2020/21 Marcel Brands

[Saint Domingo]

From what I can gather, he'll be carrying out a similar role now to Irvine when he was here: tasked solely with bringing a consistent style of football to all levels of the club below first team level.

I would hope that is reflected in whatever contract he was given and he's not on a DoF salary anymore. The position of DoF effectively does not exist anymore.

These are straitened times, and no one should be getting freebies at the club's expense.

Ancelotti will probably be handed more cash because of his expanded role of overseeing the transfer targets, which is only fair.

Apart from coaching the team Marcel does everything. Academy - his, commercial side of players - his, scouting - his, getting transfers done - his, controlling the budget - his. Basically Ancelotti picks his team and the tactics and gives Marcel a wish list of who he wants, or what type of player he wants in the window.

 

[davek]

If you read the E*H* article by Kirkbride (I'm not going to link to the rag, obvioulsy given the ongoing boycott) it's damning Brands with faint praise. Highlighting his disastrous signings and failure to shift players out; that his failures in those respects have been noted by the board. This looks like an extension ENTIRLEY down to Ancelotti...who, I think, just wants a man "above" him to be passive and pliant.

It's a ridiculous decision to keep him here, but if he's kept in the wings *tinkering with the academy* (though how that happens with Unsworth etc still in jobs there is anyone's guess), and it pleases Ancelotti and stabilises him, then it will have to happen.

 

[ToffeeTim]

If he is staying for another few years then we need to see much more progression than we have so far. There have to be more hits and fewer misses in the market but results on the pitch is what we will have to go off. The squad is not up to scratch right now and he's had several windows. It's time for us start making big strides in the right direction, especially now we have the right manager.

 

[davek]

Apart from coaching the team Marcel does everything. Academy - his, commercial side of players - his, scouting - his, getting transfers done - his, controlling the budget - his. Basically Ancelotti picks his team and the tactics and gives Marcel a wish list of who he wants, or what type of player he wants in the window.

 

[davek]

If he is staying for another few years then we need to see much more progression than we have so far. There have to be more hits and fewer misses in the market but results on the pitch is what we will have to go off. The squad is not up to scratch right now and he's had several windows. It's time for us start making big strides in the right direction, especially now we have the right manager.

I think that ratio will pick up now with a manager with so much pull and contacts amongst players.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Do you think it was Ancelotti’s own scouting network that identified Branthwaite Nkonkou Godfrey Docuoure Hojbjerg King as targets? Obviously Carlo weighs in on it and when he needed a holding midfielder and Hojbjerg went to Spurs he went straight to his address book, same as for James no doubt. Box to box midfielder though we went with the club’s long term target. I’ve said before how I think transfers are done. The manager will have profiles of players in mind, for some he’ll have a definite target he wants, for others he’ll look for a list of players that fit the profile he’s after. Brands has to provide this, then when targets are agreed he has to get them done.

 

[davek]

Do you think it was Ancelotti’s own scouting network that identified Branthwaite Nkonkou Godfrey Docuoure Hojbjerg King as targets? Obviously Carlo weighs in on it and when he needed a holding midfielder and Hojbjerg went to Spurs he went straight to his address book, same as for James no doubt. Box to box midfielder though we went with the club’s long term target. I’ve said before how I think transfers are done. The manager will have profiles of players in mind, for some he’ll have a definite target he wants, for others he’ll look for a list of players that fit the profile he’s after. Brands has to provide this, then when targets are agreed he has to get them done.

Who needed to scout them? They were all known players to anyone who follow football.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Who needed to scout them? They were all known players to anyone who follow football.

My point is I doubt Carlo dropped in and went ‘need a CB Marcel, get me Ben Godfrey from Norwich, I also really want Josh King’. Nah he’ll have assessed the squad and asked for a certain profile probably a young centreback with pace who can play multiple positions. Brands then has to deliver that within budget. Godfrey will have been on a list of names spat out by the scouting system.

 

[davek]

My point is I doubt Carlo dropped in and went ‘need a CB Marcel, get me Ben Godfrey from Norwich, I also really want Josh King’. Nah he’ll have assessed the squad and asked for a certain profile probably a young centreback with pace who can play multiple positions. Brands then has to deliver that within budget. Godfrey will have been on a list of names spat out by the scouting system.

