2020/21 Marcel Brands

[TimHowardsBeardJuice]

Ok , let's play the game ....
Mina - not sure probably a miss
Digne - big hit
Godfrey - hit
Nkounkou - hit but not if CA won't play him and he's the back up LB
Branthwaite - hit
Doucoure - hit
Allan - hit ( but he's clearly a CA signing)
James - hit but see Allan
Iwobi - very expensive miss
Richarlison - big hit but down to Silva
Gomes - miss
Delph - big miss
Bernard - miss

So , if you exclude Allan , James and Richarlison , he's got 5 hits and 4 misses.

Not really covering himself in glory.

Why would you exclude them?

He's not supposed to avail himself of the managers' connections?

And why is Mina a miss? Too early to tell. He's raw but improving, he's turned in a couple of near-MOTM quality outings.

Also need to include, for better or worse-

Zouma - hit for a loan, now doing well at Chelsea, shame we couldn't keep him
Gbamin - incomplete, bust so far but let's see if he learns to walk again
Sidibe - have to call it a bust loan, guy couldn't defend
Kean - incomplete, may be a star but probably not for us, if so then we sell at a big profit

Look at some of what came in the years preceding, in no particular order. DCL took several years to flourish, Gueye was great, Pickford was good to start but is falling off a cliff, Keane was bad but has come on, Rooney you can't go back, Lookman flailed for a few years and might be coming good at Fulham (might), Steklenberg meh, wish we'd given Vlasic more of a run. Then you have Siggy, Schneiderlin, Bolasie, Onyekuru, Besic, Ashley Wlliams, Klassen, Lookman, Niasse, Tosun, Walcott, Sandro, that's really grim.

Probably missing a few.

Brands is a lot better than what came before.

 

[Curtis]

My assessment of his brands takes in account three aspects-
1. His acquisitions - which have been a mixed result and the positive signings despite the influence of the manager, I consider his signings as he could veto any suggestions
True duds- gomes- good first season not so much afterwards, bernard, Delph
Didn't include mina or iwobi as they show signs of improvement

2. The positions he hasn't addressed last season and this season have left us glaringly thin in certain positions - midfield this season and previously , goalkeeper we needed a replacement for Pickford not competition, a right back to succeed or replace Coleman, a left backup that can actually step in this season not in the future.
Right winger and a forward to replace the outs of kean and Walcott which was just an odd and flawed move.
Didn't expect everything to be dealt with in one window but the loan moves were daft

3. As DOF he's supposed to in be charge of overhauling the academy and U-23 system. I know 3 and half years isn't that much time for the academy to be refined and there have been certain restrictions implemented. But only one player to make the transition into the first team is unimpressive. I know it's arduous to make the step up to the first team but other clubs like chelsea , Man u , and the RS are producing stellar academy players. obviously those are exceptions but there needs to more academy products and I feel that Unsworth is culpable. If that is correct brands needs to step in.
So ultimately Brands needs to evaluated on all three areas and by that criteria he is lacking. Am I in the Brands out camp? Maybe? I'm open to him staying if he able to hone in on the previous mentioned decencies otherwise I feel a replacement is needed

 

[Country Mac]

Mina has been our best central defenseman since he signed. Period.

Defenseman

 

[GotTheBlues]

Just one question.... why do we allow ourselves to say that Richy was a Silva signing and Allan a Carlo signing?

I ask this only because, what if It was Carlo that insisted we sign Godfrey or Silva Sigurdsson etc?

If you’re going to criticise Brands - criticise on the basis of every signing made under him, not on supposition of who may and may not have been the Managers idea - we simply don’t know aside from best guesses - don’t get me wrong, I agree the obvious ones are likely to have been pushed by Marco/Carlo but that might let them off the hook if they asked for others too?

 

[davek]

The DoF era at the club - in its very brief existence - has broken Everton away from its established culture. It's also been a financial disaster.

The Walsh/Koeman and then Brands' regimes have pretty much wasted most of the £500,000,000 spent on transfers into the club. I'm not sure where that level of spending places Everton in the table of European club spending for the previous 4-5 years, but it must be right up the top end. And we still look like a club that's got only a decent core of first team players, with inferior PL standard players beyond that core.

DoF doesn't work here. I dont know how, if or why it works elsewhere, but, demonstrably, it doesn't work here. I can only hope that fact has sunk in at the top of the club and that the handing over of transfer strategy to the manager this last summer is an admission of its failure to take root at Everton; that the Brands contract will be terminated and we go back to handing all dimensions of the football side of the club to the manager and promote someone from inside the club or outside as a savvy top flight CEO to take care of the non-playing side mostly, but also to facilitate the manager through stuff like handling the huge headache of outgoings - which have been scandalously handled for the last 4 years or so.

