2019/20 Marcel Brands

[Toffeelover]

I think he's still done a great job overall. We are much further on than I thought we would be just over a year after his appointment, the disappointment comes from the deflating end to the window.

Yes he could have tried to get more money for some of our sales, but I suspect that if he tries that, then it would hold up our purchases. This is because we obviously had to sell/have a clear out in order to buy - I don't mean that with the negative connotations that are normally applied to that phrase.

People who are complaining about the players he has signed not being unheard of gems - he is not a chief scout, he is a director of football. That means that he has to look at the best available options to us. He hasn't gone for players geared for the short term who aren't actually very good like Koeman/Walsh did with players like Williams, Bolasie, Schneiderlin etc, nor for a team like a FIFA wannabe with 20 16 year olds in it. He has signed players like Richarlison and Iwobi who are medium to long term investments - decent now with the potential to improve massively. Also having the eye to get players like Digne and Gomes who people at best thought were decent but actually turn out to be great players. I believe next summer will see us starting to sign young talent from across the globe as we should have fewer glaring gaps to fill throughout the team, and this process should accelerate over coming seasons.

Also, where he has done very well is in negotiating down asking prices etc. All of our acquisitions have come in for decent prices lower than what their clubs were holding out for. In the current crazy market that skill cannot be underestimated.

This approach, as Brands said himself in an interview last year, means that you have to take a risk that it might not go your way. It just so happens that everything did last summer. The lack of CB and a top level wide forward could really affect us this year, and I suspect he will have to do what he doesn't like to and dip into the market in January.

What should help to negate some of the negatives is that Silva is a proper coach and generally improves all who he trains, as we saw last year. If this wasn't probably his biggest skillset as a manager I would be more worried.

Overall Brands has been an amazing appointment for us and even though there have been some almost unforgivable errors/oversights this summer, I shudder to think how far behind we would currently be without him.

Essay over!lol

Just think if it had still been Walsh in charge of signings?

 

[Toffeelover]

Hopefully signed some very good players.

A goal scorer in Kean

A creator in Iwobi

A replacement for Gueye who can play a bit too

Just hope Keane and Mina stay injury free

Plus cover for Coleman.

 

[TheCount]

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DEFINITIVELY JUDGE A TRANSFER WINDOW UNTIL (at a minimum) THE SEASON IS FINISHED - YOU GANG OF LUNATICS.

 

[windymiller]

To be fair, we have three centre halves, one prospect and Gbamin to cover.

To be clear, I think we should have signed a centre half as our priority after Kean.

Holgate has played as many games at RB as he has at CB and Gbamin was clearly bought as a midfielder. This is what I meant about people who can fill in at CB. It's a problem.

 

[Ihaters]

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DEFINITIVELY JUDGE A TRANSFER WINDOW UNTIL (at a minimum) THE SEASON IS FINISHED - YOU GANG OF LUNATICS.

No

 

[Goat]

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DEFINITIVELY JUDGE A TRANSFER WINDOW UNTIL (at a minimum) THE SEASON IS FINISHED - YOU GANG OF LUNATICS.

I mean at least till Christmas like.

 

[Dwight K Schrute]

Just think if it had still been Walsh in charge of signings?

 

[davek]

So Dave you would have welcomed Rojo, Smalling, Jones. No doubt it was a failing to D/W the cb position, can't win them all. Also glad we did not chase Luiz.
At the end of day what CB,s were available out there? rubbish like those mentioned above?

No, I wouldn't have panicked after failing to land our primary target Zouma, I;d have had a CB Plan B, Plan C and Plan D in place. No need for Rojo last minute panics.

 

[Bullet]

Until yesterday I'd been highly impressed by Brands professionalism and clear strategy. However his failure to deliver a centre back is negligent. It reminds me of Walsh's failure to deliver a striker after Lukaku's departure. That had serious ramifications.
Our season now hinges on Mina. He must significantly improve from the injury and error prone player he was last season for us to have what would be considered a good season.

 

[davek]

I mean at least till Christmas like.

...but you were telling me I had to wait until August 8th to be piped down....

 

[davek]

I think Mina will surprise you Dave. The issue will be fitness. Thats the key question around him. When he plays, for the most part he's been impressive.

He'll surprise me if he plays more than 10 games, tbf.

 

[Charles Hawtrey]

Until yesterday I'd been highly impressed by Brands professionalism and clear strategy. However his failure to deliver a centre back is negligent. It reminds me of Walsh's failure to deliver a striker after Lukaku's departure. That had serious ramifications.
Our season now hinges on Mina. He must significantly improve from the injury and error prone player he was last season for us to have what would be considered a good season.

Perhaps a tad overstated... Mina could have a blinder of a season but if either Kean or DCL fail to find their scoring boots we will end up mid table, or any one of the myriad variables that face us this season. There is no doubt a heightened risk owing to the shortage of experienced CB's at the club, which is a risk that Marcel and Marco must look to mitigate, but its a risk not a conclusion. There is a difference.

 

[Goat]

...but you were telling me I had to wait until August 8th to be piped down....

You were never gonna concede, you were always gonna come up with excuses.

Me, im a man of honour, the CB situation is less than ideal, but im VERY pleased with the work we did elsewhere.

We had 5 targets, we hit 4 of them.

So for me I consider we had a successful window, no doubt you will see it differently, but im very excited to watch Mo Keggers, but people seem to be crying cos we didnt sign a back up CB. *shrugs*

 

[davek]

You were never gonna concede, you were always gonna come up with excuses.

Me, im a man of honour, the CB situation is less than ideal, but im VERY pleased with the work we did elsewhere.

We had 5 targets, we hit 4 of them.

So for me I consider we had a successful window, no doubt you will see it differently, but im very excited to watch Mo Keggers, but people seem to be crying cos we didnt sign a back up CB. *shrugs*

Pffft! What excuse do I have to reach for exactly?

I see a window where we had a net spend of about £40M and ended up with a weakened defence, no massive upgrade out wide in attack, and a CM that's still questionable as to how it'll survive the loss of Gueye.

That's what most see, tbf.

Brands had a 'kin mare.

 

[The Penalty Box Dancer]

With all due respect for both of your opinions, a CB was required just like a CF. We all knew Zouma and Jags were leaving so that was 2 CB's down. I think that positioned should have been hammered since the end of May.