11 Questions with Joe Donnohue

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 Joe Donnohue:

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

My first opportunity in football came through Scouted Football. I was initially looking to get involved with some professional scouting courses as I'd always enjoyed watching youth football and youth international tournaments and stumbled across the Twitter account at the time. I got in touch with Stephen Ganavas and Tom Curren who still run things at Scouted and asked to get involved. From there, it has been great to learn alongside some great writers and fantastic analysts, all sharing knowledge, tips and information.

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

As I say, watching youth international tournaments and youth football had always piqued my interest. There's something about identifying a top player before everybody else that's quite exciting and can be rather gratifying - it's the scouting equivalent of a Eureka moment, if you will. Numbers are always intriguing because they can point you in the right direction of players you perhaps hadn't come across or would never have watched without seeing them stand out in certain metrics. They allow you to narrow the pool of players you could watch, down to a select few you can watch as it's impossible to watch every player. I would never make a judgement on a player based solely on their numbers, there is so much to take in when watching a game with a specific focus on one player, you notice things that metrics will not be able to pick up.

What type of player fascinates you? What caught your eye?

All kinds of players fascinate me for a variety of reasons but particularly those with great awareness and manipulation of space, especially at a young age. At youth level in competitions such as the UEFA Youth League, it stands out when a player has that innate knowledge of where to be, when to release the ball, how to position himself to facilitate a quick counter-attack etc. That goes for defensive and attacking players. The best example off the top of my head I can think of is Adil Aouchiche, currently 18 years-old at Paris Saint-Germain; his movement is one of his best qualities and he always seems to find himself in space between the lines which having watched him extensively is no coincidence. As a direct result, he's been involved heavily in creating chances and scoring goals in whichever side he plays in.

What is the biggest misconception you’ve found in this space?

The biggest misconception I have encountered is a difficult one. I'd say a lot of people project players' careers and development to take a linear path, whether that be on an upward or downward trajectory. Player development is not linear, particularly if the player in question is younger. Just because a teenager or young player who moves to a foreign country and underperforms, that does not mean he should be cast off as a failure, there are a multitude of reasons as to why his performances may have dipped. 

With young players, their progress must be tracked over a number of years as it is difficult to predict how certain individuals will adapt to different environments, as even football players are human beings. They are not immune to criticism, homesickness, loneliness and feelings of alienation, all of which contribute to how a player will perceive him/herself on the pitch and thus directly correlate with how they will perform.

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

If I could start over, the skill I'd build first is to work on being diligent. Watching lots of games can be tedious and you can lose focus or motivation at times, but if you are diligent and persevere - as is with most things in life - you should reap the rewards. Years ago I would perhaps tire of watching a certain player if they were going through a bad patch, or avoid the game altogether in lieu of watching a more exciting player, but I'd say diligence and perseverance to stick with it are key to accurately being able to give a comprehensive appraisal of a player.

What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?

Domain knowledge and curiosity are both very important and I don't think either is more or less important. Without the curiosity and intrigue to learn more, you aren't going to amass the knowledge that allows you to be an authority on a certain topic/player/league. Both are just as important, in my opinion.

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

My favourite sporting moment is Gary Caldwell's goal for Scotland to beat France 1-0 at Hampden Park in 2006. France were World Cup finalists months earlier but were beaten by Scotland in front of a capacity stadium. It's one of my most personal memories as it was incredible to witness, as well as being hugged and held aloft by strangers. I have never experienced emotion like it in a football stadium since.

What coach or player would you give a lifetime contract to? Why?

It is perhaps an obvious choice but I would give a lifetime contract to Julian Nagelsmann. He is meticulous, innovative and one of football's greatest contemporary coaching minds, as well as being just 32. He could potentially build a dynasty over forty years, that's value for money on that lifetime contract.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space?

I've found that advice about getting into scouting or football journalism can often be cheap and unintentionally can be guilty of tokenism at times, so I don't want to come across that way. I was lucky to get into the position I have found myself in currently, alongside a great team who've afforded me the time to make mistakes, build my knowledge and learn as I've gone along, which I'm not sure I would have got elsewhere - as there have been a lot of mistakes and questionable judgements. 

The best anyone can do is work as hard as they can at doing what they feel is right for them. Everybody's path into this is different and there's no set way of making inroads, because a great deal of it is luck. If you want to write and your work to be noticed, keep writing and keep plugging it, don't be discouraged, it only takes one person to notice it.

Who is your favorite athlete? Why?

I wouldn't say I have a favourite athlete but I have a favourite type of athlete; those who are humble and ethically and socially responsible for their own actions. Colin Kaepernick is perhaps the best example as he has forfeited immense wealth and acclaim for doing what is right.

What is your favorite quote or saying?

My favourite saying is 'The faintest ink beats the strongest memory'. Writing things down whenever I think of them has saved me countless times.