We need a decisive break from the recent past. Brands' contract running out allows Moshiri to reflect on a catastrophically bad business move and to correct it.

 

[blueconverse]

Just one question.... why do we allow ourselves to say that Richy was a Silva signing and Allan a Carlo signing?

I ask this only because, what if It was Carlo that insisted we sign Godfrey or Silva Sigurdsson etc?

If you’re going to criticise Brands - criticise on the basis of every signing made under him, not on supposition of who may and may not have been the Managers idea - we simply don’t know aside from best guesses - don’t get me wrong, I agree the obvious ones are likely to have been pushed by Marco/Carlo but that might let them off the hook if they asked for others too?

I think its fair to say Allan and James are both carlo signings just like rich was a silva signings

 

[AussieToffee11]

We just need more players. That’s basically it. Get us more players, Marcel.

 

[maccavennie]

We just need more players. That’s basically it. Get us more players, Marcel.

More good ones than bad ones!

 

[catcherintherye]

The DoF era at the club - in its very brief existence - has broken Everton away from its established culture. It's also been a financial disaster.

The Walsh/Koeman and then Brands' regimes have pretty much wasted most of the £500,000,000 spent on transfers into the club. I'm not sure where that level of spending places Everton in the table of European club spending for the previous 4-5 years, but it must be right up the top end. And we still look like a club that's got only a decent core of first team players, with inferior PL standard players beyond that core.

DoF doesn't work here. I dont know how, if or why it works elsewhere, but, demonstrably, it doesn't work here. I can only hope that fact has sunk in at the top of the club and that the handing over of transfer strategy to the manager this last summer is an admission of its failure to take root at Everton; that the Brands contract will be terminated and we go back to handing all dimensions of the football side of the club to the manager and promote someone from inside the club or outside as a savvy top flight CEO to take care of the non-playing side mostly, but also to facilitate the manager through stuff like handling the huge headache of outgoings - which have been scandalously handled for the last 4 years or so.

We need a decisive break from the recent past. Brands' contract running out allows Moshiri to reflect on a catastrophically bad business move and to correct it.

Thoughtful post Dave.

I think this has more resonance than the specific about the individuals involved. Is it that Brands is a bad DOF, or is it that the DOF position is flawed for a club like Everton where you have competing pressures including though no limited to;
1) A big name manager who will dictate recruitment
2) An owner who likes to influence direction, and particularly the speed of travel
3) It was a club that had 3 managers in 17 years prior to the position, again heavily dictating recruitment decisions.

There are legitimate questions as to whether a DOF will be as effective as they could be with the above conditions.

 

[davek]

Thoughtful post Dave.

I think this has more resonance than the specific about the individuals involved. Is it that Brands is a bad DOF, or is it that the DOF position is flawed for a club like Everton where you have competing pressures including though no limited to;
1) A big name manager who will dictate recruitment
2) An owner who likes to influence direction, and particularly the speed of travel
3) It was a club that had 3 managers in 17 years prior to the position, again heavily dictating recruitment decisions.

There are legitimate questions as to whether a DOF will be as effective as they could be with the above conditions.

Yes, spot on. It's structural issues like that (which aren't going away any time soon) which completely undermines the environment a DoF would traditionally operate in.

Now, we can argue from that viewpoint that the DoF is a sound position but that the club isn't letting it take shape, and we should allow it to do so; or we can recognise the dominant forces that shape this club and pragmatically go back to the more familiar hierarchy we're used to and scrap the DoF role.

At the moment we are falling between two stools. We need to decisively cut through this Gordian Knot.

 

[Toffeelover]

My assessment of his brands takes in account three aspects-
1. His acquisitions - which have been a mixed result and the positive signings despite the influence of the manager, I consider his signings as he could veto any suggestions
True duds- gomes- good first season not so much afterwards, bernard, Delph
Didn't include mina or iwobi as they show signs of improvement

2. The positions he hasn't addressed last season and this season have left us glaringly thin in certain positions - midfield this season and previously , goalkeeper we needed a replacement for Pickford not competition, a right back to succeed or replace Coleman, a left backup that can actually step in this season not in the future.
Right winger and a forward to replace the outs of kean and Walcott which was just an odd and flawed move.
Didn't expect everything to be dealt with in one window but the loan moves were daft

3. As DOF he's supposed to in be charge of overhauling the academy and U-23 system. I know 3 and half years isn't that much time for the academy to be refined and there have been certain restrictions implemented. But only one player to make the transition into the first team is unimpressive. I know it's arduous to make the step up to the first team but other clubs like chelsea , Man u , and the RS are producing stellar academy players. obviously those are exceptions but there needs to more academy products and I feel that Unsworth is culpable. If that is correct brands needs to step in.
So ultimately Brands needs to evaluated on all three areas and by that criteria he is lacking. Am I in the Brands out camp? Maybe? I'm open to him staying if he able to hone in on the previous mentioned decencies otherwise I feel a replacement is needed

Quite a review.

