How Analytics has Changed Scouting in Football | Tifo

[Rousseau 10,636]

 

[Rousseau 10,636]

Not Rangers related -- I'll move it if requested -- but it shows how important analytics are in modern football.

 

Rangers are in a difficult position: we're a big club, without the financial muscle of the big clubs. 

 

The point of picking up players from smaller, unknown clubs based on certain qualities and attributes that your team needs is particularly important for us.

 

We've needed a destroyer-type player, so we've gone for an unknown Coulibaly (although he's went off the boil) and now we've gone for Kamara, who's similar. It's intelligent player acquisition. 

 

Even an aerial threat up front; players like Eaves -- not sure what's happening with that? -- may look like poor players, playing at a very low level, but they may have the qualities and attributes we need to do a job. 

[DMAA 3,658]

Aren't they making things more difficult than it needs to be though when all you have to do is go and buy the latest Football Manager? ?

 

39 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

We've needed a destroyer-type player, so we've gone for an unknown Coulibaly (although he's went off the boil) and now we've gone for Kamara, who's similar. It's intelligent player acquisition. 

I still think Coulibaly is good at this role. He largely went off the boil when he was asked to play further up the field and predictably struggled. I blame Gerrard for that one I'm afraid. The silver lining is that as a result Coulibaly's value hasn't risen much you wouldn't think so I'd still consider signing him because he has a lot of ability a destroyer and is very young.

 

I wouldn't say Kamara is a destroyer type from what I've seen. He's the opposite of Coulibaly, very technically gifted and strong in possession and even playing through balls. He has the ability to get into a tackle but it doesn't seem to be his strength. I seem him being a good player to have when we are at home and need our centre midfielders to be good in possession and creating something. 

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by DMAA

[Gaffer 1,665]

This is very much Rangers related Rousseau because this was one of the first departments Gerrard sorted out when he arrived.  Gerrard knows how an appreciation of numbers changed (for the better) his own game, so he wants other players to appreciate their own game and develop accordingly.  It is of course also used to scout new players.  This part is nothing new, but what really interests me is how we are assessing a player's mentality before he is signed.  The stats are one thing, and provide an excellent insight, but how do we assess whether a player is a capable of surviving and thriving in a cauldron such as Ibrox?  It's something I've looked at as a pet project because to some extent stats have been reviewed in isolation.  However, when stats are overlaid with the game/league circumstances at the time, it can be very revealing.  For some players (Halliday and Jack being an example), the movement, touches, awareness and tracking appears not to dip even when the team is losing or under pressure.  This contrasts with a player such as Ejaria, who, when under pressure situations tended to change his game style (which I doubt was tactical).

 

I realise DMAA was joking when he mentioned Football Manager, but their database is now used by many top clubs around the world.  They have more scouts than any football club has afterall.

 

If we can scout a player's mental attributes we will save ourselves a fortune.  Fingers crossed.

[DMAA 3,658]

3 hours ago, Gaffer said:

realise DMAA was joking when he mentioned Football Manager, but their database is now used by many top clubs around the world.  They have more scouts than any football club has afterall.

You have to wonder why it seems everyone except those in the club knew about Football Manager during the 2011-2015 years. They bemoaned our lack of a scouting department and largely stuck to Sportscene scouting. 

[ranger_syntax 4,325]

What a load of rubbish!  Bin all the swots I say!

 

If you want to unearth real gems you just need to hire a manager and get him to hire players he knew from the league he used to manage in before.  Like Caixinha and Mexico, for example, or Warburton and ... er ...

 

Would your silly spreadsheets have told us to sign Eduardo Herrera or Carlos Peña?  I think not.  Checkmate.