Transfer Process - Scouting
There seems to be a lack of understanding in some quarters over the transfer process and what is involved in the many stages. At times there is an almost an if we want to sign a player then he has no option but to join us approach and when that doesn't happen someone must be to blame.
The fact that the individual is actually allowed to make his own mind up doesn't seem to enter into it and equally when we have players we want to sell that it's compulsory that a club buys them or compulsory that that player must leave, regardless of what he wants, and again if that doesn't happen someone must be to blame.
Some transfers can go through quickly, Christian Eriksen took 4 days but there was an immense amount of work that had already gone on behind the scenes before the second attempt to buy him was successful, the first attempt was before he signed for Ajax.
In a series of articles I'll look at the transfer process and start today with the beginning, scouting.
Much has been made of the secret room at Southampton where Paul Mitchell conducted 'forensic like' research into a payer and where there were banks of screens to watch players. The fact of the matter is that that happens up and down the country and that software is readily available for any player to be watched from the comfort of a room at any football club, or indeed you at home.
Tottenham use a system called Scout7 whose website tell us that they have the footage from 85 countries, 150 leagues and 100 games of football a day at their fingertips. Clubs buying their service, which also include Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton, can create their own clips to watch of any player.
You have all no doubt seen Sky Sports or Match of the Day, or it's equivalent in your own country, where they show a piece of action with a highlighted circle around a player, that's just pressing a button on a bit of software and it's automatically done. You can create a video of whatever you want, all the tackles, every time he has touched the ball, so you can 'scout' a player without travelling to see them.
A club has a list of players and they create videos of them for each game they play, which are watched and analysed against set criteria. This is the 'forensic analysis' the papers were referring to regarding his work at Southampton.
Only when you consider a player worth going to see in the flesh do you send along a scout, thus you can maximise the effectiveness of their time. Many scouts work for more than one club and are given set criteria to look for players. If they see one then his name will get fed into the system and again the forensic analysis will be undertaken.
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It was widely reported in the press that some Premier League clubs are now using Football Manager 2015 as their statistics package, given that it is detailed and up to date on players around the world.
The Internet has changed the way we conduct business and scouting has evolved as a consequence. if a game is recorded then it can be watched and analysed anywhere in the world, so a club can scout a player without anyone knowing anything about it outside he club.
It's no surprise that Tottenham and Liverpool seem to be after the same players all the time as the package they use to analyse the data is very similar. The man who designed the system we at Tottenham used and presumably still use, left that firm and was employed by Liverpool.
Data drives scouting now, you still need the trained eye of course but analytical data will provide all the football background information you could want. A player then still has to be researched off the field, or he should be, it doesn't always happen though.
Knowing a players mind is vital to success, does he have the desire and internal motivation to want to put in his best performance at a windy Crystal Palace or only on the sleek surface at White Hart Lane against a Chelsea. One will help your club towards success, the other will hold it back.
What is clearly missing from the scouting system at Tottenham is an assessment of the little things that nobody pays any attention to, the things that help you read a players mind, all the aspects of his body language that he can't control.
How many times does he pull his socks up, how many times does he brush his hair Balesque like, how long does he sit on the floor after he is beaten. There are loads of these small minor points that give an overall picture and bringing in a Sports Psychologist and body language expert to write a list of these down, before then having software give you the answers, would enhance the 'forensic analysis' no end.
Scouting has changed and Tottenham need to embrace technology to its fullest to place themselves as leaders in the world of analytical scouting.
The fact that the individual is actually allowed to make his own mind up doesn't seem to enter into it and equally when we have players we want to sell that it's compulsory that a club buys them or compulsory that that player must leave, regardless of what he wants, and again if that doesn't happen someone must be to blame.
Some transfers can go through quickly, Christian Eriksen took 4 days but there was an immense amount of work that had already gone on behind the scenes before the second attempt to buy him was successful, the first attempt was before he signed for Ajax.
In a series of articles I'll look at the transfer process and start today with the beginning, scouting.
Much has been made of the secret room at Southampton where Paul Mitchell conducted 'forensic like' research into a payer and where there were banks of screens to watch players. The fact of the matter is that that happens up and down the country and that software is readily available for any player to be watched from the comfort of a room at any football club, or indeed you at home.
Tottenham use a system called Scout7 whose website tell us that they have the footage from 85 countries, 150 leagues and 100 games of football a day at their fingertips. Clubs buying their service, which also include Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton, can create their own clips to watch of any player.
You have all no doubt seen Sky Sports or Match of the Day, or it's equivalent in your own country, where they show a piece of action with a highlighted circle around a player, that's just pressing a button on a bit of software and it's automatically done. You can create a video of whatever you want, all the tackles, every time he has touched the ball, so you can 'scout' a player without travelling to see them.
A club has a list of players and they create videos of them for each game they play, which are watched and analysed against set criteria. This is the 'forensic analysis' the papers were referring to regarding his work at Southampton.
Only when you consider a player worth going to see in the flesh do you send along a scout, thus you can maximise the effectiveness of their time. Many scouts work for more than one club and are given set criteria to look for players. If they see one then his name will get fed into the system and again the forensic analysis will be undertaken.
Recent Articles
VIDEO: Harry Kane, skills, goals vs Chelsea
Video Highlights: Watch Vertonghen's reaction
Winston Reid story spot on
Emmanuel Adebayor Mateo Destro swap
GOAL VINES Burnley & Spurs 1st goals
Does Ward loan pave the way for more?
Milos Veljkovic return raises questions
The transfer window situation
It was widely reported in the press that some Premier League clubs are now using Football Manager 2015 as their statistics package, given that it is detailed and up to date on players around the world.
The Internet has changed the way we conduct business and scouting has evolved as a consequence. if a game is recorded then it can be watched and analysed anywhere in the world, so a club can scout a player without anyone knowing anything about it outside he club.
It's no surprise that Tottenham and Liverpool seem to be after the same players all the time as the package they use to analyse the data is very similar. The man who designed the system we at Tottenham used and presumably still use, left that firm and was employed by Liverpool.
Data drives scouting now, you still need the trained eye of course but analytical data will provide all the football background information you could want. A player then still has to be researched off the field, or he should be, it doesn't always happen though.
Knowing a players mind is vital to success, does he have the desire and internal motivation to want to put in his best performance at a windy Crystal Palace or only on the sleek surface at White Hart Lane against a Chelsea. One will help your club towards success, the other will hold it back.
What is clearly missing from the scouting system at Tottenham is an assessment of the little things that nobody pays any attention to, the things that help you read a players mind, all the aspects of his body language that he can't control.
How many times does he pull his socks up, how many times does he brush his hair Balesque like, how long does he sit on the floor after he is beaten. There are loads of these small minor points that give an overall picture and bringing in a Sports Psychologist and body language expert to write a list of these down, before then having software give you the answers, would enhance the 'forensic analysis' no end.
Scouting has changed and Tottenham need to embrace technology to its fullest to place themselves as leaders in the world of analytical scouting.
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