2019/20 Marcel Brands

[TheBigIguana]

...but is Brands responsible for them or what?

I'm saying the tactics were so bad that the best players in the world would have failed and you're telling me what? That it is Brands fault our players aren't that good so that they could still fail in the horrible system anyway? Again I think you missed the point.

 

[Rudolf Hucker]

Everyone keeps saying this and yet we haven't had this be a problem at all so far and we still have 7 points from 6. I mean it could be a problem but right now we are not playing poorly because Brands couldn't find a suitable third CB.

You must have missed Keane watching that big galoot stroll past him at Villa then.
Or the total capitulation at Bournemouth.


Even if Keane & Mina had performed well (& they haven’t), they have zero competition for their places or cover for knocks. Holgate isn’t good enough.

 

[TheBigIguana]

You must have missed Keane watching that big galoot stroll past him at Villa then.
Or the total capitulation at Bournemouth.


Even if Keane & Mina had performed well (& they haven’t), they have zero competition for their places or cover for knocks. Holgate isn’t good enough.

I think they've been fine. I don't know that either is good enough long term but seriously we have 6 goals in 6. The backline has conceded 2 of the 9 when we've been chasing the game and had no reasonable shape left so while those count we haven't been horrible defensively and would probably be better off if we could score.

On the list of our problems the CB position is currently struggling to make the top 10.

 

[Rudolf Hucker]

I think they've been fine. I don't know that either is good enough long term but seriously we have 6 goals in 6. The backline has conceded 2 of the 9 when we've been chasing the game and had no reasonable shape left so while those count we haven't been horrible defensively and would probably be better off if we could score.

On the list of our problems the CB position is currently struggling to make the top 10.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Not suggesting we don’t have other problems. We do!

But failing to land a 1st choice CB (because Keane isn’t that & jury still out on Mina) was a serious failure.

 

[BlueToff]

Other than CB what else did we need to sign? Just because you don't like Iwobi doesn't mean the area wasn't addressed. You just disagree with how it was addressed. Following short in one area shouldn't be met with a blanket he didn't address key areas this summer.

What? I do like Iwobi?

We needed a CB desperately. We needed another forward who could guarantee us double figures. We needed a midfielder who could drive us on (maybe that will prove to be Gbamin but given we went for Doucoure when Gbamin was fit I don't think the club see Gbamin as the answer to that particular question).

I will blame Silva and the players for what they are responsible for. And I will blame Brands for what he is responsible for. I think that's only fair.

 

[BlueToff]

We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Not suggesting we don’t have other problems. We do!

But failing to land a 1st choice CB (because Keane isn’t that & jury still out on Mina) was a serious failure.

I don't think it's even first-choice.

We needed a third CB, a quality one who could be first choice if needed.

It can't be argued we've progressed as a squad since last season.

It's about the same but, with the injuries now, it's actually like we're worse off.

 

[Pienaar'sdisciple]

At the same time they aren't bottom half players either. We can admit our squad isn't quite to the top 6 yet and still say that progress has been made under Brands (it objectively has, Digne and Richarlison are our best players) and that the manager is poor. All these things can be true.

We probably wont finish in the bottom half either. The season has just started, string a couple of wins together and we'd be in the top half. Objectively this squad is 8th or 9th best in the league, and we'll probably finish there.

Wherever it is it isnt good enough. Neither Brands or Silva have been good enough. Both must go if we aim to go anywhere anytime soon.

 

[Pienaar'sdisciple]

This guy keeps buying rejects from big clubs for hefty prices in order to catch up with the said big clubs. Its absolute foolishness, there is a reason those clubs are throwing them away, especially if the players have been given a proper chance where they come from.

 

[TheBigIguana]

We probably wont finish in the bottom half either. The season has just started, string a couple of wins together and we'd be in the top half. Objectively this squad is 8th or 9th best in the league, and we'll probably finish there.

Wherever it is it isnt good enough. Neither Brands or Silva have been good enough. Both must go if we aim to go anywhere anytime soon.

Saying Brands needs to go is incredibly knee jerk imo. Almost everyone he signed has had moments. The ones who haven't have played preciously little. I don't know that they'll all end up being good.

