11 Questions with From the Stands

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 From the Stands:

How did your first opportunity in football come about? My first real experience with football was the 2006 World Cup. I’ve been watching and playing football ever since. Growing up, football was a huge part of my life and, like many kids, I dreamt of becoming a professional player. For several reasons, that didn’t work out and for a while I never thought about the possibility of forging a career in the sport. I was always very passionate about it and was very intrigued about the coaching and analytical side of it, but at the time I didn’t think much of it. Recently, though, I revisited that and decided create an opportunity and work towards breaking into the industry through creating my current page ‘From The Stands’, where I can showcase things I’ve learnt as well as learn from others. What attracted you to scouting/analytics? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers? I’ve always been very number oriented, not just in football. Growing up, I always favored more quantitative subjects, and, alongside my passion for football, it felt natural to try to move into that. Data is hugely important and its role in football and sport will only keep growing. It’s such a powerful thing. However, it’s important to know what type of data to use and when to use it. With more publicly available data, anyone can use the data but what separates the good from the best is the ability to tell a compelling story or argument with the data to support it. So I would say it’s a combination of both: I love looking at and crunching numbers but nothing compares to watching the real thing. What player or concept you fascinates you? What caught your eye? I’ve always been a fan of central midfielders and possession based football so naturally I’ve been fascinated by players like Busquets, Xavi, Scholes, Pirlo, Iniesta, etc... What is the biggest misconception you’ve found in this space? Using a large number of metrics improves the analysis. Sometimes the simplest metrics provide the most telling insights. Also, when analyzing a certain player, it’s important to recognize the role their team plays in their performance and to factor that in which is why a qualitative analysis is as important. There’s also the misconception that ‘easy on the eye’ football is more effective, and although that is the case a lot of times, there are tons of examples that prove otherwise. If you could start over what skill would you build on first? I would learn technical skills at a younger age. What is more important player development or recruitment? Why? Any successfully run club would be competent in both. If done properly both can give their clubs significant competitive advantages against others. Both are the pillars of a successful football club and go hand in hand. What is your favorite sports moment? Why? Manchester United winning the Champions League in 2008. I loved that team and that season was the probably the first season of watching football where I was starting to become more aware and understanding of the game so to see it capped off that way was very satisfying. What coach/player/team inspires you? Why? I’m going to pick two. Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola. Sir Alex for his ability to keep rebuilding teams whilst remaining successful. Guardiola for the style of play and principles he developed which resonate a lot with me. I’ve also always been a fan of Arsene Wenger. What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space? Depends on which capacity, but since I am mainly focused on the analytical side trying to break into that space, the advice I was given was to develop good technical skills and to be generally curious. Always look for answers and ask questions and be prepared to work hard to solve those problems. Who is your favorite athlete? Why? Wayne Rooney was my favorite player growing up but there are many more who have inspired me. Ronaldo, Messi, Jordan, mainly for their undeniable talent as well as their relentlessness in improving and being successful. What is your favorite quote or saying? ‘Football, bloody hell!