Tottenham’s new chief scout Rob Mackenzie gave an interview with Sky Sports back in 2017 where he discussed the uses and limitations of data in recruitment decisions.
Mackenzie followed Johan Lange from Aston Villa to Tottenham last month after the latter was appointed as Spurs’ new technical director.
The new chief scout is certainly no stranger to Hotspur Way, having been part of the North London club’s scouting team for 18 months back in 2015.
Football.London’s Alasdair Gold revealed a couple of weeks ago that Mackenzie is renowned for his ability to unearth gems and for employing analytics to do so.
The journalist stated that Tottenham’s acquisition of the Englishman is viewed as a major coup within the industry, given the work he has done at Villa and Leicester City.
Mackenzie’s interview from back in 2017, when he was the head of scouting at Derby County, shed light on how he uses data.
He is quoted as saying at the time: “Data is neutral, reliable and it allows you to assess a significant number of players in a time-efficient manner.
“It provides a platform for you to identify players and benchmark expected performance levels. It also allows you to compare similar profiles, help establish what else is available in the market and therefore work out who the most valuable players are to your club.
“Having access to data and career biographies of players in competitions across the world is certainly empowering, but as with any resource available to you, it is important to acknowledge the level of insight that it can and cannot provide and place that into much-needed perspective when making decisions. Anything in isolation tends to be insufficient.
“If I’m honest, I think I might have placed more emphasis on data alone in previous years but I have learned to understand that there is so much more to the probability of a player being a success at your club than their statistical output in isolation.
“In order to minimise the risk associated with signing a player the process should involve piecing together all the information you have collated in a manner that allows you to assess the suitability of a given player in direct relation to the remit set by management.”
The 38-year-old also stressed in that interview that getting to know a player’s character is as important or more important as crunching the numbers.
He added: “In recent seasons we have seen clubs sign players with notable stats but it is important to remember there is a person behind the numbers. If their attitude towards a new challenge is not as reliable as their performance history, then the move may not succeed.
“I recall looking at a player who, among other things, scored 27 goals and provided eight assists in 40 games during his last season prior to a transfer. Since moving, however, he has followed that up with only seven goals and seven assists in 56 games at his new club.
“Is it that the player has suddenly become poor? Or is it more likely that he is experiencing a totally different challenge in his life? A new country, a new competition, higher expectations among better players and the pressure of a big transfer – maybe he’s struggling to adjust?
“Either way he has arguably fallen short of expectations. But while the player’s recent performance data might suggest he’s struggling, he is the same person and in theory, he has the same level of ability as before, yet the outcome is remarkably different.”
“When signing a player you are initiating a significant change in someone’s life,” he said. “So it is almost as important to anticipate how they are likely to approach the new challenge they will be presented with as it is to understand their current level of performance.
“With that in mind, you aspire to gain an understanding of their character. What motivates them? What stage of their career are they currently at? And perhaps more importantly, what does a move to your club represent to the player from these perspectives?
“Irrespective of a player’s statistical profile or positive live scouting reports if there is not a good fit across the board then the risk associated with a player not succeeding at your club can often be quite significant.”
Spurs Web Opinion
So much of high-level sport is mental, with factors like confidence playing a huge role in players’ performances. Those sorts of metrics cannot always be quantified, which is why managers often rely on the players’ personalities as a guide to deducing how they would cope with different circumstances.
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