Is it only the players?

As I said, it's the lack of transparency that enables such a narrative to be built and attract believers. But is this particular narrative actually true? Is Brands being prevente3d from doing is job properly? I'm as sure or unsure as the next man. But the facts of the matter are Brands has both signed a contract extension and taken a seat on the board.

Does a man powerless to do his job end up with a seat on the board generally? Does he sign an extension and remain with the club, or go and utilize that vast talent at a more competent and well run organization?

It's very possible that Brands is actually just incompetent and faces no obstruction to his role other than his unsuitability for it, at least as possible as the alternative scenario. But without transparency, openess, honesty and accountability these sorts of scenarios will just continue to occur, and with nothing other than speculation from the supporters to fill the void. Nature abhorrs a vacuum after all.

Brands sits on the board that is doing a virtual AGM in the name of transparency, that communicates infrequently and ineffectively to it's stakeholders, that refuses to reveal it's lines of reporting and structure. Isn't he part of the problem, rather than representing an unrealized solution to it?

At the level he's employed at, he has to go either way.

It's his job to direct the football department, and it's his job to represent the football department on the board. He's not doing either well, judged by the ridiculously poor footballing performance from recruiting, to on the pitch, to in the dugout.

We'll never know what he meant. He'll be gagged if he's ever paid off.

Still, if you want happy-clappy, it's probably best to appoint someone other than Rafa to run the sorry show.

If it was intended as you suggest then he should immediately resign. Last year there were no fans. None. So no one to create or library atmosphere, or to berate John Stones for doing Cruyff turns in his own box. No one to make Ross Barkley cower in the tunnel and ask Jags "Are they boing me?" No one to give Michael Keane anxiety, no one for Coleman to argue with. It was just football as it was invented, 22 players on a pitch free from the anxiety of quiet or noisy fans and yet they did as they do every year: play badly.

Maybe when you get to high hills, you lose all sense of empirical intelligence; Brands must know he was overheard and if he is as good as he is claimed, come out and say what he meant. He has a high paid role of key importance and is also a director of the club - by my logic, on any level of judgement, he has failed both roles.

The bottom line is this club's identity with quality players; its historic role as a major player in English football whatever the current position within the league and its reputation for ball playing football are now shot to ribbons following the disastrous Kenwright years - his final act of self-congratulation and no small swelling of his own bank account was to saddle us with the modern day Emporer Nero who would rather send a ridiculous text message to a media broadcaster than actually communicate through channels that might gain him at least a modicum of respect from the fanbase.

Expect this trajectory to continue - I don't see any upward curve - the rot is too deep and ingrained within the club.

If the funds are given to Benitez, his track record indicates that he will buy aging former stars looking for one last payday and with absolutely no sell on value.

Any funds that do become available must be entrusted to Brands, who, if his CV is to be believed, will do his best to identify young, promising, hungry footballers from across Europe, who will develop and if not required in the first team at some point in the future will realise a profit.

Unfortunately the two are not compatible. Benitez will not accept the Brands way and surely Brands will be unable to stomach being further emasculated at the hands of another very short termist manager.

If we do go the Benitez way we will disappear even further down the FFP toilet that we are already waist deep in.

Isnt the CEO supposed to set the football direction of the club and control all football matters in line with the strategy.

Isnt the Chairman supposed to lead the organization and create harmony and sense of purpose.

If the owner does not want to play a part in the running of his organization shouldnt he ensure the management are up to the task in hand.

Can we honestly say any of these buffoons are doing the job they are supposed to let alone working in harmony with the heads of department below them.

Keith HArris when he resigned from the board said Everton was the most dysfunctional board he had ever worked with. That alone tells you all you need to know about why we are in this mess.

Moshiri made the Kamikaze decision (in terms of his monies) of not only leaving Kenwright in charge of the boardroom, but letting him select LMD as CEO, and retaining those ex-players loyal to him, repeat, him, at Finch Farm. Moshiri also went public when he said he'd "enhanced" Kenwright's role - without any explanation of course.

Having first signed up the useless Steve Walsh I believe it very likely that someone with zilch to do with Everton recommended Marcel Brands, presumably expecting Moshiri knew what "DoF" meant.

Brands is of an age where he can confidently expect no better contract than the one he's now on, from anywhere, as he approaches retirement age. I suspect he's privately as withering as many of us on those above him in the Everton hierarchy but on two £mill p.a. (as reported) why would he, like all the other Kenwright cronies jack it in on principle?

Jeez, Moshiri knows more about football than "principle"!

Brands has delegated the responsibilities of the Director of Football role. He more likely blaming the training and preparation of players. It is obvious that the players are not being training or prepared properly for games, though on the match day they are trying.

It is either those that are preparing the team or the Manager he is blaming. He is not prepared to take any blame.

You can blame Kenwright for that if you like. Or even Brands or Benitez. But the lack of commitment amongst EFC players is the greatest characteristic of this club. They have no intensity, no plan, and no professional pride and it will continue whilst Finch Farm is full of dinosaurs and donkeys. What do we want? Relegation and the risk of years out of the top flight whilst they learn to fight? Or a clear out of club legends who are there for sentimental reasons only?

July 2019. DBB will oversea the work of Stadium Development Director Colin Chong. and take responsibility of the new stadium, including the delivery of community ideology at Goodison Park. This does not sound like someone who is barely relevant

That is exactly it. They are in a bubble doing well in their careers, singing each others praises , withno accountability. They are oblivious to the reaction of fans and secure enough to think that they are untouchable. They don't really want to associate with the fans, they turn up anyway. The only thing is, that the money has gone, to build their egos and not to develop a football team and it has come home to roost.

