11 Questions with Marshall Dixon

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 Marshall Dixon, opposition scout and analyst for the Blyth Spartans:

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

My first opportunity in football came almost 2 years ago now as an opportunity to help one of my dad's friends with her U10's team, this was proper grassroots football, training on a field in the park. I loved it, particularly looking at how she worked with them and how she helped them improve. I found it all quite magical!

What attracted you to coaching? What’s more intriguing now winning or developing players?

I was a shocking player so mainly the fact I wanted to be involved in the sport but couldn't have got into the game from a playing perspective. I'm much more interested in development when I'm coaching as I work in the Foundation Phase. 

When I talk about development, I of course mean development from a football perspective but also developing the person, looking at their social and psychological skills. Football changes lives; it's my job to make sure it changes it is for the better!

Who is the first coach/teacher that resonated with you? What stood out?

In my experience as a Saturday grassroots player, I never really had a coach that I particularly liked or looked up to. The team's I was part of were very much "you get your hour of training and if you're good enough you'll play on a Saturday". As mentioned before, I wasn't any good as a player so often ended up standing on the sidelines for the full game. This massively affects me as a coach; I put so much importance on having good relationships with all my players, making them feel wanted and cared for. My experience also effects how I approach match days; every player gets equal game time and has equal chances in each position over the course of a season. So, if anything, having a bad playing experience has helped me unimaginable amounts going into coaching (so ironically had a positive impact).

I loved my early years of school, particularly Junior school. I had so many inspirational teachers when I was in Junior school, each affecting me in different ways, helping me to develop as a person and helping develop a love for learning. It really was an incredible environment which made it a place I really wanted to be. This again has linked into my coaching; I want an environment where my players want to spend their time. 

Despite not being very good at football, I still somehow managed to get into the school team. The teacher who ran the team is fantastic! He was great with us, he really cared and wanted the best for us; giving me my best football experience as a player. He is someone who I have taken a lot from. Since getting into coaching, he is someone I will go to for help and ideas; he's been great to me!

What is the biggest misconception in football? Why?

Football is full of misconceptions! 

I would say the biggest one is that coaches have an easy job. Coaching isn't an easy job when it is done properly. Coaching is all about the people you are working with. Coaching is all about making football fun and enjoyable for all participants while developing the person and the player. Getting the balance of fun and development within a session can be hard enough, without having to account for the different types of players and people you are working with. All players have different abilities, all people have different ways of learning and need different levels of support within a task. I want to do the best I can for all the players and participants I work with. Getting the right balance and methods isn't easy, it takes a lot of hard work both in sessions and away from sessions: I can easily spend 3 hours planning a 1-hour session. Football is so simple yet so complex at the same time. 

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

This is a question I love to hate; football takes an array of skills!

I think I am going to go for the ability to adapt. You might have the best session plan in the world but everything never goes to plan! There are so many things out of your control: the number of players you will have, the mood of the players, the weather conditions, etc. Being able to adapt to get the most out of the session is something that can be so difficult to do; in some cases, it may even mean having to totally change the session on the spot. It is definitely something that comes with experience but anyone who can adapt effectively and still get the desired results from the session deserves the utmost respect!

Do you see player development as more of an art or a science? Which would you start with?

I see player development as an art. I see science as something that is exact and only has one proven way. Different people learn in different ways, different players improve through different methods.  I also believe art has a larger element of freedom, players need that to develop; we learn from our mistakes, if players don't have the freedom to make mistakes their learning will be inhibited. The end result should always be the person and player being the best they possibly can be but there are numerous ways of getting there, you have to do what is right for the individual at that moment in time, there is no one size fits all!

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

This is a really difficult question! The only one I can think of from the top of my head is Leicester City winning the Premier League. It was just a real wow moment that shows anything is possible. It really showed how far hard work and the right environment can get you. Don't get me wrong, they had some really good players but that Leicester team definitely wasn't the leagues strongest on paper (reflected by the fact they were 5000/1 to win it before the season began). For me, that was really special!

What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?

I'm really lucky as I get to work with some really inspirational people who I can gain so much from on a daily basis.

In the professional game, I'd say Arsene Wenger. I gain so much inspiration from him. For starters, the fact he came from almost nowhere shows you don't need to be the best player in the world to make it to the highest possible level in a coaching/managing role. 

I admire his bravery also as he went to Arsenal and completely revolutionised not only Arsenal but football as a whole. Arguably the biggest reason I would describe him as my role model is the fact he built something. Don't get me wrong, Arsenal had lots of success before Arsene but what Arsene did was special. He changed the way Arsenal played and brought a whole new culture to the club, as well as building a brand new stadium. What he achieved despite the tight budget he was given while the stadium was paid for was absolutely incredible. 

His loyalty strikes a chord with me as well, the fact he turned down opportunities to go to "bigger" clubs to see out what he started at Arsenal is remarkable. It was a shame to see the way he left Arsenal but that should take nothing away from what he did at Arsenal. To me, he is the greatest in football.

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

I'd tell them to get out there, go and hunt down opportunities, get on the FA website to do the free Talent ID Level 1, build their CV and portfolio and to use the knowledge and experience of others. We are so fortunate to live in the time we do with tools like Twitter and LinkedIn, we can reach out to just about everyone and most people will share their knowledge and experience. I've learned so much from the experiences of others and taken so much from looking at the way they formulate their reports. My advice to anyone out there wanting to get into scouting is to jump in and give it a go!

What is your favorite app/tool to use (fun only!!!)?

I prefer to be really low tech with my software and tools in terms of using lots of apps. Everything I do is through Microsoft programmes. I have a really good Powerpoint slideshow with lots of spotlights, arrows and other little bits which I like having a bit of a mess around with when I have time. I am also a bit of a nerd and love to mess around a bit building and using databases through Excel.

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

I think being good with technology can prove a huge boost with both scouting and analysis. Being able to use a range of software and apps can be hugely beneficial and make the job a lot easier; especially when it is video-based. Being able to code is quite big also in terms of being able to use the different coding languages to help formulate reports and databases. We often talk about there being 2 main routes into scouting and analysis, the above is the technological route. The other route is the football route, coming into the game from a coaching or playing perspective, more focused around knowledge of the game over technology. I would say I'm a blend of both, leaning slightly towards the football side. I'm quite good with all the software (despite preferring a more simplistic approach) so my next challenge is definitely to learn to code; if anyone can help drop me a message! ;-)