It’s been a few months now since the launch of TransferLab Data Scouting platform, so we thought we’d give you a quick tour of the platform to give you a better idea of what we’ve been developing for the past eighteen months. First off, it’s not all our own...
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10 Aug, 2018
10 Aug, 2018
In the press: Messi’s walking for FiveThirtyEight
10 Aug, 2018
In June, I managed to fulfil something of a personal dream of mine and write for FiveThirtyEight about Messi’s walking as a phenomenon. The piece was based largely on research by Luke Bornn, who has been described as the “high priest” of sports analytics, and Javier Fernandez, who works...
Read more08 May, 2018
Replacing Mousa Dembélé
08 May, 2018
If reports are to be believed, it looks like Tottenham will allow Mousa Dembélé to leave in the summer. The central midfielder has been repeatedly referred to as a “genius” by Mauricio Pochettino, who is evidently a fan of the dynamic midfielder’s ability to single-handedly transition from defence to...
Read more15 Apr, 2018
In the press: Goal-stopping for the Ringer
15 Apr, 2018
In February, I wrote a piece for the Ringer called “David De Gea Shouldn’t Be This Good“. The piece is about the effect of the Spaniard on Manchester United this season, almost single-handedly dragging them into 2nd place. Goalkeepers play an almost completely different sport to their team-mates, and...
Read more14 Apr, 2018
Salah’s meteoric rise
14 Apr, 2018
When Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah for approximately £40m, the immediate reaction of many versed in football analytics was that the deal seemed a bargain. Why? Well, quite simply, Salah’s output at AS Roma last season was nothing short of tremendous: TransferLab is based on a complex expected goals model...
Read more04 Feb, 2018
In the Press: Goal-scoring for the Ringer
04 Feb, 2018
In January, I wrote a piece for the Ringer called “Raheem Sterling Proves That Everything You Know About Goal-Scoring Is Wrong”. The piece is about the making of a consistent goal-scorer in elite football and what is most important. Using an augmentation of a traditional expected goals model, inspired by...
Read more04 Jan, 2017
On the lexicon of expected goals
04 Jan, 2017
Apart from an excuse for a pretentious title, I aim here to discuss some of the intricacies in the language used in football analytics. If you are new to the field, it might be worth reading One Short Corner’s fantastic primers. There’s a brilliant video of Richard Keys and Andy...
Read more30 Nov, 2016
Playing with Pressure
30 Nov, 2016
Recent debate about Jose Mourinho’s description of Manchester United as the “unluckiest” team in the league has brought out one of the oldest debates within football analytics – is the amount a team over or under performs its expected goals difference solely ‘luck’? It’s obvious why such a...
Read more04 Jan, 2016
Holistic Recruitment: Who Should Swansea City Sign?
04 Jan, 2016
Transfers are difficult. The ‘Tomkins Law’ suggests under half of them ‘succeed’ while, even if you opened up your definition of success, you’re still likely to identify widespread inefficiency. Being even slightly better at them than your opposition has the potential for huge gains in a competition like the Premier League, or...
Read more04 Jan, 2016
Mythbusting: MNF, Jamie Carragher and Mesut Özil
04 Jan, 2016
A couple of weeks ago, before Arsenal played Manchester City, I watched Monday Night Football. Generally, I enjoy Sky’s coverage; however on this occasion I couldn’t help but take issue with a couple of the things Jamie Carragher said about Mesut Özil and David Silva. If you have access...
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