Their problem is that after six Manager in as many years there is not any straight forward scapegoat to deflect the heat off them. The fans and the Media are as one and are asking the same questions.

They are totally out of touch with reality.

Brands coming out with that shows how out of touch he is.

Players like Digne (who could easily be playing Champions League) can see the lack of quality around him - and the lack of budget to get better.

Many of these players joined to be part of a successful new era but each season, mid-table, no Europe and no trophies. And it's worn a lot of them down.

The Geordies I have listened to are pretty pro Benitez and think he could do a decent job here. He needs to be given the opportunity. Survival this year and then as soon as we are safe the shake up should start at board and senior management level.

This could entrench Brands in his role or result in him standing down but as many are alluding to on various threads, BK's putting out to pasture should be a given.

I can't honestly believe that nobody is asking the man to elaborate on his initial statement, because if Marcel Brands was to tell us his own true feelings, (which he's obviously got, after listening to him the other night) then maybe we might just be able to stop speculating?

If he blamed Benitez, some people would rightly point out that it hasn't been much different under the previous two other managers. If he blamed the chairman, some people would say he's only a figurehead, and if he pointed to the owner, then if this was true, he'd be doing us all a favour, but as it stands, different people will blame who they think is the biggest problem, and that's not getting us anywhere?

Everton fans are part of the problem. We have an inflated sense of expectation fuelled by our history – which is now increasingly outdated due to our lack of success – 34 years and counting since winning the ultimate prize.

The way Martinez was hounded out of the club by the fans after 3 years, after he'd given us our record Premier League points total and taken us to 2 semi-finals – with no money to spend – was disgraceful.

There was a sense he was inferior because he came from Wigan and was relegated once, even though he had won the FA Cup with them. He has gone on to greater things whilst with us the phrase ‘Be careful what you wish for” comes to mind.

We now have a hated ex-Liverpool manager who called us a small club when in charge, appointed out of desperation, having spent £500M with 4 disastrous managerial appointments and 5 more wasted years.

And yet the supporters are back in lynching mode – scratching around looking for anyone to blame but themselves. Brands, Barrett-Baxendale (!), Kenwright (the man who has actually saved our club after the disastrous Peter Johnson years) seem to be their targets, though they are being careful not to go after Moshiri... mmm... I wonder why?

They even realise they can't really blame Benitez… yet! High time us Everton fans realise that spreading indignation and hatred gets you precisely nowhere and that we are just as much a part of the problem as the solution!

We need to calm down, take a deep breath, lick our wounds and support the club and the manager and give him the space to get us through this bad patch, and come out the other end without a sacrificial lamb on the plate.

But what they all say is that we deserve a team that can play football to a decent standard, and who care about what they are doing and who they represent.

Of course, we all want Everton to be succesful, but it wasn't fans who spent the money or offered daft contracts to players who were unwanted by every other club.

The anger shown, even when directed at the manager, has always been about the club and the way it operates.

The women's team have fallen far short of expectation, and our academy teams have been piss-poor – and that's before I get to the senior team.

Who is scouting, who is judging these players, are they putting the work in hard enough to improve or is that place a holiday camp?

Barry 31 - another considered post but I have to disagree that anger towards our current manager has been about the way our club is run. For many it's personal, irrational and on Monday at times frightening. We'd be better off all walking out on 27 minutes than spending the game making pathetically crass and foul mouthed comments at a man who has been here 5 months - as if that means you are more passionate than everyone else. Scaring kids by using the c-word as both a noun and a adjective is ridiculous.

I've always said that this particular manager was tolerated rather than accepted, unfortunately for him and the club, the tolerance didn't last very long and the longer the team fails to win matches the more fuel will be added to those who despise the guy.

Benitez ....with his 2 v 3 in midfield against the RS, continually selecting Rondon& Iwobi, even though everyone knows they wouldn't get a game for a Sunday league team,

bringing Delph on at 1-3 down,

Tosun at 1-4,

3 unused forwards on the bench v Brentford, 1-0 down chasing the game.

No sign of a keen youngster in any situation.

Brands ....for sending Nkounkou out on loan, his dereliction of job description by not covering Coleman and DCL with back up,

being walked all over by Ancellotti, Benitez, Kenwright, and Moshiri.

If Brands, Benitez and Kenwright where all sacked tomorrow by our owner,

Ferguson put back in charge for the next 2-3 games only ( 4 points towards safety like last time, 4 points we are guaranteed not to get )

Then,a non dinosaur appointment (Lampard?) with Ferguson then moved on (thanks Dunc)
we might have a chance.

Maybe I'm naive but I don't think that it is the man's fault. By all means call out the board, the owner the chairman, even the manager for his limited tactical approach, but does it really have to come down to foul-mouthed personal attacks?

"Our U23 team are rank bottom in their league."

No, they're not.

Directors, Managers, Players and Coaches have come and gone.

We've had the Dave/Bill love in, where glass ceilings and knives to gunfights were used as a comfy excuse.

The ring fenced king's Dock & Kirkby fiasco, new lawn-mowers and Arteta money.

We have sold training grounds and rented them back.

We have DBB on the board, vastly experienced in education and charity. Her skills do not transfer to running a football club. Should be nowhere near a football board of directors

There will be a hundred other things to add to that list of issues.

He doesn't want to hand over the keys or control of his personal 'train set' and his ego is holding us back.

He has earnings of over £20 million for the shares he allegedly mortgaged his house for.

Dear Boys Pen Bill, please leave the club