2020/21 Marcel Brands

[Nymzee]

We were in free fall when he first arrived after Koeman/Walsh/Allardyce squad damage. Settle the ship, clear the decks, then improve. He always said it’s a 5 year process. Sure he’s made mistakes, every DoF has, but the windows with him and Carlo have all been decent and positive. We’re starting to really get rid of the stragglers now.

 

[Martin Alvito]

We were in free fall when he first arrived after Koeman/Walsh/Allardyce squad damage. Settle the ship, clear the decks, then improve. He always said it’s a 5 year process. Sure he’s made mistakes, every DoF has, but the windows with him and Carlo have all been decent and positive. We’re starting to really get rid of the stragglers now.

For all of the moaning and carping, the squad is far better than the one he walked into.

If another DoF had punted the summer of 2018, we really would have flirted with relegation and we probably wouldn't have Carlo.

Let's see what happens this summer. The really key window is next summer. If he has a good window this summer, I think we can comfortably call the summer 2019 window an aberration. If not, we can talk about a change. A couple of years of dead money to Brands will not make or break the summer 2022 window.

 

[Azza]

This summer has been his most successful and it's no surprise it's with the best manager since Moshiri took over.

Director of Football works with the Manager:
Carlo - Allan, James and Olsen
Brands - Doucoure, Nkounkou and Godfrey.

In the past it has been disoriented and a series of panic buys but this season has been excellent under management which hasn't been in sync.

I would be very happy and confident if Brands and Carlo are working to find those final players.

Now now you know the narrative at least call him a fraud or something.

 

[davek]

Allan, Doucs, Hamez, Godfrey, Digne, Richarlison, Kean, Mina, Nkoukuo

His successes dwarf his mistakes.

You know he had f.a. to do with those players coming here.

...and Kean "a success"?!

Lol.

 

[davek]

The E*h* yesterday were bigging up his role with the academy.

Utterly desperate attempt to bolster a man in a job. The E*h* woud love him to stay at Everton, wasting more cash and being about as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

 

[Steve EFC]

You know he had f.a. to do with those players coming here.

...and Kean "a success"?!

Lol.

I reckon Kean has been a success. It didn’t work out on Merseyside for him so Brands has arranged/agreed to a loan deal where he has been an instant success. Because of this as a minimum he will represent a profit.- You could say it was a master stroke.
The options brands had were continue to let him rot here or sell him for a huge loss or send out on loan and realise his ability.

Some would say Kean didn’t get that much of a proper chance last season and Brands doesn’t pick the team either.

 

[davek]

I reckon Kean has been a success. It didn’t work out on Merseyside for him so Brands has arranged/agreed to a loan deal where he has been an instant success. Because of this as a minimum he will represent a profit.- You could say it was a master stroke.
The options brands had were continue to let him rot here or sell him for a huge loss or send out on loan and realise his ability.

Some would say Kean didn’t get that much of a proper chance last season and Brands doesn’t pick the team either.

He was no success here on the pitch. Brands is supposed to be buying players to fit into the first team. The fact a profit may be turned on him (a huge assumption, btw) is neither here nor there. Do we call Jelavic or Anichebe or Cleverley a success because more cash was received than spent out on them?

 

[paulbefc]

One good window and we'll be exactly where everyone's been asking him to get us and this will all look very silly.

 

[davek]

One good window and we'll be exactly where everyone's been asking him to get us and this will all look very silly.

The squad is a shambles. We lack pace, athleticism and depth in almost every position.

It's an incredible amount of waste after spending circa £500M in 5 years. He's been part of that for 3 of those years. It'll take more than one summer window to deal with this.

It's unacceptable what he's been a party to here. He's failed, and he should be shown the door. It's as simple as that. Having an image of calm detachement and control is nothing whatsover. The proof the pudding is on that pitch, and we are way off.

His period in charge:

8th
12th
8th

That is damning given the cash resources he's had at his disposal. Utterly damning.

 

[Steve EFC]

He was no success here on the pitch. Brands is supposed to be buying players to fit into the first team. The fact a profit may be turned on him (a huge assumption, btw) is neither here nor there. Do we call Jelavic or Anichebe or Cleverley a success because more cash was received than spent out on them?

I see the point you’re making. Obviously the intention is to benefit our team. However if it doesn’t work out the DoF will want to recoup so as to reinvest. If a profit can be made then that would be seen as a success of sorts for sure.
We have seen our fair share of players come in that have cost big money and been wasted. Therefore in my opinion any player who achieves a profit is a success yes.

 

[paulbefc]

The squad is a shambles. We lack pace, athleticism and depth in almost every position.