I dont dispute that he's now been sent to look at the bargain end of the transfer market for cover players. But there is undoubtedly a shift to the manager on the major signings made. Big money transfers into the club will be Ancelotti choices and will more than likely happen because of his personal contacts / reputation amongst such elite players.

Things have changed. Brands' tasks have changed. Signing players that can go into the academy or be ready for the bench; and he now has to fit in with the levels of the club currently controlled by coaches outside the first team set up.

And I just see the sale of players as a dead loss now. I think the board realise they will all just have to be kept here and have their contracts run out.

In short: I dont see the big role that Brands plays. He's peripheral now and should not be given the title of DoF. He very obviously isn't that now.

 

[catcherintherye]

Streamlining was the better word, aye. but also getting his own men through the door.

At what positions does he want his own men? Will it be all the way to the top (including Unsworth)?

How do you think academy recruitment will go mate? More focus on local? Buying more in later on etc?

 

[catcherintherye]

I dont dispute that he's now been sent to look at the bargain end of the transfer market for cover players. But there is undoubtedly a shift to the manager on the major signings made. Big money transfers into the club will be Ancelotti choices and will more than likely happen because of his personal contacts / reputation amongst such elite players.

Things have changed. Brands' tasks have changed. Signing players that can go into the academy or be ready for the bench; and he now has to fit in with the levels of the club currently controlled by coaches outside the first team set up.

And I just see the sale of players as a dead loss now. I think the board realise they will all just have to be kept here and have their contracts run out.

In short: I dont see the big role that Brands plays. He's peripheral now and should not be given the title of DoF. He very obviously isn't that now.

A big criticism of Brands has been how he sells players. In truth, he has had a hard "product" to try and sell, but for the most part has struggled. It's easy tos ay, but perhaps he should have put his foot down more with say Vlasic and insisted he stayed, and we may have got a bit more from him.

That will soon change though. The excuse/reason (depending on your perspective) that the previous players were duds is coming to an end. We have emerging saleable assetts now, Kean, Holgate, Calvert Lewin, Richarlinson etc. I'm not saying he has to sell all of them, but there is the potential now, for a good DOF to be strategic, and bring some decent money in from certain sales.

On the buying side, on price he has done well. I've no doubt Walsh would have spent a lot more, he seems to negotiate well as a buyer. It's far more Carlo focussed now in terms of who he wants, but to be fair to Brands, he's clearly vetting people far better than Walsh did with Koeman. I don't know either, but I just sense he's a stronger personality who will make his point better than Walsh ever managed too.

The issue about the academy and younger players is actually a worthwhile one. If Ancelotti takes far more responsibility in terms of the 1st team, then it is an area Brands can add real value (or a DOF). We could have a reasonable aim to have the best academy in the country (akin to City or Chelsea). We here a lot of murmerings about the re-structuring about the academy. I think thats a positive, but I do think we need a little bit of detail as to what is happening here. What are we aiming to do? How are we getting there? What has gone well and badly over the last 5 years and ultimately how are we going to look to put it right. What realistically is our expectation for the academy in terms of what it will produce.

If he is able to get our academy performing to the degree PSV's academy did, or Ajax/Feyenoord (or a whole host of European-often German teams) then in honesty it would be worth it's weight in gold. I read something recently about what Sociedad do and how there is always more pressure for each generation to be better than the last.

We need a clearer blueprint that we can buy into, but also crucially parents of prospective players.

 

[trueblue84]

A big criticism of Brands has been how he sells players. In truth, he has had a hard "product" to try and sell, but for the most part has struggled. It's easy tos ay, but perhaps he should have put his foot down more with say Vlasic and insisted he stayed, and we may have got a bit more from him.

That will soon change though. The excuse/reason (depending on your perspective) that the previous players were duds is coming to an end. We have emerging saleable assetts now, Kean, Holgate, Calvert Lewin, Richarlinson etc. I'm not saying he has to sell all of them, but there is the potential now, for a good DOF to be strategic, and bring some decent money in from certain sales.

