I used to work in sports analytics and you're right, it's only as good as the people using and interpreting it at the other end. Some bloody good ones and some total donkeys who are getting paid to play real life football manager.
Happy to be wrong but Wilder doesn't strike me as someone who is guided by stats first but emotionally and on gut feel with numbers as a steer. Also depends on whether his stats people stand up to him or just find evidence to support his argument and blow smoke up his arse.
We are often encouraged to employ similar methods as those shown by clubs at EPL level, with some notable success.
Clubs like Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford are often portrayed as good examples of recruitment and scouting.
PH broke the mould with a few European forays into the market, but he enjoyed only limited success with those foreign players! Most have now been moved on.
No one seems to have noticed the dramatic improvement at Notts Forest, who were seen as a club trying, and failing, to spend their way to success. Despite being sanctioned, they are still EPL members, but now enjoying the kind of success one might expect at Newcastle under Eddie Howe?
The main difference seems to be a new manager, capable of managing and improving the team ethos, so sadly lacking under the previous manager.
As a club, we cannot, and should not copy the methods of other relatively successful clubs, but develop our own way of doing things. It might be a single thing, or a combination of methods. The point is, we probably don’t have the money, or the style to copy another club, but there is no harm in collecting a selection of good practices, to secure EPL status.
I suggest that we don’t need to copy them, but select a combination of successful factors shown by other clubs, but still within our financial means!
Yes this might involve questioning the current Wilder policy of selecting a list of mostly English league prospects for permanent or loan signings!
