The Lowdown

Tim Keech is the co-founder of MRKT Insights; a data focused football consultancy who supply data science, technical scouting, and recruitment services to football clubs and ownership groups. 90% of the clubs they have worked with have improved their league finishing position in the subsequent season. Tim joined me recently to explain how clubs can win infinitely and why and how an aligned strategy can springboard your club to success. Listen to this episode to learn more about;- The inefficiencies of football's labour market- Why this summer could increase the chasm between Europe's elite and the chasing pack?- How a multi-club model can save Europe's elite?- How strategy can bridge the revenue gap?- What the due diligence process looks like for acquiring a club?- Implications of Brexit on this summer and beyond?Tim's Twitter; https://twitter.com/SBunching?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorMRKT Insights website: https://mrktinsights.com/Timestamps;00:00 - 08:03 - Intro08:04 - 10:40 - Sustainability catalysts10:41 - 17:28 - Differential models17:29 - 20:40 - Wage Expenditure20:41 - 29:56 - The Ownership process29:57 - 36:04 - Sushi & Chocolate Cake36:05 - 41:46 - Club Partnerships41:47 - 45:22 - Transfer Market45:23 - 51:34 - Elevator Pitch

We have a special episode this week as we dissect the upcoming Champions League Final clash between Manchester City & Chelsea. An advocate of positional play and an alumni of the Ralf Rangnick coaching school there are few better to preview this intriguing tactical clash than Holstein Kiel U-17 coach Christian Dobrick. Listen to find out more including;- How Pep Guardiola built a collective bigger than any individual?- How Man City regained their rhythm?- Why the half spaces are integral to City's game model?- How Thomas Tuchel has impacted Chelsea?-Why Tuchel is unlike any other Premier League coach?- Why Chelsea fans should be enamoured by Timo Werner?- How undervalued is the role of social competence within top level football?Christian's Twitter; https://twitter.com/chrdob?lang=enChristian's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-dobrick/Timestamps;00:00 - 15:30 - Manchester City15:31 - 33:29 - Chelsea33:30 - 37:18 - Holstein Kiel

John Muller is author of the “Space Space Space” newsletter; a weekly publication musing about data and tactical analysis within football. For quite some time now I have followed John's work and there are few better qualified to give a breakdown on the modern state of data and tactical analysis within football. Listen to this episode to hear more about;- How a move to South America and watching Pep's Barcelona fueled a desire to study tactics?- Moving from law into football- Why we are in a new era of data analytics within football?- Preview of the upcoming Champions League Final- Why there is no single path to understanding football?- What is the next frontier of data analytics?John's Twitter; https://twitter.com/johnspacemuller?lang=en“Space Space Space” Newsletter; https://spacespacespaceletter.com/archive/FiveThirtyEight article: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/soccer-is-learning-to-see-the-whole-game/Timestamps;00:00 - 05:50 - Intro05:51 - 09:30 - How to analyse a game?09:31 - 14:15 - Event & Tracking data14:16 - 21:34 - Data analytics within football21:35 - 28:56 - Elbow backs28:57 - 32:51 - Categorising midfielders32:52 - 41:00 - Man City v Chelsea41:01 - 49:21 - Validity of data49:22 - 52:19 - “Learn as much as possible & share what you can”

Essam Alsuhaibani is the Regional Development Manager for Asia at FIFA. In this episode Essam speaks to me about his journey to date and why you should pursue your passion. From growing up in Saudi fascinated with the English and Argentinian game, Essam pursued his curiosity. This eventually takes us to the current day where Essam leads a department at FIFA responsible for developing the Asian game. Listen to how multi-facted the day to day really is at FIFA. Furthermore hear more on ;- How football contributed to a cultural shift in Saudi Arabia?- Leaving engineering and a scholarship for football- What the day to day looks like at FIFA?- What is Essam's proudest project to date?- How to get started in the football industry?Essam's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/essam-alsuhaibani-44129422/Timestamps;00:00 - 08:08 - Life in Saudi08:09 - 14:27 - Liverpool14:28 - 18:21 - AFC18:22 - 25:28 - FIFA25:29 - 27:30 - Proudest Project?27:31 - 29:53 - Future of Asian Football29:54 - 32:58 - Advice