On the buying side, on price he has done well. I've no doubt Walsh would have spent a lot more, he seems to negotiate well as a buyer. It's far more Carlo focussed now in terms of who he wants, but to be fair to Brands, he's clearly vetting people far better than Walsh did with Koeman. I don't know either, but I just sense he's a stronger personality who will make his point better than Walsh ever managed too.

The issue about the academy and younger players is actually a worthwhile one. If Ancelotti takes far more responsibility in terms of the 1st team, then it is an area Brands can add real value (or a DOF). We could have a reasonable aim to have the best academy in the country (akin to City or Chelsea). We here a lot of murmerings about the re-structuring about the academy. I think thats a positive, but I do think we need a little bit of detail as to what is happening here. What are we aiming to do? How are we getting there? What has gone well and badly over the last 5 years and ultimately how are we going to look to put it right. What realistically is our expectation for the academy in terms of what it will produce.

If he is able to get our academy performing to the degree PSV's academy did, or Ajax/Feyenoord (or a whole host of European-often German teams) then in honesty it would be worth it's weight in gold. I read something recently about what Sociedad do and how there is always more pressure for each generation to be better than the last.

We need a clearer blueprint that we can buy into, but also crucially parents of prospective players.

Nobody will buy players who were put on 100k+ per week, long-term contracts. There is no DoF on the planet who could make our deadwood sellable. I'm not sure how Brands can be responsible for what Walsh did.

Brands has not really failed with any signing he has made as they all have resale value. Moise Kean will go for more than what we paid. Bernard will go for more than what we paid. Every time we sign someone, it quickly becomes apparent that we've paid far less than what the media initially quoted.

Brands is also adding exciting young players to our squad. Ancelotti admitted he didn't really know Ben Godfrey before we signed him. That suggests brands and his team scouted and signed him. 20 mil outlay tells you brands holds the purse strings, not ancelotti as some have suggested.

I'm really not sure why he gets so much grief from our supporters.

 

[catcherintherye]

Nobody will buy players who were put on 100k+ per week, long-term contracts. There is no DoF on the planet who could make our deadwood sellable. I'm not sure how Brands can be responsible for what Walsh did.

Brands has not really failed with any signing he has made as they all have resale value. Moise Kean will go for more than what we paid. Bernard will go for more than what we paid. Every time we sign someone, it quickly becomes apparent that we've paid far less than what the media initially quoted.

Brands is also adding exciting young players to our squad. Ancelotti admitted he didn't really know Ben Godfrey before we signed him. That suggests brands and his team scouted and signed him. 20 mil outlay tells you brands holds the purse strings, not ancelotti as some have suggested.

I'm really not sure why he gets so much grief from our supporters.

It's all very fair mate.

All I would say, is that Brands currently hasn't made any big sales. The reason is centrally down to the what went before. But soon that excuse will go and there will be an expectation to start bringing some money in. From our perspective, if Moise Kean and PSG go far, the hope would be we may be able to push it towards £50m (which would be a big validation for Brands).

 

[Tin-Tin]

Didn't he say a few weeks back Everton need more ex players in?

Pretty sure he did.

Got no problem with any amount of ex players coming in as long as they are the best people for the job. Under previous management, I get the feeling it was because people plauey for us and maybe needed a little job. Like bringing Baxter back for a bit to help him out.

If he is staying for another few years then we need to see much more progression than we have so far. There have to be more hits and fewer misses in the market but results on the pitch is what we will have to go off. The squad is not up to scratch right now and he's had several windows. It's time for us start making big strides in the right direction, especially now we have the right manager.

Now that he has binned 99% of the rubbish, he can fully focus on recruitment. If we can have another window like the last one then we will be in good stead. Also needs to continue with the £1-2 mill Nkounkou's and Branthwaites who have great potential and will save us a fortune in future

 

[trueblue84]

It's all very fair mate.

All I would say, is that Brands currently hasn't made any big sales. The reason is centrally down to the what went before. But soon that excuse will go and there will be an expectation to start bringing some money in. From our perspective, if Moise Kean and PSG go far, the hope would be we may be able to push it towards £50m (which would be a big validation for Brands).

Do you mean big sales of good players, or the crap ones?

I think richarlison will be the true measure of brands's capabilities as a DoF, as he will leave at the end of the season if we don't qualify for champions League or Europa league.