2020/21 Marcel Brands

[ArtetaMoney]

I think Kean either went because of FFP loss issues or because Carlo didn’t want him. We were certainly struggling with wages at the time and brought in four players.

I do not tgink he had a choice either way.

I get why he went and if we would have got a fee at the end of the loan you could have said it was worth it, however, we never had a replacement come in and we now have a disgruntled player who doesn't want to be here. It was another poor deal negotiation.

 

[chazzle_dazzle]

Not that we would ever see this, but I would love some sort of window round up from Brands - seeing Purslow after the Grealish transfer was refreshing, and honest.

I have wanted to back Brands, am just starting to lose faith now though, the DoF role isnt an overnight thing I get that, but he's seen out one contract and signed another - we should have started to see some semblance of a plan or blueprint in place, even with the youth teams and bringing players through. The first team recruitment is massively scattergun without a plan pushed by manager appointments.

I would love to know what his remit was at the club, because it seems so far from what I believe a DoF should do.

 

[Bluestar]

I get why he went and if we would have got a fee at the end of the loan you could have said it was worth it, however, we never had a replacement come in and we now have a disgruntled player who doesn't want to be here. It was another poor deal negotiation.

King came in. He is a reasonable backup, but Carlo wouldn’t use him. There was a replacement.

Kean was disgruntled after his treatment from Ferguson. We were in an impossible situation. He would have sulked all season or we took a loan option.

 

[davek]

Agree. I get he took over from a crappy situation but he’s in his fourth season now. The squad is a state, still unbalanced. People seem to think it’s only Steve Walsh who spent money. Brands spent a fair wedge as well without any real sign of improvement.

We’ve been chronically slow in midfield for a long time. He inherited that, fair enough but three years on we still have one of the slowest, least mobile midfields in the prem. We’ve got far too many players who all do the same thing, Davies, Gomes, Allan, Gbamin, Delph. Slightly further forward we’ve got James and Siggi, both incredibly one paced.

We’ve been crying out for a right winger for how long? Keeps signing players who prefer to come in off the left when we already have Richie to play there I.e. Bernard, Iwobi, Gray.

It’s all so scattergun, you can’t discern a strategy. He’s not done well in the three years he’s been here, even with the mitigation of what he inherited, I don’t see how anyone can defend where we are now going into his fourth year.

He was brought in to clear up a mess...but he's added more to the mess and the club is a midden now.

That's about the size of it when we strip it all down to brass tacks on Brands' impact.

He doesn't require the skills to do this job in this league at this club - one of them is to command his own role and not have our own Jesus Gil undermine him.

A DoF has to be the strong man at the club. No one can tell me this feller is that.

 

[blueconverse]

Not that we would ever see this, but I would love some sort of window round up from Brands - seeing Purslow after the Grealish transfer was refreshing, and honest.

I have wanted to back Brands, am just starting to lose faith now though, the DoF role isnt an overnight thing I get that, but he's seen out one contract and signed another - we should have started to see some semblance of a plan or blueprint in place, even with the youth teams and bringing players through. The first team recruitment is massively scattergun without a plan pushed by manager appointments.

I would love to know what his remit was at the club, because it seems so far from what I believe a DoF should do.

Think alot of people are feeling like this. Surely after 3 years we shud have gone forwards not backwards despite the changes in manager. I was a big fan at first but his signings of Delph and Iwobi are massive failings and highlighted our scouting network must be awful. The fact we still need a new right back when it shud have been on his list from day 1 its alarming.

It would be good if there was some communication from the club about direction but that isnt something Everton do.

 

[chazzle_dazzle]

Think alot of people are feeling like this. Surely after 3 years we shud have gone forwards not backwards despite the changes in manager. I was a big fan at first but his signings of Delph and Iwobi are massive failings and highlighted our scouting network must be awful. The fact we still need a new right back when it shud have been on his list from day 1 its alarming.

It would be good if there was some communication from the club about direction but that isnt something Everton do.

Yeah I think a lot of people where massively in favour of Brands and what should be the traditional DoF model, IE them signing players for a system and appointing managers based on that system (thats such a small part), it just needs some sort of clearing up right now. We seem to have less direction and what I would call a sustainable plan for our football club then we ever have, no identity, no direction. Its poor.

I am beginning to lose faith in the process and I would absolutely love some communication from the club, a plan, a direction - like you say though the club do not deal in these things, they prefer to say nothing ever,

 

[Daytripper]

When things are not going well you need characters to be accountable, try to make amends, be responsible and at least acknowledge it somehow.

Phil McNulty was right, I don’t care how many people deliberately twist what he said , we don’t shut up when there is something positive or virtuous . It works both ways. Sincere people don’t stay consistently silent when things aren’t rosy.

Many have put certain people on pedestals , then are baffled as to why we don’t ever progress, why there are always major issues and why each season peters out to nothing.

