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 @elpivoteftbl, recruitment analyst for @insightMrkt
How did your first opportunity in football come about?
Well, I was blogging and tweeting a lot about players from around the world and an agent happened to read one of my blogs and followed up on a player which almost led to a deal for him. On the back of that he contacted me and we have worked together ever since, taught me a lot about transfers, clubs, recruitment and regulation in football. I was both lucky and a product of putting long hours into watching players even at the time when I had a full time job.
What attracted you to scouting/analytics? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?
I have loved statistics/data since I was in my teens, I have been a big American sports fan for a long time who loved reading about baseball, American football and basketball. These sports have always been heavy on numbers so a gravitated towards them based on that really, this was pre Moneyball.
In terms of scouting I would credit Football Manager really from when I was young I always wanted to sign the next big thing on the game and as I got older I wanted to know the next big thing in real life so read things like World Soccer Magazine and different internet sites to see who was breaking through.
Both intrigue me equally, I love finding a new player using numbers to filter down a long list of names then watching them and finding out there a gem. Equally I like looking through Leifering or Altinordu’s squad lists and finding new names without looking at data as they produce or sign such good young players.
Who/what is the first player/concept you "found"? What caught your eye?
In terms of finding players there are a few who I think I may have found but in reality someone in Brazil may have watched them since they were 14 and pegged them for stardom. As a scout once told me it’s not when you spot them it’s that you actually do spot them. For example pre me having Wyscout I used Whoscored.com for numbers and advocated for Premier League clubs to sign Nicolas Pepe in the summer of 2018, a year later he signed for Arsenal for £72 million. Scouts in France would have seen Pepe at Orleans and others pre his Lille days but I take solace in the fact I spotted him before his breakout.
Who/what is the player/concept you "missed" on? What did you learn from it?
Sofyan Amrabat, when he was in Belgium he was putting up really good numbers at 22 but I was much more interested in find the next big thing at 17-21 so dismissed a player who was out of his development phase. He is now on his way to Napoli after a brief stop at Hellas Verona. It has taught me to follow the numbers, if players are putting up excellent numbers at 22-26 watch them no matter what league they are in. I think in scouting it’s very easy to dismiss “older players” in non-top 5 Leagues because the theory is they should have been spotted and signed if they were that good. Players develop at different stages so you have to be open minded and consider all possibilities.
If you could start over what skill would you build on first?
I wouldn’t start over, I got to where I am doing it how I have done it and have learned a tremendous amount along the way. I may not have had the same success or opened certain doors if I had a different set of base skills. You can always learn and develop your skills there isn’t a time limit on when you have to be successful by. I never worked in professional football in any capacity till I was 33 years old so if you 20 or 25 you still have a lot of time left to develop yourself.
Do you see player development as more of an art or a science?
I would say it is both. Frank Lampard and Harry Kane are too players who developed themselves into world class players through hard work and development. Not everyone is born world class even the best players have to work hard. However having natural ability is certainly a major plus in your chances.
What is your favourite sports moment? Why?
I have two for different reasons. Emotionally seeing Tony Bellew win the Boxing World Title at Goodison Park in front of a rabid crowd of Evertonian’s was special. I have followed Tony since he was an amateur and as a fellow Evertonian it was really emotion seeing him fulfil his dream in in a place he had been going to religiously since childhood in front of fans he has stood with for years, sport doesn’t get better than that.
From admiration perspective its Pep Gurdiola’s Barcelona in the 2010/2011 season, for me that was the pinnacle of football in terms both a technical and intelligence aspect that I doubt we see reached by another team for a long long time.
What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?
Johan Cruyff, I am too young to remember his playing days and much of his managing career with Barcelona but his influence on football is undeniable. I could have easily said Pep Guardiola but without Cruyff there is no Pep and without either football for the last 40 years would have been much poorer. Barcelona and Ajax are his legacies whether it’s style of play or the fantastic youth academy’s both have they have influenced every facet of modern football.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into scouting/analytics?
I would say ultimately be open minded to both. I love analytics but for me it’s only 50% of the full picture same with scouting you need to combine both to truly see a players potential. If you’re looking to get into Scouting learn about data get to at least an intermediate level with it so you’re well rounded. Same with analytics watch players, watch different levels of football and watch different leagues so that you can put context to the numbers and interpret them better.
I would also say be patient and you can always learn more. You need luck to get an opportunity so don’t get disheartened if it doesn’t come quickly and equally while you’re waiting for an opportunity or you have “made it” never stop learning and developing, concepts and things change all the time within football, analytics or scouting so stay up to date or get ahead.
What is your favorite app/tool to use (for work or fun)?
I love Wyscout, its combination of video and data has really helped me develop and get ahead. Now it has it detractors as people question the accuracy of data but I have always found it to be close enough to the truth or it leads you to the truth so it’s a great tool that any aspiring scout or data analyst should use while it’s still affordable.
What other sport/hobby/discipline do you feel improves your work as an analyst/scout? Why?
As I said in question one, American sports have been way ahead in the field of Data and Scouting for many years so my interest in them and the changing ideas and concept helps me apply new thinking to my football work. Ice Hockey data concepts have largely been copied and adjusted to fit football analytics such as xG due to its use of goals and assists rather than points like other American sports.
Reading is a massive one, I love reading books especially on football but also leadership, decision making, marginal gains and others which I can draw from and use in a football context.
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