2024/25 Kevin Thelwell

[Lanolin]

That's all part of his job though, keep seeing all this guff about how he wanted this player and that player but couldn't strike a deal because we didn't have the money. He must have known his bloody budget so why was he looking at players he knew he couldn't afford? Its all fine and well saying we wanted the likes of Kudos, Diaz and co (makes him look better at the job than he is) but the reality has been very different, his job is to know the markets and make sure his budget fits it not play fantasy football trying too get "names" we can't/won't ever be able to afford.

I don’t think that really applies in this instance. Of course if you’re Ipswich and you’re trying to sign the same players as Real Madrid then it’s easy to laugh off in the way in you’re doing, but we have been run chaotically and it’s very easy to believe that the DoF would have been under the impression that we had the budget for certain players only to find when push came to shove that we didn’t. He isn’t the treasurer, he’s going to be working on the information he’s been given and - unless you’re the type who makes their mind up on a manager/DoF and sticks to it regardless… - you’d have to admit it’s highly likely our board haven’t been entirely transparent about what we can do.

 

[Simon Buttle]

I don’t think that really applies in this instance. Of course if you’re Ipswich and you’re trying to sign the same players as Real Madrid then it’s easy to laugh off in the way in you’re doing, but we have been run chaotically and it’s very easy to believe that the DoF would have been under the impression that we had the budget for certain players only to find when push came to shove that we didn’t. He isn’t the treasurer, he’s going to be working on the information he’s been given and - unless you’re the type who makes their mind up on a manager/DoF and sticks to it regardless… - you’d have to admit it’s highly likely our board haven’t been entirely transparent about what we can do.

A DoF who doesn't know what budgets he is working too is never going to be a success anywhere, yet he seems to have gone along with it the last few years and been happy too pick up the large pay packet ala Marcel Brands.

 

[windymiller]

Might be wrong but think he wanted Gyokeres and Duran before their moves but we couldn't pay the fees

Yeah, us being skint and strikers being expensive has muddied the waters somewhat. That being said, the Maupay deal was always doomed and wasn't especially cheap. Beto isn't particularly cheap either but he's no money down and the rest on the drip, so I guess beggars can't be choosers. I'm still on the fence on Thelwell's ability to spot a striker.

 

[Simon Buttle]

Yeah, us being skint and strikers being expensive has muddied the waters somewhat. That being said, the Maupay deal was always doomed and wasn't especially cheap. Beto isn't particularly cheap either but he's no money down and the rest on the drip, so I guess beggars can't be choosers. I'm still on the fence on Thelwell's ability to spot a striker.

I doubt its him doing the actual scouting tbh, it will be Dan Purdy and co.

 

[Lanolin]

A DoF who doesn't know what budgets he is working too is never going to be a success anywhere, yet he seems to have gone along with it the last few years and been happy too pick up the large pay packet ala Marcel Brands.

I don’t think it’s anything like brands at all. With brands the argument was that he was being overruled and potentially wasn’t actually responsible for a load of the signings we thought he was. On that basis there was a decent argument for saying he was being paid for nothing but happy taking the wage. With thelwell it’s more that he’s potentially overworking, finding targets in the range he’s been told to only to find out that we don’t actually have that money and he needs to find players in a lower bracket. It’s obviously guesswork, but you used the example of kudus who just doesn’t fit what you’re saying in the slightest. The reports were we signing him on loan, it was well before he was valued at £40m and by all accounts it only fell through because they sold Anthony and decided to keep him, it was nothing to do with trying to get players outside of our budget.

 

[windymiller]

I doubt its him doing the actual scouting tbh, it will be Dan Purdy and co.

True. I presume he has the final sign off, however. Ultimately, circumstances be damned, the DoF is responsible for all of our signings.

 

[Zatara]

He's deffo got a blind spot for strikers. Maupay and Beto are obviously poor signings and I guess we'll have to wait and see with Chermitti, he certainly seems to have more promise. In the other areas of the pitch I think he's done ok but it's hard to be totally sure given the financial circumstances.

Bobble said Maupay was not a Thelwell signing.

So its Beto & Chermiti.

Might be wrong but think he wanted Gyokeres and Duran before their moves but we couldn't pay the fees

Yeah hes been mentioned amongst links to players who have moved onto better pastures.