I mean I have doubts about Gbamin but he's young and barely played, I'm not sure Sidibe is worthwhile, Bernard is average at absolute best but there is a lot of evidence that he isn't even that, Gomes is very up and down. I'm not saying he's perfect. But he's done some good work as well.

Basically giving up on Brands like we did Walsh means we are resetting and starting over again. That's at best a 5 year process. Are we willing to start another 5 year cycle after 18 months when the DOF hasn't even had a chance to hire a manager for himself. My answer is a firm no.

 

[Azza]

Absolutely baffled once again that there are even comments about him.

Does he setup the team to defend zonally?
Does he train the team to pass and build up an attack at the pace of a snail?
Does he setup the team to constantly play the same terrible formation week in week out?
Is he the one telling the players to get the ball outside and try to cross it every attack to an isolated striker with at least 2 defenders on him?
Did he tell Sigurdsson to go play with his back to goal today?
Is he Pickford's strength coach?

etc etc etc

 

[TheBigIguana]

Absolutely baffled once again that there are even comments about him.

Does he setup the team to defend zonally?
Does he train the team to pass and build up an attack at the pace of a snail?
Does he setup the team to constantly play the same terrible formation week in week out?
Is he the one telling the players to get the ball outside and try to cross it every attack to an isolated striker with at least 2 defenders on him?
Did he tell Sigurdsson to go play with his back to goal today?
Is he Pickford's strength coach?

etc etc etc

Not only all of that but for some reason we hired Silva first. We didn't even give him the chance to pick the manager like every other club does with a DOF. At some point he will have to be accountable for the manager's failures but right now it is 100% Silva and 0% Brands when Silva screws up.

 

[BlueToff]

Absolutely baffled once again that there are even comments about him.

Does he setup the team to defend zonally?
Does he train the team to pass and build up an attack at the pace of a snail?
Does he setup the team to constantly play the same terrible formation week in week out?
Is he the one telling the players to get the ball outside and try to cross it every attack to an isolated striker with at least 2 defenders on him?
Did he tell Sigurdsson to go play with his back to goal today?
Is he Pickford's strength coach?

etc etc etc

No, of course not. But nobody is saying those things are his fault.

But some decisions he made (in conjunction with the manager I imagine) this window haven't helped. I think that's fair.

I am not for one minute saying he is at fault for any of the above.

 

[Azza]

No, of course not. But nobody is saying those things are his fault.

But some decisions he made (in conjunction with the manager I imagine) this window haven't helped. I think that's fair.

I am not for one minute saying he is at fault for any of the above.

Decisions such as?

 

[Lanolin]

Absolutely baffled once again that there are even comments about him.

Does he setup the team to defend zonally?
Does he train the team to pass and build up an attack at the pace of a snail?
Does he setup the team to constantly play the same terrible formation week in week out?
Is he the one telling the players to get the ball outside and try to cross it every attack to an isolated striker with at least 2 defenders on him?
Did he tell Sigurdsson to go play with his back to goal today?
Is he Pickford's strength coach?

etc etc etc

The club can have more than one problem, and more than one person can be held accountable. I think last season we had the 7th or 8th best squad in the league, and from what I’ve seen so far it has got worse. Brands is in charge of recruitment and so he has to be held at least partly responsible for where we are.

 

[Deleted member 38674]

It wasn’t motivation or passion that was the issue today. In truth, you don’t particularly need a great deal of energy or legs to beat a team set up the way Sheffield United did.

What you do need is guile, creativity and resilience. The system was too one dimensional, that was Marco’s fault and he should have changed it. He bears the biggest responsibility for these results.

But he is not the only problem we have here. If it’s not Marco, we’ll be booing someone else. Brands is culpable. Mosh is culpable. BBK is culpable. The players are culpable. To an extent, the fanbase is culpable too.

You can’t get rid of them all. It’s easy to lay it all at the door of MS, move on and we’ll be here again in 18 months. Another load of arguing, another load of “we’re still in transition, lad, give him a chance!”.

Something tells me MS won’t be going anywhere, even if we finish bottom half this season. The club are all mouth and no trousers when it comes to ambition, and BMD is going the same way too.

Oh to be an Evertonian.