It's an incredible amount of waste after spending circa £500M in 5 years. He's been part of that for 3 of those years. It'll take more than one summer window to deal with this.

It's unacceptable what he's been a party to here. He's failed, and he should be shown the door. It's as simple as that. Having an image of calm detachement and control is nothing whatsover. The proof the pudding is on that pitch, and we are way off.

His period in charge:

8th
12th
8th

That is damning given the cash resources he's had at his disposal. Utterly damning.

I know this point has been done to death, but given the mess he inherited, this was always taking years, barring a minor miracle. We were on our knees when he came in. We're not now. He's made the mistakes that people have pointed out a thousand times in this thread, which have slowed him and us down. He has also been outperformed at times by other clubs' DoFs.

However, we're miles away from watching Allardyce's side 4-0 down after 20 minutes at Arsenal. Not in league position, but certainly in our squad quality, manager quality and potential to climb the league.

I think we're a year further on than you're saying personally. As it stands, we're 6 points off the top 4, having just gone through a rotten spell. We're not getting top 4 this season, but I think if we'd had a right back and another midfielder - even just a fit JPG - we'd be very clclose I'm sure we'd have got the right back last summer had we had huge money to spend, but we didn't.

With a budget likely boosted by the fee we could get for Brands signing Kean, there's no reason we can't plug the remaining holes and be the competitive outfit we've been calling for next season. And it's because the foundations for that have been put in place by Brands.

He could blow it all this summer on dossers, no doubt and if he does, I'll be with you, but I don't see any evidence so far to make me think he will.

 

[davek]

I see the point you’re making. Obviously the intention is to benefit our team. However if it doesn’t work out the DoF will want to recoup so as to reinvest. If a profit can be made then that would be seen as a success of sorts for sure.
We have seen our fair share of players come in that have cost big money and been wasted. Therefore in my opinion any player who achieves a profit is a success yes.

The value gained in the exmple you made is obliterated by the loss on someone like Iwobi or Delph.

Playing-quality wise his recruitment generally has been very poor.

 

[navidson]

For all of the moaning and carping, the squad is far better than the one he walked into.

If another DoF had punted the summer of 2018, we really would have flirted with relegation and we probably wouldn't have Carlo.

Let's see what happens this summer. The really key window is next summer. If he has a good window this summer, I think we can comfortably call the summer 2019 window an aberration. If not, we can talk about a change. A couple of years of dead money to Brands will not make or break the summer 2022 window.

Yep, he's took over a bloated, depressingly average, one-paced squad that finished 8th - and dramatically changed it into a bloated, depressingly average, one-paced squad that finished........probably 8th

 

[davek]

I know this point has been done to death, but given the mess he inherited, this was always taking years, barring a minor miracle. We were on our knees when he came in. We're not now. He's made the mistakes that people have pointed out a thousand times in this thread, which have slowed him and us down. He has also been outperformed at times by other clubs' DoFs.

However, we're miles away from watching Allardyce's side 4-0 down after 20 minutes at Arsenal. Not in league position, but certainly in our squad quality, manager quality and potential to climb the league.

I think we're a year further on than you're saying personally. As it stands, we're 6 points off the top 4, having just gone through a rotten spell. We're not getting top 4 this season, but I think if we'd had a right back and another midfielder - even just a fit JPG - we'd be very clclose I'm sure we'd have got the right back last summer had we had huge money to spend, but we didn't.

With a budget likely boosted by the fee we could get for Brands signing Kean, there's no reason we can't plug the remaining holes and be the competitive outfit we've been calling for next season. And it's because the foundations for that have been put in place by Brands.

He could blow it all this summer on dossers, no doubt and if he does, I'll be with you, but I don't see any evidence so far to make me think he will.

The table doesn't lie.

We are still a very distant also-ran.

And he's had "years" already...3 of them.

I judge him on transfer activity, because I see no evidence he's in control of the overall plan at this club. He's a peripheral (or likely ignored) figure in manager recruitment, and it's very difficult to know where his involvement begins and ends with the academy because he persists with employing the coaching staff that was there when he arrived and he merely added Baines to it...which was a very PR and easy appointment to make.

I see no vision or bravery in this feller at all. If he's the architect then he must just do theory, because the practical examples of his club-building are nowhere in evidence - other than in a woefully mixed bag of muddle headed transfers into the club.

 

[BlueToff]

Yep, he's took over a bloated, depressingly average, one-paced squad that finished 8th - and dramatically changed it into a bloated, depressingly average, one-paced squad that finished........probably 8th