Here is Josh Williams:
How did your first opportunity in football come about?
Professionally, outside bits of freelance work, I applied for a newly-created role at Reach whereby the writer had to essentially have the footballing knowledge of an actual scout/analyst. I was invited to London, interviewed and informed days later that my application was successful.
What attracted you to writing about football? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?
I wanted to express my understanding of the game in the hope that I’d provide readers with insight. I think people who read about football want to learn, but a lot of widespread content is generic and could be written by the man on the street. My intention was to focus on aspects that, in my opinion, deserved more attention.
Who/what is the first player you "found"? What caught your eye?
I’m not sure about the first player but funnily enough, weeks after starting at Reach, I was asked to generate a small list of promising British players competing in the lower leagues. I was quite pushed for time and had to provide the names quickly, so I used only data to pick up on some interesting outliers without video - which I would never usually do.
Karlan Grant was one name - he moved to the Premier League months later having been spotted by Huddersfield Town. Ezri Konsa also - who proceeded to sign for Aston Villa last summer. Eberechi Eze was another, as well as Callum Robinson before he moved to Sheffield United. Obviously there’s a lot more to scouting than spotting players who are posting notable numbers, but the success of the quick 30-minute list that I produced has since been very good.
Who/what is the player/concept you "missed" on? What did you learn from it?
This was before I was involved with analysis and football writing, but I was convinced Lazar Markovic to Liverpool was a solid move. I had watched him months earlier for Benfica against Juventus in the latter stages of the Europa League, and he seemed to be everywhere. He was only 20 years-old at the time as well, but this is a good example of why definitive conclusions about a player based on an isolated performance in one match should be avoided.
If you could start over what skill would you build on first?
I’d largely follow the same route if I could and don’t think I’d change much at all. Every player develops differently according to the challenges he faces throughout his life, and it’s the same for analysts/writers. I’ll pick up on different aspects of the game than other people and that’s because of what I’ve read, what I’ve seen and what I value.
Obviously it would’ve been nice to chase a career in football/journalism from the start, but if I was to start from scratch and build on different skills first, I’d probably be an entirely different writer. Embrace your own methods.
Do you see player development as more of an art or a science? Is development on the club or the player? Why?
I see both sides. There’s an art to how a player develops from childhood - the unique traits that he picks up while playing on the streets, often as a result of his surroundings or the players he’s watched on TV. On the other hand, science has to be applied at some stages - to ensure that a player evolves physically, for example.
I believe development is predominantly on the player, though. The enthusiasm and willingness to improve has to come from within for the club to stand any chance of getting involved and impacting his future.
What is your favorite sports moment? Why?
I have too many to pick a favourite, but I won’t forget witnessing Liverpool win the Champions League last season. Never has a team been more deserving of silverware, yet at one stage it looked as though the Premier League and Champions League had both slipped away inside the space of a week. 4-0 against Barcelona, and then 2-0 against Spurs changed that.
What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?
I can’t look past Jurgen Klopp. His managerial career has been brilliant so far despite the hurdles he’s faced, he’s transformed the club that I’ve supported for my whole life with style and personality and on top of that - he’s also a special person. Liverpool are now truly a product of their environment. The head coach and the supporters are aligned in their belief of how the game should be played. Klopp is a one-off.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into media/analytics?
Decide what you want to do, recognise what you’re good at and make it happen. It sounds unrealistic, but it’s really that simple. Keep learning, keep improving, and keep pushing forwards with stamina towards whatever your goal is. As cheesy as it sounds, the universe will move for you providing your direction doesn’t change. Be original, interesting and engaging along the way, and people will take notice eventually, especially if you use a platform such as Twitter to promote your work.
What is your favorite app/tool to use (for fun only!)?
Twitter. I’ve learnt an awful lot using that platform simply by following people who think about football similarly to myself. I’ve benefited a lot from being part of an online community full of people who also want to analyse the game in different ways.
What other sport/hobby/discipline do you feel improves your work as an analyst? Why?
I think a lot of people only tend to understand situations according to their own perspective. If your perspective is limited, you’ll fail to comprehend the thought process behind plenty of decisions.
When analysing football, it helps a lot if you’re open-minded, objective and reasonable when getting to the bottom of whether a team are well-coached, or when explaining the logic behind a specific tactical move. No matter how bad the decision - there is always a thought process behind it.
I try to be unbiased, and I try to avoid jumping to conclusions by gathering all the relevant information before expressing my thoughts. It’s not a discipline, but having a receptive attitude will improve you.
No comments:
Post a Comment