Chesterfield boss Paul Cook's interesting take on role of analysts in football

The use of data in the sport has grown massively in the last 10 to 15 years, with clubs like Brentford and Brighton using numbers to identify players with potential and sell them for huge sums of money. Lots of other clubs are now doing the same, with the Spireites themselves using statistical systems to look at individuals who might match what they are looking for, while also watching video clips and the more traditional in-person scouting trips to back-up their research. Although the Blues would not sign a player on data alone, they do use it as a starting point.

And when it comes to matchdays, analysts are also playing a bigger role than ever before. Most of the time they take up a position high up in the stand to film the game but some managers have them in the dugout with a laptop with the live data available at the click of a button. Footage from a different angle may help them get a better understanding of what the opposition are doing tactically, while the in-game statistics could help a manager make a decision on a particular player.

Chesterfield have two analysts of their own, Jack Stephenson, who is head of analysis, and David Asher, first-team assistant performance analyst. The pair attend every game home and away and their hard work, attention to detail and filming and editing skills are of great use to Cook and his backroom staff.

Giving an interesting insight, Cook explained: “I think the level of coaching has certainly gone up and the detail involved through analysts, there are no secrets. You see a lot of teams now doing a lot of tinkering at half-time when the analysts have watched the game, they see strengths and weaknesses, so you are nearly playing two (different) matches now, one in the first-half and one in the second-half.”

There are different types of analysts, whether it be opposition-focused, recruitment or performance related. People can study to be an analyst at university, while there are also lots of other courses for those who have ambitions to get into the industry. Nowadays, there are plenty of budding analysts online, with one great example being Sheffield United fan Jay Socik, who shared his work on social media and over time it landed him a job at Luton Town as head of recruitment analysis.