1. How was he to know Gomes would go off after the injury? Bernard from his rep promised much and Delph was a huge mistake but was an interim to strengthen midfield.

2. We know which positions require attention. As for filling in, if the right players are not available, you want to bring more rubbish? Would it not be better for the right ones also there is the qusetion of funds. Kean wanted to go and was not performing still an Everton player, Walcott was tosh many on here wanted rid. We have signed a couple who look good Branthwaite and Niels add to them Godfery.

3. Some young players are coming through and look good however Carlo rather reluctant to give them chances prefers old players. But U23 down to Unsie.

 

[Toffeelover]

The DoF era at the club - in its very brief existence - has broken Everton away from its established culture. It's also been a financial disaster.

The Walsh/Koeman and then Brands' regimes have pretty much wasted most of the £500,000,000 spent on transfers into the club. I'm not sure where that level of spending places Everton in the table of European club spending for the previous 4-5 years, but it must be right up the top end. And we still look like a club that's got only a decent core of first team players, with inferior PL standard players beyond that core.

DoF doesn't work here. I dont know how, if or why it works elsewhere, but, demonstrably, it doesn't work here. I can only hope that fact has sunk in at the top of the club and that the handing over of transfer strategy to the manager this last summer is an admission of its failure to take root at Everton; that the Brands contract will be terminated and we go back to handing all dimensions of the football side of the club to the manager and promote someone from inside the club or outside as a savvy top flight CEO to take care of the non-playing side mostly, but also to facilitate the manager through stuff like handling the huge headache of outgoings - which have been scandalously handled for the last 4 years or so.

We need a decisive break from the recent past. Brands' contract running out allows Moshiri to reflect on a catastrophically bad business move and to correct it.

Here we go, here we go, here we go again. Where are the details I asked you rfor Dave to support your contention?

 

[CRIMHEAD]

The DoF era at the club - in its very brief existence - has broken Everton away from its established culture. It's also been a financial disaster.

The Walsh/Koeman and then Brands' regimes have pretty much wasted most of the £500,000,000 spent on transfers into the club. I'm not sure where that level of spending places Everton in the table of European club spending for the previous 4-5 years, but it must be right up the top end. And we still look like a club that's got only a decent core of first team players, with inferior PL standard players beyond that core.

DoF doesn't work here. I dont know how, if or why it works elsewhere, but, demonstrably, it doesn't work here. I can only hope that fact has sunk in at the top of the club and that the handing over of transfer strategy to the manager this last summer is an admission of its failure to take root at Everton; that the Brands contract will be terminated and we go back to handing all dimensions of the football side of the club to the manager and promote someone from inside the club or outside as a savvy top flight CEO to take care of the non-playing side mostly, but also to facilitate the manager through stuff like handling the huge headache of outgoings - which have been scandalously handled for the last 4 years or so.

We need a decisive break from the recent past. Brands' contract running out allows Moshiri to reflect on a catastrophically bad business move and to correct it.

That's absurd. Brands has not wasted any money whatsoever. His investment has grown in value, he's cut salary, and the team is better on the pitch.

He inherited a terrible situation with a bloated payroll and massive wages.

 

[CRIMHEAD]

Quite a review.

1. How was he to know Gomes would go off after the injury? Bernard from his rep promised much and Delph was a huge mistake but was an interim to strengthen midfield.

2. We know which positions require attention. As for filling in, if the right players are not available, you want to bring more rubbish? Would it not be better for the right ones also there is the qusetion of funds. Kean wanted to go and was not performing still an Everton player, Walcott was tosh many on here wanted rid. We have signed a couple who look good Branthwaite and Niels add to them Godfery.

3. Some young players are coming through and look good however Carlo rather reluctant to give them chances prefers old players. But U23 down to Unsie.

Delph was £8.5M. Not a huge mistake at all.

If Brands could spend like Wolves or Leicester, imagine how good we'd be?

 

[Martin Alvito]

Just one question.... why do we allow ourselves to say that Richy was a Silva signing and Allan a Carlo signing?

It's because all three go elsewhere in the absence of the manager.

DoF's job is to lure the player to the club and sign them. On a signing the manager lures, the only credit/blame that should be apportioned to the DoF is for the fee and contract terms relative to expected performance (ie: did he, in context, negotiate a good deal).

Richy was expensive but worth, Allan was marketish to a bit low, and James was theft. Did the job on all counts.