Brands Power

I wonder how Koeman would have panned out if Brands had been in place last year?

Ashley Williams and Bolasie were both head scratchers... and others followed .

TW was very giddy when he signed on, if I remember correctly, and first impressions are that the faith has not been misplaced.

You can't beat a man with a plan.

Superb appointment.

There's a fresh feeling of optimism around Goodison Park and let's build on it daily.

Early, days but it's a good start.

I only ask, as we may underestimate Moshiri's knowledge of the real mover's and shaker's around the European football scene.

I must admit, prior to the appointment of Brands, I'd never heard of him. Moshiri is clearly not an owner who wants to hog the media limelight (Jim White's best mate apart), but we'll forgive him for that.

I feel cautious optimism that the club has finally appointed astute people from a strong business and commercial background who can move the club forward on and off the pitch.

Onwards and upwards.

On the point of having a Director of Football, I noticed in the press that Man Utd are now pursuing the idea of employing one for the first time. Which I assume is partly down to what they see as a disastrous transfer window, the impending meltdown of Moaner-inho, and perhaps a glance over at Goodison Park to see how a professional does it.

So let's wait for the late signings to kick a ball for us before we start doing the handstands, not fall into the trap of last year when Walsh was seen as a genius before we saw his donkeys play!

In my view, Brands has been a breath of fresh air. Under his watch, the positions that supporters were screaming to be addressed have been filled with players who have some pedigree and/or great promise. We'll see how they do, but he got them in.

You overlooked his outbound activity which again matches what fans were asking for. A lot of deadwood has gone and probably one or two more to follow. Once the window closed, Brands has given lengthy interviews to the media, not just sound bites, explaining the strategy and giving rarely seen insight into the negotiating process.

I think we're seeing Denise's better communications pledge coming to fruition – I very much doubt Brands decided off his own bat to explain the intricacies of the transfer market.

I doubt very much he needs help from Dr Barrett-Baxendale to put words into his mouth; I think he more than knows the score.

Given the bloated underperforming squad - some of them on equally bloated wages - and the situation he inherited I think it is impressive how transformed and refreshed the squad now looks in such a short time.

With no manager in place to consult with, in a World Cup year and a much fore-shortened transfer window, we now have just 2 first team players over 30, four of the five outfield players recruited are full internationals, and together their median age comes in at 23 years old.

I don't need to list the ageing or fringe players that have been moved on when many feared it would be impossible to find any interested parties for them. There is a couple of weeks yet to see a couple of more out of the Goodison door.

Yes, we need to see evidence if the new recruits can cut it at Everton, but already it looks like being a lot more fun than what we've endured in the last two years.

On another thread Brands was called out for 'bigging himself' up following his media interviews this week.

Given these same day interviews for several media outlets is the one and only time he has uttered anything for public consumption since his and Marco's joint 'Welcome to Everton' gig, I thought such charges were both unfair and unfounded, based on what he did say.

I would have thought his words were both intriguing and informative for the bulk of Evertonians for their insight into how our transfer business was conducted this year. Equally, his earthy 'shit' and 'double shit' comments in the presence of owner Farhad Moshiri whilst watching Mina score against England probably resonate with many a Scouser as well.

This is just the start. And in my eyes it has been a very good one.

Maybe you are onto something there, Adam. Perhaps that's where we went wrong?

The season is only two games old but so far, I would say the work he has done, the manner he has conducted himself with, and the general feelgood factor around Goodison should be encouraged. Not that a healthy dose of cynicism is ever far from my thoughts either.

And Andy (#16), Williams was often a false 5 for us in all honesty!

Well, he managed 18 months as a false number five, so why not?

It might take a couple of more windows but, at that point, I don't see why we couldn't be in the top 6 and overtaking Arsenal.

We are now starting to act like a big club. Something changed this summer and I think Brands has been a huge part of the newfound optimism. He got rid of all the deadwood, albeit a few of them being loans, but he's certainly got us going in the right direction. His moves buying and selling in only his first window with us, look amazing, although it is still early days.

The Martinez and Koeman eras started with 6-game unbeaten runs, but they and Walsh turned sour in the end.

A lot of assumptions that Koeman and Walsh had no plan. That they were outmanoeuvred etc, but a year ago nobody thought that. Their plan, and they surely had one, even if it now seems they didn't to some, didn't work. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I'm optimistic, but only Richarlison has played so far of the newcomers, and we've seen sublime and ridiculous so far from him. Next year we might just be wondering why there was so little cover for Tosun, especially if Niasse goes to Turkey this week as an example that you can always make a case for signing more players.

Time will tell.

My own (cautious) optimism about Brands' work so far is based on more than the players bought in. Walsh and Koeman may have had a long term strategy: yet the former very rarely gave any public statements to back this up, and Koeman certainly didn't strike any of us as a forward thinker.

The players they bought in were, on the whole, older, “proven” Premier League players like Bolasie, Rooney, Williams, with little success. They also failed to forge any kind of identity, failed to move on high earners who had consistently flattered to deceive (Mirallas an obvious example) and so we were lumbered with an expensive squad of mistakes, misfits and players on contracts which did not match their ability or contribution. Our disjointed performances on the pitch may well have been down to managerial upheaval and poor appointments, but it's not a massive stretch to say that the lack of a cohesive plan resulted in the stagnant football witnessed last year.

Brands has – so far – managed to move on a good number of the deadwood. Okay, we've loaned out some players we would rather be shot of completely, and made big losses on others. But this ruthlessness, coupled with some investments that on paper look sensible, suggest that we can at least build this year.

My Nan could have done better than the Koeman & Walsh recruitment fiasco, but Brands has definitely gone a good few steps better than even she could.