Authors: Michael Calvin
There was a plane to catch, a player to assess, and a dream to pursue.
The page references in this index correspond to the printed edition from which this ebook was created. To find a specific word or phrase from the index, please use the search feature of your ebook reader.
Abramovich, Roman 132, 176
academies, football youth:
budgets 5, 8, 336
categories of 8, 71, 76
drop out rates 5, 128–9
Elite Player Performance Plan (EP3) and 7–9, 71, 73–4, 75–6, 132, 226, 234
exit trials and 210–26
failure of 132, 133, 255, 317
French 321
importance of 41
NextGen Series and 78–82, 89–99, 305–6, 308
Nike Academy 216–26
poaching/’nicking’ kids from 7–8, 75–6, 80–1, 226, 234–5, 236, 315
release of players from 86–7, 210–26
see also
scouts
and under individual club name
Accam, David 217
Accrington Stanley 192
Achterberg, John 151, 160, 163
Adam, Charlie 26, 340
Adkins, Nigel 297
AFC Wimbledon 167, 208, 262, 264
agents:
appearance/character of 1–2, 9–10
approach players 76
assessment of players 28
baseball 173–4
clubs dealing directly with 313
coaches operating as 174
French 94
media-savvy 91
Redknapp criticises 345
Russian 254
shady practices 370
South America and 51–2, 326, 327
third-party ownership and 233–4, 326
usefulness of 313
using as scouts 75
ages of players, false 174
Aibangee, Ose 59, 66–7, 70, 71, 75, 76, 79, 228
Ainsworth, Gareth 357, 358
Ajax 81, 82, 130–1, 295, 362, 369
Akinde, John 207
Akpom, Chuba 308
Al-Hasawi, Omar 306–7
Al-Mutawa, Bader 307
Al-Rashidi, Khalid 307
Albert, Florien 138
Aldridge, John 204
Allardyce, Sam 104
Allen, Clive 14
Allen, Martin 200, 355
Allison, Malcolm 259, 260
Alvechurch 202
American College system 216, 292
American Soccer League 191
Amiens 322
analytics 2, 143
analysis of heart rate, recruitment and 356–7
baseball and 21, 36–7, 170, 172–5, 186, 187, 335, 336, 343, 355–6
basketball and 182, 292–3, 330–1, 332–3, 334–5, 336
Bill James and 36, 172–3, 187
Billy Beane and 21, 27, 36, 37, 335
Charles Reep and 171–2
Damien Comolli and 12, 13, 20–8, 33–7, 340–2
driven by bloggers and statisticians 185–6, 187–8
Everton/Moyes and
38–56
football and 2, 20–8, 33–7, 38–56, 175–88, 332–44, 356–7, 360–1
future of 370–1
limitations of 360–1
Liverpool and 20–8, 33–7, 340–2
Matthew Benham and 332–43
Moneyball
and 21, 26, 36, 171, 172–3, 176, 184, 188, 331, 335
Nate Silver and 355–6
NBA and 330–1, 332–3
NFL and 344, 356
Opta and
see
Opta
overconfidence in 337–9, 340–2
Player Archaeology 184–5
players as unstable platforms on which to test theories formed in
the vacuum of academia 177–8
plus-minus principle and 331,
332–3
problems with football model 333–5
problems with interpreting data 177–85, 333–43, 360–1
Pythagorean Expectation 343–4
randomness in 339–40
Shane Battier and 330–3
Stan Cullis and 171–2
technology and 46, 110, 179, 181–5, 186, 197, 331, 360
Anderson, Chris 356
Anderson, Lee 31
Anderson, Mark 6, 7–8, 12, 17, 31, 32, 77, 83, 90, 91–2, 94, 230–7
Andrews, Justin 79
Anelka, Nicolas 142
Anzhi Makhachkala 345
Appleton, Michael 297, 364
Are We Getting Too Clever?
