Interesting enough article about the data led approach to signing players. Beautiful and mathematical: Football as a numbers game http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37327939
Every player at the club from first team to U9 academy is rated after every match against a set numbers of parameters for the position they have played in, this equates to a score out of 10 and communicated to the players on a regular frequency. The same parameters are used when recruiting a player and any player that the club is currently scouting. Helps when the chairman develops software systems
I just wonder if this is open to exploitation ie a worse standard player getting themselves higher ratings by not playing to win but to tick boxes which will get them points
I hear what you're saying and yes the club must somehow take this on board and will be one of the many boxes that the coaches must include when scoring, we never see the sheets just the final score out of 10 and feedback on specific things the player has done well and what he could improve on.
First team tick box players. Ben the crab Pearson. Pass sideways and backwards, easy option every time but got his stats for pass completion through the roof.
Completed passes would only be one element of the score, taking players on , tackles , turning, skills and linking up play from one zone to another are all included , I know this as my lad is a winger at the academy and these are the type of things he has challenges/targets to achieve at each match. I dread to think what the database looks like and even more so the calculation that produces the score, seems to be working at the moment though
Many teams will have this and the more that do the more important variety and quality of information becomes when monitoring your own and potential targets. It's also a potential weapon to be used against opposition players when planning tactics. As the data arms race reaches saturation I'd expect the advantages to be minimised.
The best players in the world do everything by instinct. The danger is coaching players to hit targets. Or players look to improve scores or stats. Football is a more fluid, dynamic, team driven sport than baseball which is a series of 1-1 static confrontations (pitcher vs batter). Stats in football only tell you so much. Our signing philosophy seems to works as we also seem to rely on scoutings instincts and a players personality. Imagine stats just identify a wide pool of players to scout further. It's working though. Keep it up!