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Is doing nothing, something?
If there’s an off-field parallel to the penalty shootout, it’s the month of January. The arrival of the transfer window coupled with contract renewals and sometimes decisions about the manager’s future make it a month of high-pressure choices, much like the choices our players must make after the 120th minute. -
Tomorrow’s giants are today’s innovators
Imagine working for one of the largest companies in the world just over 100 years ago. Growth and continued market dominance would have seemed inevitable. However, over half of the world’s largest hundred firms in 1912 had disappeared by the end of the century; either through bankruptcy, acquisition or nationalisation. Few people working at those businesses would have predicted such a fall. -
The $999,999 question
A curious thing happens when a player hits 30. Ten of the most expensive signings ever made have been of players aged 28 or 29, but only one player in this subset was bought after his 30th birthday - the 31-year-old Gabriel Batistuta in 2000. This is a severe drop-off, no doubt influenced by the fact that it is much easier to convince ourselves of the value of a deal when a key characteristic falls just below a significant number. -
Player recruitment: why one size doesn’t fit all
There is no one size fits all process for player recruitment. Establish what is important to your club, align objectives and set up the structure such that you can meet your goals. -
How to predict your future squad
Meet Gavin. Gavin is 17 years old, and has just signed a professional contract at a top Premier League football club. He’s played for England at an under-17 World Cup, and is already warming the bench of the first team in the League Cup.What are the chances Gavin becomes an established first team player for his Premier League club? -
A framework for squad evolution
With 71 days until the January transfer window opens, many teams are beginning to tilt the blinds and assess their options. The winter window is very much ‘level 2’ in the game that is transfer dealings - gone are the summer comforts of infrequent matches and ample negotiating time; enter injuries, premium prices and an all-or-nothing approach. -
The fringe player dilemma
It’s easy to forget about your fringe players. When your season largely rests upon the actions of 15 to 18 key individuals, you can quickly lose focus on the purpose of the rest of the squad. We all recognise that squads need depth, but what type of profile is required for your backup players? -
The wages = wins fallacy
What if I told you that your wage bill is unrelated to your results? Analysis of Premier League wage bills suggest that whilst economics explains the gap between the top and bottom teams, it struggles to explain the gaps within the top and bottom teams. -
Counting the cost of the international break
To Premier League and Championship clubs, the September international break is football’s version of adverts only 10 minutes into a TV programme. At the very moment the season is beginning to feel like we all remember it to be, it’s ripped from under us for 10 days and we’re not always sure if we’ll like what we see on the other side. -
7 days of deals, 4 types of clubs
The overlapping of the final weeks of the transfer window and the opening weeks of the season can create an awkward environment within football clubs. As long as the window exists, we will have four different types of clubs leading up to deadline day.
