11 Questions with Sean

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 Sean:

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

I left school and undertook a 3 year NVQ in Football coaching where I was coaching 5-6 hours a day 6 days a week. I can't recommend getting into coaching enough, it may be a little intimidating at first but being out of your comfort zone is the best way to progress.

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

I think everyone from my generation is going to say finding young players in FIFA, PES or Football Manager is what got a lot of people interested in scouting. It's always exciting when a young player comes along.

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

I wouldn't say I'm in a position "find" players but the first player that caught my eye when looking at video was Konrad Laimer (RB Salzburg at the time).

The first player I ever seen and thought "wow" was Wayne Rooney... In school. Probably the best teenage player I've ever seen & I remember Messi, C.Ronaldo, Owen etc.

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

I wouldn't say I have missed out on anyone or any concepts, I would say however that I'm maybe not as active with my work or in discussions as I should be. 

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

It'd have to be coding, the younger generation do a lot of coding in school (or so I've heard), I never had that luxury so I started quite late. You only need to look at professional roles now so see how important skills such as; SQL, R, Python etc.

Do you see player development as more of an art or a science? Is development on the club or the player? Why?

Art & science is the same for me but club can plan intelligent loans away that will progress the player (Beckham at Preston for example), although when a player like Messi comes along you just have to give him minutes and let nature take its course.

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

My favorite sports moment had to be sitting in the Gwladys St watching Tony Bellew win by KO, absolutely unreal that night.

What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?

I take inspiration from literally everyone and everything,  I could be driving along and see someone cycling or jogging and that'll make me do the same. I could see a post I like on Twitter and try and emulate it. There is inspiration within everything!

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

Network! Join groups, get involved in conversations, don't be afraid to voice your opinion.

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

Since learning a bit, I find python to be extremely interesting and fun. All credit to Raven and Peter for that.

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

I love rolling (grappling), boxing and all other combat sports. For those hours you're on the mat every care goes away and it's incredibly humbling when you get beat up.