Football and Stats

[LichtieHibby]

The whole concept is interesting in itself and then there's the The Rangers connection...

https://decorrespondent.nl/2607/How-data-not-humans-run-this-Danish-football-club/230219386155-d2948861

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3070921/Brentford-boss-Mark-Warburton-axed-leads-club-Premier-League-play-offs.html

Was Warburton successful due to the stats aproach or despite the stats approach (rhetorical).



Position

Team

Played

Goal Difference

Points






1

FC Midtjylland

33

30

71



2

FC Copenhgn

33

18

67



3

Brøndby IF

33

14

55

[Future17]

I think it's fascinating and have no doubt that this kind of approach, if done right, can give you small percentage gains at the very least. Will be interesting to see how Midtjylland get on next season.

With regard to the The Rangers connection, as I understand it, it was Benham's decision to get rid of Warburton and go for a foreign coach instead and presumably this was based on statistical analysis as well. That might not be a reflection on Warburton's ability per se as, a simplistic view of the EPL league table last season shows how non-English coaches tend to outperform English ones.

[KWJ]

Really interesting article. Everybody should be watching their set pieces.

I mind Midgtyland from champ man games a decade or so ago, sure they always had really decent players.

[KWJ]

Just read the Daily Mail one. Hopefully the theory is correct and Warburton was just the lucky bloke to be in the role while it was going in.

Shall be watching Brentford and Midgtyland with a keen eye.

[Purple & Green]

Whatever happened to John Beck? Wimbledon? Even Graham Taylor didn't manage to reproduce his performance throughout his career that he enjoyed at Watford.

I think it was Sam Allardyce (of all people) who pointed out the competitive advantage of prozone disappeared when all teams had it.

[Purple & Green]

Was Warburton successful due to the stats aproach or despite the stats approach (rhetorical).

If you think about this logically, a given game can turn on a given event, a given response to a given moment.

Often, it's a tackle or not, a substitution, a change of tactic, or a switch of positions or formation.

Stat analysis is very helpful in making those managerial decisions but you need a manager with a real feeling for the game as it happens to make the big calls at any given point of time IMHO

[KWJ]

I think it was Sam Allardyce (of all people) who pointed out the competitive advantage of prozone disappeared when all teams had it.


But do you want to know the truth? Whenever I ask soccer analytics people which clubs are really using all that data in a big way, the answer is direct: Not many, if any. Managers just don’t want to give up control to the numbers. They don’t trust them.

From here http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/05/15/soccer-analytics-brentford-midtjylland-matthew-benham

The danish team went on to win the league.

[Matty_Jack04]

Uwe rosler was manager at Brentford before warburton and had great success he then moved on to Wigan....and failed, at Lyon they had a similar approach to Southampton and a certain Paul le guen was in charge to again great success and we all know how leaving them helped his career.
I'm taking a big interest in what Benham has done at the Danish side and trying to keep a close look at how he's changing Brentford very interesting times could change football completely if successful, warburton was roslers sporting director at Brentford before moving to manager so
It wouldn't surprise me if he manages to succeed in making a career out of management instead of falling into the same category as the roslers and le guen's who seem to have had success because of the way the clubs where working behind the scenes, he's worked on identifying players and he's had the hands on experience be interesting to see although fingers crossed he falls on his face