My Worst Analysis Experience and How It Changed Me

In this week’s edition of Football Progression Path I’m going to share the 4 changes I’ve made with my approach to analysis since working in the game.

When I got my first experience at a club I was naïve.

I was presenting to a couple of senior, older scouts who had decades of experience. I was tasked by the U21s coach to show my presentation on the players who were out on loan. The goal was to highlight their development and areas for improvement through the lens of data.

It was a baptism of fire, and it went horrifically.

I was trying to communicate on my level, and the presentation was aimed for the wrong audience. From that moment I had lost them. These are also the mistakes I see other new analysts making too.

The best analysts reflect and improve their output, insight and delivery consistently.

So after reflecting on one of my worst experiences in football I had to make these 4 changes with my approach:

1. Tailor the message
2. Stop going in cold
3. Seeking challenge
4. Things don’t go to plan

Tailor the Message

Your message has to be right for every single audience.

By that, I mean don’t assume anything, especially when you’re working with new people. During my bad experience I thought everyone knew what a “progressive pass” was. The reality was very different though, and my presentation was falling on deaf ears from the get go.

My approach now is to always tailor the message to the lowest common denominator of knowledge in the room.

Stop Going in Cold

People hate uncertainty.

Nothing creates more uncertainty than feeling vulnerable and exposed to new ideas and ways of working. During my presentation, this is exactly what I was doing to these older experienced scouts. I now realise one way I could have improved this was to have an initial introduction before jumping straight into this elaborate presentation.

Take the time to have an introduction before implementing new processes with new people. Meeting people ahead of time helps to build the relationships - these are crucial in football after all.

Seek Challenge

Having your ideas and analysis challenged is a good thing.

When I started doing analysis, I feared being questioned, feeling it meant I was wrong. I now see this was a mistake. Biases can skew our work, and without challenges, they can seriously impact our analysis. Our methods can also become stale over time without scrutiny.

If people have questions or perspectives you don't agree with, hear them out. It might improve your analysis.

Things Don’t go to Plan

From my experience in first-team performance analysis and recruitment, things do go wrong from time to time.

Unexpected issues can arise during a meeting, like your presentation not working or a question that you’ve not prepared for. Try to anticipate and prepare for these scenarios in advance. However, if they happen, don't worry. Time is precious, especially in football. Acknowledge or address the issue, then move on.

If you don't know something, it's okay. People will see through your uncertainty, and it's better and easier to ackowledge when you don't have an answer.

The important thing is to look through the lens of what can be improved, and how things can be better. Reflection is the key.

Reflection is vital, in all walks of life. In football it’s there to help you improve both professionally and personally. You can always take something from a negative experience and it’s about how you learn from it.

This one bad presentation experience a few years ago was horrible, but it completely changed my approach with analysis for the better.

I hope you can take something from my experience too.

Have a great week and go well!

Liam

Whenever you’re ready there are 3 ways I can help you:

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