11 Questions with @BiscuitAnalytic

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football scouting journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is @BiscuitAnalytic

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

My first opportunity in football is still yet to fully appear, just small pieces in the background so far - however I set up my account around Feb 2019 inspired after seeing the rise in accounts specific to teams looking at stats and analytics. From there it was a pretty short step into looking into Reading FC analysis.

What attracted you to scouting/analytics? What's more intriguing now names or numbers?

To me - it's always been a numbers hobby firstly. I enjoy working with data and trying to understand what it is actually showing. The names come as a secondary part to me still - however the blend of the two is important obviously if you are to use numbers and names within scouting certainly as I'm sure everyone will tell you.

Who/what is the first player/concept you "found"? What caught your eye?

The first player I "found" wasn't particularly surprising, being a Reading FC player, however I was always a big fan of Anssi Jakkolla, and always managed to use his data whilst he was at Reading to try and prove that he was indeed a Championship level goalkeeper. Despite being released, he has earned a first team spot at Bristol Rovers and has excelled there from what I can see.

Who/what is the player/concept you "missed" on? What did you learn from it?

Not to say I have missed nobody, but I'm not sure. I'm sure there is plenty of people I've missed but one player doesn't spring to mind yet. However the one thing I have learnt from "missing" players is to ensure huge detail. Glossing over what you are looking at does not give you the context of what you are looking at.

If you could start over what skill would you build on first?

100% would build my skills up in Python or R. I can't use either and know it holds me back currently, my workaround is using Tableau, which does help me get by but certainly is limiting compared to either of those!

Do you see player development as more of an art or a science? Is 

development on the club or the player? Why?

I think development generally falls onto a club, however the player must take responsibility for their personal development outside of the field. It is an art to teach a player techniques or concepts - but teaching them the mental side of the game or the physical side? That is more of a science. So it's a nice blend of both, depending on from which viewpoint you look at.

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

Outside of my own team - this is a tough one. I think the winning runs scored at the world cup by England in 2019 are a great moment. However I usually fall back to the goal that Troy Deeney scored against Leicester in the Playoff Semi final to take them to Wembley. The goal had it all in the space of 60 seconds, despair, agony, relief, excitement, and then unbridled joy. It's the reason we follow football.

What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?

For me - one player who really inspires me would be Joe Thompson at Rochdale - although he has retired now - to have, and beat cancer and come back to play professional football again was particularly inspiring. I also massively enjoy the story of staff members who have been at clubs a long time and then managed to make a success of themselves. Nigel Adkins and Brian McDermott (Both ex Reading!) are great examples of this.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into media/analytics?

Practice. Practice as much as you can do. Then network - and network more. It's a tough gig to get into, and you have to work hard, get lucky or be incredibly talented to break through the glass door into sports.

What is your favorite app/tool to use (for work or fun)?

For me, (And for most "fanalysts") I imagine the answer would be Wyscout - however shoddy the data is sometimes, the extent as to which it's freely available for countless leagues and players is what is handy. However, coding your own games shows you the tough work that must go into it!

What other sport/hobby/discipline do you feel improves your work as an analyst? Why?

One sport that I followed before trying to start doing analysis was NFL. The stats and playbook aspect of the sport make them ideal for someone who is looking to understand concepts of plays.