(Reep) 172
Argentine League: Primera Divisón 328
Armero, Pablo 94
Arnesen, Frank 142, 152, 153
Arsenal:
Academy 59, 67, 69, 91, 132
EP3 and 8
as a family 274–5
NextGen Series and 305, 308–9
performance analysis and 179–83
scouting/recruitment 16, 21, 24, 28, 31, 34–5, 41, 49, 67, 68–70, 74, 76, 83, 91, 92, 111, 126, 132, 137, 141–2, 151, 200, 205, 226, 236, 269, 271–84, 285, 290, 291, 292, 293–5, 305, 306, 308–9, 317, 322, 339
see also under individual manager, scout and player name
Arshavin, Andrey 251
Ashworth, Dan 327, 328, 340
Aston Villa 10, 17, 49, 77, 83, 147, 185, 240, 258, 262, 267, 312, 338
Athletic Bilbao 322, 372
Athletic News
257
Atkinson, Graham 166
Atkinson, Ron 166
Atletico Madrid 372
Austin, Dean 6, 116, 164, 166–8, 208, 296–305, 306, 309, 364–7
Aveldaño, Lucas 329
Ayre, Ian 374
AZ Alkmaar 259
Ba, Demba 319–20, 321
Bailey, Dennis 206
Bakare, Sakho 210–14
Bakenga, Mushaga 82
Baker, Little Joe 277–8
Baldelli, Rocco 174
Bale, Gareth 12, 33, 152
Bamford, Patrick 17, 131
Banbury United 211
Banco Espirito Santo 325
Barcelona 17, 28, 59, 65, 66, 80, 82–3, 129, 265, 317–18, 327, 329, 333
Barkley, Ross 15
Barnet 67, 153, 203, 212, 213, 289, 305
Barnsley 319
Barron, Jim 166
Barton, Joey 349
Barton, Warren 128
baseball 21, 36–7, 170, 172–5, 186, 187, 335, 336, 343, 355–6
basketball 182, 292–3, 330–1, 332–3, 334–5, 336
Bassett, Dave 117
Bassong, Sebastian 245
Battier, Shane 330–1, 332–3
Baxter, James 235, 243
Beane, Billy 21, 27, 36, 37, 335
Beardsley, Peter 317
Beattie, Kevin 156
Beckham, David 12, 80
Being Liverpool
(TV documentary) 239
Belenenses 369
Bellamy, Craig 9
Ben Arfa, Hatem 320–1
Benfica 323, 325
Benfica Stars Fund 325
Benham, Matthew 80, 332–43
Benitez, Rafa 26, 235
Berbatov, Dimitar 254–5
Berg, Henning 245
Beswick, Bill 178–9
Bickart, Kevin 356–7
Bidwell, Kevin 83
Birmingham City 17, 50, 150, 154, 155, 200, 203, 240, 241, 242, 369, 373
Blackburn Rovers 93, 114, 364
Blackpool 117, 140, 208
Blake, Noel 114
Bloom, Tony 231
Boca Juniors 17
Boga, Jeremie 91
Bohemians 190
Bolton Wanderers 6, 107–8, 164, 165, 235, 246–7, 257, 297, 298, 312, 365
Boothroyd, Aidy 82
Boras, Scott 173–4
Borussia Dortmund 43, 53–4
Borussia Mönchengladbach 338
Bosman free transfer 251, 327
Bostock, Johnny 129
Boston Red Sox 36–7
Boswinga, Jose 351
Bournemouth 6, 102, 126, 267, 304, 354
Bowman, Dave 287
Bradbury, Lee 301, 304
Bradley, Michael 338
Brady, Liam 69, 293–4, 296, 308
Brazil 5, 17, 251, 288, 317, 325, 326, 327
Brentford 10, 59, 62, 79, 171, 201–2, 205, 261, 358, 372
Academy 71–3, 78–9, 80–7, 96–8, 226
Benham and 332, 335, 336, 339
Community Stadium 336
EP3 and 71–2, 75–6, 226
Griffin Park 72, 78, 89, 197, 336
Milk Cup, under-15 team 228
NextGen Series and 78–9, 80–7, 89–90, 96–8
scouting network/recruitment 58–77, 80, 198, 199–200, 228–9
see also under individual manager, scout and player name
Brighton and Hove Albion 7, 124, 125, 126, 137, 152, 230, 231–7, 306, 362
Bristol City 207, 354, 367
Bristol Rovers 45, 206, 312, 316–17
Britton, Leon 182
Broomfield, Ian 352
Brown, Isaiah 373
Brown, Steve 45–6, 141
Brukner, Peter 163
Brunt, Ryan 193
Bryant, Kobe 331
Buck, Danny 74
Buckle, Paul 206
Bundesliga 54, 251, 252, 313, 321
Burke, David 233
Burnley 192
Burns, Tommy 11, 244
Burt, Keith 354
Burton Albion 131
Burton, Terry 107, 275–7, 284, 285, 292, 293, 295, 303, 305
Bury 141
Busby, Matt 136, 201
Butland, Jack 50, 150–60, 351–2, 373
Buxton, Ted 200–1, 306
Cabaye, Yohan 320–1
Cahill, Gary 41
Caledonian Thistle 190
Callaghan, Fred 201
Calvin, David 32
Calvin, Jamie 32
Cambridge United 43, 152, 238, 267, 359
Campbell, Bobby 201, 276
Campbell, DJ 200
Canaries Cup 12
Cantona, Eric 244
Cardiff City 111, 198, 217, 286
Carolina Lightnin’ 191
Carr, Graham 313, 318–20, 321, 355
Carroll, Andy 26, 164, 340, 342
Cartwright, John 259–60
Cartwright, Mark 160, 373
Cassidy, Jake 194
Cedar Bridge Partners 326
celebrity culture, young players and 12, 293–4, 308–9