The sad thing is I’d rather praise the custodians , give them all credit for a great job well done, it’s not happening tho is it and well, here we are again.

 

[billyblue80]

He said don't judge me short term. Well four years is quite a period Marcel and we have probably stood still...

 

[AmericasToffee]

Take your time, Marcel. Season's only a week away.

 

[Efcjake]

It's very easy to disagree.

Look at the squad we had when he come in and compare it to now.

"He's overseen a catastrophe"

He come in during a catastrophe - Everton, managed by Sam Allardyce with this team. Always needed time to clear out this mess. He had to remove a 1/4 of the squad - wait until contracts finished for the likes of Schneiderlin, Garbutt, Stekelenburg ,Sandro Ramirez, Yannick Bolasie, Cenk Tosun, Theo Walcott, Oumar Niasse, Cuco Martina, Muhamed Besic, Shani Tarashaj . This team was a starting 11 in the Prem a couple of months before Brands come in;

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It's coming up to crunch time when we have to start seeing an improvement competitively on the pitch though, our league positions have gone backwards since he's come in - but let's not make out that Brands is the reason we've struggled. Walsh and Koeman crippled this club.

Most of FFP burden is from before Brands.

Hes built to the FFP burden as much as Walsh has now.

The only players we will turn a profit on are Richarlison, Digne, Kean (maybe), and Godfrey. That's 4 of his 12 or so first team signings that we could move on today.

Gomes, Iwobi and Delph are another 60 million plus wages down the toilet. You can throw G'Bamin in there at the moment as he hasn't kicked a ball for us in 2 years. Allan and Doucoure will be the wrong side of 30 soon and will probably leave on frees too.

None of those were wise decisions for a club up against it with FFP. Yes, this is the benefit of hindsight but we pay him millions a year to do a good job of this and he hasn't.

 

[davek]

Just reading an article in the Athletic where it says Brands has been busy trimming the wage bill at the academy - letting players move on for free (as per Baningime...which looks 'kin daft for a start) and handing younger players less money.

That's like a feller who splashed out on a top of the range car that underperforms and they cant now shift but who's determined to claw some money back by selling the fluffy dice and air freshener hanging from the mirror.

 

[paultheblue]

Just reading an article in the Athletic where it says Brands has been busy trimming the wage bill at the academy - letting players move on (as per Baningime...which looks 'kin daft for a start) and handing younger players less money.

That's like a feller who splashed out on a top of the range car that underperforms and they cant now shift but who's determined to claw some money back by selling the fluffy dice and air freshener hanging from the mirror.

Maybe he could take a pay cut himself or start earning the money he is getting.

 

[Rudolf Hucker]

Apart from Godfrey I can’t think of a single positive thing he’s done.

And then there’s Delph & Iwobi…

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Hes built to the FFP burden as much as Walsh has now.

The only players we will turn a profit on are Richarlison, Digne, Kean (maybe), and Godfrey. That's 4 of his 12 or so first team signings that we could move on today.

Gomes, Iwobi and Delph are another 60 million plus wages down the toilet. You can throw G'Bamin in there at the moment as he hasn't kicked a ball for us in 2 years. Allan and Doucoure will be the wrong side of 30 soon and will probably leave on frees too.

None of those were wise decisions for a club up against it with FFP. Yes, this is the benefit of hindsight but we pay him millions a year to do a good job of this and he hasn't.

Day one Brands come in, he says publicly he has to trim 1/4 of the first team. The squad was well too big, bloated, with too many players on big contracts we couldn't get shut off. I've listed loads of names, I keep listing the team that was starting for Everton just before Brands come in.

Brands saying he needs to lose 1/4 of the first team sqad tells you any transfer Brands has made, has been made with limitations in knowing there's very little room for manoeuvre

You talk up Gomes (signed after a loan spell, after being our fans player of the season). Iwobi - absolute disaster, as was Delph but nothing on Theo Walcott £20m+, Klaassen £27m, Ramirez, £5m+ Bolasie £27m, Schneiderlin £24m, Tosun £27m, Williams £12m etc etc etc.

Compare Walsh signings, who come in when we were looking pretty good, to Brands and well, there's no comparison.

It's the bloated wages the likes of Theo Walcott was on, and players like Martina, Niasse, Mirallas etc who just wouldn't leave. We signed far too many under Walsh who then would leave for nothing and it's that which has kicked us in the balls.

 

[Nymzee]

Just reading an article in the Athletic where it says Brands has been busy trimming the wage bill at the academy - letting players move on for free (as per Baningime...which looks 'kin daft for a start) and handing younger players less money.

That's like a feller who splashed out on a top of the range car that underperforms and they cant now shift but who's determined to claw some money back by selling the fluffy dice and air freshener hanging from the mirror.

Oh no, how dare he find ways to trim the wage bill in the academy. What a useless get.