunnel vision that are never going to be happy, even if we signed Messi they would be complaining we are paying him too much.I'm neutral on him mate. For some reason he seems to polarise people, and there's never anything balanced.
He isnt given any credit for signing players but gets the stick when we get a bad one. People seem to think some signings are "his" signings and some are the manager's whereas in reality he signs off on all transfers regardless of whether they were suggested by the manager or by the recruitment dept. The recruitment dept is headed by Steinsson. Blaming Brands for some deals and not giving him credit for others is a total nonsense and betrays a complete misunderstanding of how the club works.
What I find him culpable for is allowing us to get into the position of being this far into P&L issues. On the one hand you'd have divvy fans moaning that he wasn't spending enough, but on the other he's knowingly walked us into a position where we are shopping at Barnardos when a more balanced approach over the last few years (not buying Kean at all given we had a good young striker ahead of him, not agreeing £200k pw to a player who can seemingly only play for one manager, not agreeing £100k pw for Mina, etc) is what he should probably be carrying the can for. Granted, he's had issues to contend with that he inherited and time seems to be blinding people to that, but we could have been more prudent since then. He's not got the balance right between still trying to remain competitive and getting us on an even keel.
In short, the mess of this window is not entirely Brands' fault, but he certainly shares some of the blame, a fair chunk of it actually.
I would challenge that while Brands signs off on all transfers, he is an employee at the end of the day and if the owners tell him to sign someone then you are going to do it or walk. This is where reality vs make-believe plays a factor, that we all suspend reality and fall on our sword, yet 99% of people on here wouldn't leave the job that Brands has because of Owner interference, as 99% of big clubs are exactly the same or worse.
So I disagree with the badge that they are all his signings, but you are right he has made mistakes the Mina situation is strange given what Barca paid for him and what his salary was, but then that window was a bit silly in terms of transfers and fees....I only say that because he has proven an excellent negotiator on several transfers. As for JR well that was all part of the package for him accepting the job....
What frustrates me is that interference, and I only hope this embarrassing window makes the owners reflect on how they have put us in this position and really let brands take complete control because I 100% think that a Manager with no Ego or say in player appointments and leaving it to Brands will be a strategy that will really pay off, so here is hoping that Rafael and he can work together.
Donny van de Beek who saw that coming,