'more Data Than Ever, But Does It Help Managers?'

One of nan biggest differences betwixt being a head now and erstwhile I started retired 33 years agone is nan magnitude of information utilized by shot clubs.

So overmuch of nan modern crippled is driven by it and not conscionable successful nan recruitment of players - it's besides utilized for looking aft them, successful nan aesculapian and sports subject departments too.

It has led to immoderate astonishing innovations since I began my clip successful nan dugout astatine Bournemouth successful 1992 - nan aforesaid twelvemonth nan Premier League era began - but I would reason location are galore ways it has made a manager's occupation harder, not easier, compared to what is now viewed arsenic old-school.

When I look backmost astatine those early days, location were only 3 group moving nan nine - nan chairman, caput and manager.

Now it has changed completely.

Running alongside nan first squad and reserves, you've sewage an academy for boys and girls, a aesculapian department, a fittingness squad and of people recruitment too. Each tin dwell of an service of workers, who are driven and directed by heads of department.

They are each abstracted entities striving to meet their ain objectives and they often build different identities too, pinch information dictating nan direction.

And, while earlier they were wholly successful control, nan managers aliases caput coaches of coming are often subservient to nan group moving these departments, and their decisions.

What I find absorbing is to spot really galore of those different group time off nan nine erstwhile nan head gets sacked, erstwhile they person had specified a large power connected nan civilization of it.

I americium not saying immoderate of these departments should not exist, because each 1 is vitally important, but I still deliberation nan personification who stands connected nan touchline for 90 minutes should beryllium nan 1 who has nan last opportunity connected nan astir important things that impact nan first squad astatine immoderate club.

Each caput of section now is instructed and guided by nan head of football, who usually useful particularly intimately pinch recruitment - an area that is almost surely information driven.

I americium going to sound for illustration a dinosaur again here, but I signed hundreds of players during much than 3 decades arsenic a manager, and not 1 of those signings was information driven - unless you count nan database that existed successful my ain head.

That database was based connected my ain accusation I gathered each week, watching unrecorded league, reserve and non-league games, and making contacts pinch different scouts and managers from each level. In those days, being astatine training astatine 8am each greeting and getting location past midnight was expected, and astir managers past did nan same.

We had a web of scouts successful different parts of nan state but we still did a batch of travelling to speak to group astir players they had seen, young and old.

If a subordinate was recommended to me, I would ever effort to travel it up by watching him astatine slightest 3 times, pinch 2 of those occasions being distant from location because I ever believed that if he was a bully character, that facet would radiance much successful distant games.

In those pre-internet days, nan Rothmans Football Yearbook was my bible, and it was priceless for identifying accusation connected players from each squad successful nan league.

I started retired arsenic a player-coach astatine Bournemouth nether Harry Redknapp and he showed maine nan worth of having that knowledge.

It was a awesome instruction for maine arsenic a young coach that I had to cognize what was retired there, and getting nan recruitment correct proved arsenic captious to maine complete nan years arsenic it is to nan managers moving coming - that portion has not changed.

I managed nan recruitment astatine each my clubs. I would show my scouts and coaches what I wanted and past did my homework connected their recommendations and watched them successful action.

The much nan years passed, nan much sound location would beryllium successful this area from different group wrong nan club, but I ever insisted connected being nan personification who made nan last decision.

My scouts and coaches knew precisely what type of players I wanted for each position. I often saw bully players, but did not effort to motion them because they did not fresh nan personality of nan squad I was managing astatine nan time.

Ideally, that benignant of reasoning is utilized successful nan data-driven exemplary which is prevalent coming - wherever nan floor plan of signings is aligned to nan personality of nan nine and what nan head needs.

Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth are bully examples of wherever it has worked brilliantly, but location are a fewer much established Premier League clubs who person not utilized it arsenic successfully.

It is astonishing really they unearth these players, and it is having entree to this accusation that has turned nan Premier League into a world league, wherever much than 65% of its players are foreign.

But, irrespective of having information arsenic an unthinkable instrumentality to observe caller talent, being a dinosaur I would still ever insist connected viewing nan subordinate earlier they were signed, and I americium judge astir managers now would want that too.

If nan subordinate I signed did not fresh nan bill, and location were many, past I was much than happy to raise my manus and judge afloat responsibility.

It does not ever hap that measurement anymore, however, and it has irked maine to perceive that immoderate of nan players brought successful to a nine person not had nan manager's approval, aliases moreover been seen by him.

Unless everything is joined up, you are ne'er going to beryllium successful.

Young managers coming often don't cognize thing different but erstwhile I speak to them astir this, I ever punctual them that astatine nan extremity of nan day, it is you who is successful beforehand of nan dugout erstwhile your squad is playing, and because it's your occupation that's connected nan line, past nan squad should beryllium of your making.

So you person sewage to beryllium beardown and make judge nan players coming successful are amended than what you've got, based connected information aliases what you tin spot for yourself. If you tin spot nan personification who is signing them, happy days... if not, you're successful trouble!

The aforesaid issues use to nan sports subject and aesculapian departments, who person travel to nan fore successful astir master clubs.

In my day, and particularly early successful my guidance career, I had a very elemental and successful guideline to cognize whether my fittingness activity was effective aliases not. If my players were moaning and sweating, I knew they were moving difficult enough!

Every section I person mentioned has grown not only successful size but besides successful expense. They each person a circumstantial and important role, reflected by their costs to nan club, and for maine arsenic a head it was important each caput of section was made accountable for their actions.

I ever felt fittingness coaches and sports subject departments should beryllium challenged. They are vitally important to nan manager's mentation truthful should enarthrosis work for fittingness levels and definite injuries.

For example, injuries to knees, ankles and joints were ever looked connected otherwise to muscular injuries which, for me, were decidedly classed arsenic preventable.

I worked pinch immoderate awesome doctors and aesculapian teams, but they ever knew they were moving for nan use of nan nine and not for nan comfortableness of injured players.

That was my reasoning erstwhile we built a caller training crushed astatine Stoke. I only wanted 2 beds successful nan aesculapian room but by nan clip they had vanished it, location were five. I went to nan club's chairman, Peter Coates, who said, 'what's nan problem?'.

I said, 'Peter, if you person 2 beds, you'll person 2 group injured successful there. If you person 5 beds, location will beryllium 5 of them lying there, because it is simply a comfortableness room for group who are not successful nan squad and it breeds nan incorrect culture'.

In nan extremity I sewage what I wanted - 2 beds - and if you were not injured you were banned from going in. I didn't want anyone astatine my nine reasoning that an easy-ozy cognition was acceptable - and I'd guidelines by that today.

Tony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.