That's all part of his job though, keep seeing all this guff about how he wanted this player and that player but couldn't strike a deal because we didn't have the money. He must have known his bloody budget so why was he looking at players he knew he couldn't afford? Its all fine and well saying we wanted the likes of Kudos, Diaz and co (makes him look better at the job than he is) but the reality has been very different, his job is to know the markets and make sure his budget fits it not play fantasy football trying too get "names" we can't/won't ever be able to afford.

What makes you think he would know his budget From the sounds of things Moshiri/Kenwright would be off spending on players like Tosun and i wonder if thesedays Thelwell may need to run every deal past Moshiri

I think hes using his team of scouts and the insights and data analytics team and relying on the info they bring him. At that point hes going to Moshiri -- i dont think its as simple as hes given a budget by Moshiri.

That feels too much of a change from how things used to run.

 

[Simon Buttle]

Bobble said Maupay was not a Thelwell signing.

So its Beto & Chermiti.



Yeah hes been mentioned amongst links to players who have moved onto better pastures.



What makes you think he would know his budget From the sounds of things Moshiri/Kenwright would be off spending on players like Tosun and i wonder if thesedays Thelwell may need to run every deal past Moshiri

I think hes using his team of scouts and the insights and data analytics team and relying on the info they bring him. At that point hes going to Moshiri -- i dont think its as simple as hes given a budget by Moshiri.

That feels too much of a change from how things used to run.

How are you meant to plan or build anything when you have no idea what resources you can work with.

 

[Bluebonic]

How are you meant to plan or build anything when you have no idea what resources you can work with.

I have done that my entire career Simon, I plan each year for the next two or three, submit my required budget bid then find out I got a completely different sum from what I need. Mostly less, sometimes the amount bid for, but rarely do i have any true security of funding.

 

[Bluebonic]

I am not taking Thelwell’s side by the way, I just dont think anybody associated with a basket case business like Everton would be able to anything but hope for the best, bid for what you would like to get, then see how much you get when the Mosh empties out his back pocket?

 

[derek duvall]

Everyone knew what you meant no need to apologise


I would say a couple of things...

If we take the examples of current players in the squad hes signed, and I may be cherry picking a little but its late;

Tarkowski Free
O'Brien £12mil (as per Lyons official financials)
McNeil
Garner
Iroegbunam
Ndiaye
Chermiti

I think we'd get our money back and turn a profit on all of them.

Beto clearly is the one where fingers may be pointed. However, I am yet to see anyone provide an example where they can argue against it, bearing in mind:

We were concerned DCL may be injured for eternity and needed a starting CF signed.

He had a decent record in Italy for a struggling team

There was zero money to spend.

If there is a starting centre forward with a good record for his team available for nothing down..with the physicality and ability to play in a team on the counter...

...ive yet to see who that would have been when we signed him.

Your point about signing a bad player is a valid one but if DCL had been injured yet again I imagine you'd have slated Thelwell for not predicting it. You'd have then been correct.

As this discussion goes full circle and starts again and again...he's sold off players galore and weve been the lowest spenders in the market since he arrived.

One player in our team (Beto) may be able to be shifted for a small book loss at the worst case while others can cover that error with profit.

If he was picking and investing in stocks for your portfolio would you be happy or crying about one poor stock pick while the others are almost all winners?

Wrong. A club statement said: “Olympique Lyonnais announces the transfer of its Irish international defender Jake O'Brien to the English club Everton. The transfer fee is €19.5 million, to which a 10% interest on the capital gain of a possible transfer may be added.

More importantly. How do we get our money back on a player that's barely feature for us, let alone a profit.

 

[Simon Buttle]

I have done that my entire career Simon, I plan each year for the next two or three, submit my required budget bid then find out I got a completely different sum from what I need. Mostly less, sometimes the amount bid for, but rarely do i have any true security of funding.

I listened to a guy on the radio the other day who is a sporting director and he was talking about what the role involves, and they should know their budget and the manager is involved in transfer signings were two key points he made. Why is everything always so different with us, then we wonder why we have so many problems.

 

[Zatara]

How are you meant to plan or build anything when you have no idea what resources you can work with.

Well...exactly, its not easy

 

[Simon Buttle]

Well...exactly, its not easy

It means you need to have a watertight plan and we haven't had that under Thelwell imo. We have to hope TFG will be better as in hindsight the Dof role has been pointless under Moshiri.

 

[mahermi1]

Should he sit where the arl boys pen used to be or something?

On another note Sharpie looked really happy supporting us there didn't he..