Welcome to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. This week co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by journalist, broadcaster and author of 'Expected Goals: The story of how data conquered football and changed the game' Rory Smith. In today’s episode we explore the fascinating journey of data analytics in football. From the early days of Charles Reep and Valeriy Lobanovskyi's basic data collection to the revolutionary 1990s that saw a surge in clubs like Liverpool using a data-driven approach under Ian Graham and Michael Edwards to lead to Premier League success. We also look at how clubs like Bolton Wanderers under Sam Allardyce leveraged data to gain a competitive edge and and the cultural shift towards data in football management. Tune in to understand how data played a crucial role in some of the greatest footballing successes of the modern era.
Introduction and Welcoming Rory Smith
The Evolution of Data in Football
The Role of Data Collectors
Prozone and Early Data Pioneers
The Culture War: Nerds vs. Scouts
Sam Allardyce: The Unlikely Data Advocate
Moneyball and Its Impact on Football
Decision Technology and Early Predictions
The Role of Data in Football Predictions
The Fink Tank Column and Its Impact
Spurs' Missed Opportunity with Data
Tottenham's Early Adoption of Data Analytics
Liverpool's Data-Driven Transformation
The Cultural Shift Towards Data in Football
The Importance of Communication in Data Utilisation
Conclusion
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