The book · coming 2027
So you want to be a
football analyst?
How to read the game, do the job and survive the industry. Not a book that tells you analytics is clever, and not a coding manual: a third kind of book, from someone who has done the job in England, Wales, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Read Chapter 1 free
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Who it's for
Anyone who suspects there's more
going on than the commentary admits
Breaking in
Aspiring analysts
What the job really involves, how people get in, and the parts nobody puts in the brochure: the money at the start, the politics, the insecurity.
On the grass
Coaches
How to use analysis without being conned by it, and what to ask for from the analyst in the corner of the room.
In the stands
Supporters
How to watch the game properly: the movement off the ball, the systems behind the moments, and what the numbers actually measure.
Learn · free
Start with one
exercise from the book
Chapter 1 · Watching
The Noticing Game
Follow one player for five minutes without watching the ball.
Chapter 2 · Communicating
Translate the Same Insight
One observation, explained three ways: to the coach, the player and the boardroom.
Chapter 8 · The numbers
Reading the Real Game
Read a match through xG, with a real Premier League example.
About the author
Came to football late,
through the side door
From an internship at Aston Villa in 2007 to head of performance analysis across Al Jazira, working with City Football Group. The book is the one I wish someone had handed me at the start.
Got a question?
Ask about the job
Getting in, the tools, the politics, the pay. Questions shape the next articles and lessons.