2020/21 Marcel Brands

[Zatara]

We have an unbalanced squad because the white elephant contracts the previous regime left behind tied our hands financially. It's pretty clear that we're redlining against FFP right now.

If you look at the results, summer of 2018 was three good buys, two good loans, and if Bernard goes out then that deal is 2.5 years of squad cover at 18-year-old wages. Good business and dice roll, didn't work out.

2019 was slightly better than 2017, with potential upside if Iwobi works out or Gbamin slots in once healthy. Not high praise.

2020 was four hits, no misses.

Of our best XI, two or three of them were signed by previous regimes and another is in competition with Brands' loan signing.

Those are "retain" results. Arguably, if he'd gotten 2019 right he'd already have the keys to a place with no real financial constraints to speak of.

After 3 years Id say he should stay and continue the process.

He was clear when he joined that he told Moshiri not to expect overnight success and that its a long term position.

He was correct.

Changing DOF now would mean a new one coming in who doesnt know the club, staff or players.

Seems insane to change him.

 

[Bigduke1234]

He’s been ok, think ancelotti is way more important. He hasn’t found any of the hidden talent we hoped and the good players this window came because of Carlo, not brands. Wouldn’t cry if he went to Utd, certainly don’t think it undermines the long term project.

 

[meagher94]

He’s been ok, think ancelotti is way more important. He hasn’t found any of the hidden talent we hoped and the good players this window came because of Carlo, not brands. Wouldn’t cry if he went to Utd, certainly don’t think it undermines the long term project.

Do you not think the manager has to be on board with that though? PL managers trying to break into the elite don’t want to take punts on unknown players, even if Brands does. I think it’s unfair to judge Brands on what we think his job is supposed to be rather than what his job actually is (and we don’t know exactly what the objectives he’s been set are).

For what it’s worth I definitely do think letting him go would undermine the long term project. Massively in fact. He’s only about half way through his job here I’d say. With him and Carlo we’re finally seeing some continuity at the club, a project that the whole club is getting behind. All pushing in the same direction, why get rid of the DoF now and mess with that?

 

[BlueStevie35]

Sorry but I disagree 100%
The DIRECTOR of football is responsible for the structure of the clubs scouting system and a lot more on the playing-side of things.
He has been a DOF for a while before he came here and should of had his own dossier on players before he arrived. He’s a wast of space.
The manager has been here less than half the time of Brands tenure.
IMO Carlo is the best thing at Everton and thank god he is here. He improved the midfield with good players in his first proper window. Addressing the problem which is more than I can say about our DOF.

It’s the job of the U23 manager to get players ready for first team football, not the DoF, Unsworth has continually focused on keeping the youngsters with him to win titles outside of letting a select few train with the first team squad

 

[nsno-chris]

I think you will find that Carlo had a lot to do with signing those players
Maybe Brands signed Godfrey but the Midfield and James was Carlo
I’m on about the structure of the scouting network
Also what does Mert mean?

No mert, I think you’ll find the DoF signs ALL our players

Don’t get upset, it’s ok

 

[Richard Alex]

It's a term of endearment to fellow toffees.

It’s the job of the U23 manager to get players ready for first team football, not the DoF, Unsworth has continually focused on keeping the youngsters with him to win titles outside of letting a select few train with the first team squad

I see what you are saying but it’s all under Brand’s umbrella
What is the point of a DOF then?

 

[Eggs]

It’s the job of the U23 manager to get players ready for first team football, not the DoF, Unsworth has continually focused on keeping the youngsters with him to win titles outside of letting a select few train with the first team squad

...I’m assuming you know this as fact, I’d have thought Ancelotti could take whoever he wanted from the U23 set up. Very interesting, I wasn’t aware Unsworth yielded such power.

The vast majority of U23 players won’t be good enough to make the step-up to 1st team, it wouldn’t be possible to get them ready. That has always been the case.

 

[Oasis1878]

If Brands goes, could we perhaps give Baines the gig? @davek

 

[BlueStevie35]

I see what you are saying but it’s all under Brand’s umbrella
What is the point of a DOF then?

To oversee the whole club, but it’s not his job to coach teams at youth level, that is on Unsworth and Ebbrell at U23 and Paul Tait and Keith Southern at U18

 

[Bigduke1234]

Do you not think the manager has to be on board with that though? PL managers trying to break into the elite don’t want to take punts on unknown players, even if Brands does. I think it’s unfair to judge Brands on what we think his job is supposed to be rather than what his job actually is (and we don’t know exactly what the objectives he’s been set are).

For what it’s worth I definitely do think letting him go would undermine the long term project. Massively in fact. He’s only about half way through his job here I’d say. With him and Carlo we’re finally seeing some continuity at the club, a project that the whole club is getting behind. All pushing in the same direction, why get rid of the DoF now and mess with that?

I wouldn’t actively, depends on how much he wants for a new contract? But I don’t see the same as you do, I think he’s bang average, Carlo made our summer a success, not brands.

 

[COYBL25]

I think you will find that Carlo had a lot to do with signing those players
Maybe Brands signed Godfrey but the Midfield and James was Carlo
I’m on about the structure of the scouting network
Also what does Mert mean?

Do you have inside info about the structure of the scouting network at the club, as you seem to know an awful lot about what’s going on ?

 

[nsno-chris]

...I’m assuming you know this as fact, I’d have thought Ancelotti could take whoever he wanted from the U23 set up. Very interesting, I wasn’t aware Unsworth yielded such power.

The vast majority of U23 players won’t be good enough to make the step-up to 1st team, it wouldn’t be possible to get them ready. That has always been the case.

This is the issue that Brands addressed last year IIRC. He stated something along the lines of the U23 team is not there to win trophies, it’s there to develop players. He hinted at being unhappy at a poor setup with no development plans being in place, poor loan choices being made for players

 

[Richard Alex]

To oversee the whole club, but it’s not his job to coach teams at youth level, that is on Unsworth and Ebbrell at U23 and Paul Tait and Keith Southern at U18

Yes I agree it’s not his job to do the coaching directly but it’s his job to oversee the whole picture on the footballing side. I think our underbelly is not good enough on the playing and coaching side of things judging by the comments from other posters watching games and style of play etc.
Our squad is not strong enough as we all appreciate.
It’s up to Brands to sort this out IMO but I’m not sure enough is happening

 

[Eggs]

This is the issue that Brands addressed last year IIRC. He stated something along the lines of the U23 team is not there to win trophies, it’s there to develop players. He hinted at being unhappy at a poor setup with no development plans being in place, poor loan choices being made for players

....invariably our Academy loanees go on loan because they’re not wanted in the first team set-up. I’m a believer that the very good ones will come through regardless, problem is there’s not many of them.

If there’s issues about the lack of numbers coming through, fans point the finger at the coaches but I suggest it’s probably more to do with recruitment. It’s so different these days with youngster recruited into Academies from as young as 7 or 8. There is little or no street football and organised school footy isn’t the breeding ground it once was.

Times have changed and the most productive source has definitely been the strategy of buying promising youngsters.

 

[Richard Alex]

Do you have inside info about the structure of the scouting network at the club, as you seem to know an awful lot about what’s going on ?

No mate I don’t it’s just an opinion.
A director of anything is in charge of their project or company. They are meant to ????? Oh yes Direct!!!