Many years ago I followed a few of the early football stats community on Twitter and read many of their blog posts; this is an excellent overview of where all that thinking has led when executed in the right environment.
Wrestling a complex, flowing, continuous team sport such as football into the structure of maths is a very tricky challenge. Applying that theory into practice when there is huge scepticism from the organisations makes it even harder.
This inside account is by Ian Graham who was Director of Research at Liverpool FC during their rise from underperformers to champions. It’s a really interesting combination of the theory behind the statistics and models, and the story of how data went from an ignored curiosity to an integral element behind decision making.
Fascinating reading for anybody who is curious about what happens off the pitch.