Celtic 11, 16, 74, 217, 244, 362, 374
Central America 324
Chalobah, Nat 12
Chamberlain, Mark 106
Chambers, Callum 144, 146
Champions League 27, 54, 78, 217, 247
Championship 10, 50, 96, 103, 104, 112, 209, 241, 253, 265, 307, 308, 315, 318, 338, 367, 372
Chance, The 217–18
Chapman, Herbert 171,
257
Chappell, Phil 111, 112, 134, 306
Charlton Athletic 6, 7, 100, 105–6, 109, 111, 112, 115, 134, 231, 234, 284, 306
Charlton, Jack 145
Charnley, Lee 321
Chelsea 353, 354, 372, 373
Academy 5, 91
analytics and 175–7
EP3 and 8
feeder clubs 52
culture at 175–6
FA Youth Cup, 2011/12 4, 10–12, 110
reserve team 108
scouting network/youth teams 10, 11, 12, 17, 29, 31, 69, 76, 104, 110, 131, 151, 175–6, 177, 218, 226, 228, 229, 236, 237, 294, 318, 319, 323, 325
Torres and 364
see also under individual manager, scout and player name
Cheltenham Town 149, 150, 151, 157,
158
Chester, Ewan 154–5, 242–8
Cissé, Papiss 321
City of London 59
City University, New York 344
Clark, Lee 240, 241
Clarke, Cindy 362
Clarke, Gordon 276
Clarke, Ray 361–4
Cleveland Indians 174–5
Club Brugge 82, 362
coaches:
anxiety of 179
attitude of players towards 280
bad player habits and 213
badges 260, 276, 298, 299
change of 254
changing culture of 236–7
complain about scout approaches 63
data analysis and 331
differences from scouting 365
directors ask scouts about 153
emotional attachment to job 180
FA syllabus for 58, 60
foreign players adapting to British 316
inspirational qualities of 88
lack of foresight 5
lack of knowledge in some 135
Moyes as 45, 47
operating as agents 174
performance analysis and 179, 180
players challenge 16
respect of players for 99
rotated around age groups 73–4
scouts as 6, 59, 129–30, 140
Spanish 235
spot players 32
teams reflect 61, 62, 64
wedded to winning 66, 178
Coe, Tim 361
Colchester United 101, 107, 110, 118–24, 155, 156, 198
Cole, Andy 280
Cole, Ashley 32, 91, 214
Cole, Devante 280
Coleman, Tommy 276
Collett, Ernie 276–7
Collymore, Stan 198, 202, 203, 360
Cologne 255
Colorado Rapids 111
Comolli, Damien:
appearance 21
Arsenal, career at 21
attempts to justify legacy at Liverpool 340–2
character 21–2, 33–4, 35–6
Dalglish and 24–6, 37
data evangelist 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 36–7, 341–2
dedication 20, 22
Liverpool Sporting Director 12, 13, 20–8, 29, 33–7, 55, 91, 95, 151, 161–4, 170–1, 205, 231, 237–8, 257, 340–2, 371–2
Martin Jol, relationship with 21
Matthew Benham on 341–2
Mel Johnson and 12, 24, 33, 91, 161–3, 170, 207–8, 231, 237–40, 371–2
Moneyball
and 21, 26
Robert Pires, remembers first impressions of 35
polarising figure 20–1
poor transfer choices and 26, 340–2
Raheem Sterling, scouting of and 29, 33
Ronaldo, remembers first impressions of 34
sacked from Liverpool 161–4, 170–1, 237, 340–2
Saint Etienne, career at 21
Tottenham, career at 21, 23
Van Persie, remembers first impressions of 34–5
Coney, Dean 201
Conference 4, 6, 87, 202, 203, 205, 297, 307
Convergence Capital Partners B.V. 52
Cooke, Robbie 43, 44, 47, 269
Coppell, Steve 206, 261, 298, 302
Cornell University 356
Cotterill, Steve 307
Coulibaly, Souleymane 133
Coulthirst, Shaquille 87
Coventry City 39, 305, 362, 368
Craddock, Jody 359
Crawley Town 105, 161
Crewe Alexandra 95, 161, 192
Crosby, Malcolm 241
Cruyff, Johan 42–3, 81
Cruz Azul 328
Crystal Palace 6, 31, 71, 90, 129, 145, 152, 157, 198, 200, 206, 234, 236, 260, 261, 297, 300–3, 358–9, 361, 365
Cullis, Stan 136, 171, 172
Curbishley, Alan 6, 7
Curle, Keith 365, 366
Czech Republic 13, 15, 16, 259, 274
Daily Telegraph
171
Daish, Liam 205
Dalglish, Kenny 20, 24–6, 37, 95, 163, 171, 207, 230, 231, 237, 243, 373
Darlington 256
Dartford 136, 146, 309, 318
Davey, Carl 228
Davis, Liam 167–8
Dede 17
Defoe, Jermaine 228
Dejagah, Ashkan 255
Dembele, Mousa 250, 259
Dempsey, Clint 250
Den Haag 329
Denswil, Stefano 81
Derby County 139, 165, 227
Devaney, Martin 190, 191–2