Jason Stephens is the co-founder of “Modern Football Group” and is a lecturer in International Football Business at UCFB Wembley. There are few people more qualified than Jason to speak about the global game. The long list of clubs and organisations Jason has worked for includes Charlton, Sao Paulo, Portland Timbers, San Francisco 49ers, Inter Milan, the Cook Islands and Hashtag United. Nevertheless what is it really like to work at these institutions and how did he end up there? Sit back and enjoy this deep dive as Jason pulls back the curtains on his story. We discuss;- How early beginnings shaped his journey- Innovating youth development with Charlton- Getting out of his comfort zone in Brazil- Coaching SF 49ers third choice QB- Bringing street football to Qatar's labour camps- An infamous honeymoon in the Cook Islands- Insights as to why the Super League is not over- His advice for people wishing to embark on their own football journeyJason's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonstephens4sports/“Modern Football Group” LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-football-groupTimestamps;00:00 - 08:27 - Early beginnings08:28 - 18:07 - Brazil18:08 - 22:44 - USA22:45 - 26:25 - Inter Milan26:26 - 34:40 - Qatar34:41 - 42:28 - Cook Islands42:29 - 57:45 - Women's football57:46 - 01:05:20 - UCFB01:05:21 - 01:17:10 - Modern Football Group01:17:11 - 1:23:06 - Elevator pitch

Hugo Scheckter is the founder of “The Player Care Group” who are the UK’s first consultancy group focused on Player Care, Team Operations and Player Wellbeing within sporting environments across the world. Yet what exactly is player care? Hugo joined me to reflect upon his career to date and discuss his journey which has included successful periods with Southampton and West Ham. As Hugo begins a new chapter, we sat down to discuss everything including;- Running a six figure budget as a student- Helping to build Indy Eleven from the ground up- How to reduce the risk of a new signing not settling?- Why player care is a good investment?- How does football compare to other sports?- What does it feel like to win at Old Trafford?Hugo's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugoscheckter/“The Player Care Group” Website; https://www.playercaregroup.co.uk/Timestamps;00:00 - 03:45 - What is player care?03:46 - 11:03 - Indy Eleven & College in the US11:04 - 14:39 - Southampton14:40 - 21:01 - How is player care perceived?21:02 - 23:05 - Onboarding process of a new signing23:06 - 30:04 - “The Player Care Group”30:05 - 33:53 - Staff burnout in football33:54 - 37:02 - Legacy37:03 - 40:09 - Elevator pitch

Eric Gottschalk is the President & CEO of United City Football Club, a Philippine football powerhouse. Last year Eric was part of the MMC Sportz Asia ownership group which acquired “Ceres Negros” a club on the brink of insolvency. Close to a year and a Philippine Championship later Eric sat down with me to discuss the ins and outs of owning and running a football club. We discussed topics such as; - What does the ownership process looks like from due diligence to acquisition? - A blueprint for building Philippine football- Why you cannot give assurances to fans?- Why some ownership groups fail?- Eric's advice for those wishing to enter the industryEric's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-gottschalk-0b774315/United City Football Club Website; https://www.unitedcityfootballclub.com/United City Football Club Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/unitedcityfootballclub/?hl=enTimestamps;00:00 - 04:31 - Philippine Football04:32 - 09:16 - Acquiring a club09:17 - 11:44 - Ownership concerns11:45 - 14:07 - Vision14:08 - 20:52 - Changing the club's name20:53 - 26:51 - The big picture26:52 - 29:56 - The day to day29:57 - 31:43 - Legacy31:44 - 34:23 - Elevator pitch

CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, is the football federation for all associations outside FIFA. It’s a global acting non-profit organization that supports representatives of international football teams from nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories. CONIFA was founded on the 7th of June 2013, and organized his first World Football Cup in June 2014 in Ostersund, Sweden. Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Jason Heaton, global ambassador of the organization to discuss all things CONIFA and his passion for football. In a wide ranging discussion we remarked upon the following; - Finding your purpose through football- Why the strength of an organization is it's people?- What does a Kernow FA board meeting look like?- Sticking to your principles amid geopolitical pressure- The workload of representing a population base of 675 millionCONIFA Website; http://www.conifa.org/en/CONIFA Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/conifaofficial/Jason's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-heaton-6a9083106/Timestamps;00:00 - 04:36 - What is CONIFA?04:37 - 14:00 - Passion for football14:01 - 18:04 - Common purpose18:05 - 23:16 - Kernow FA23:17 - 30:31 - Heart warming stories30:32 - 33:45 - Upcoming tournaments33:46 - 40:16 - CONIFA future40:17 - 44:31 - Closing thoughts

As a new MLS season approaches I sat down with Joe Lowery to preview the upcoming season. Alongside his knowledge of the MLS, Joe has a keen eye for the tactical side of the game. Throughout this episode it was interesting to learn of the strides which MLS teams have made in this area over the past few years. Furthermore we discussed the ins and outs heading into this new season and what neutrals should be looking out for including; - Where does the MLS rank in terms of tactical modernity?- How Joe Lowery FC would strategize for a playoff run?-What to expect from Gabriel Heinze at Atlanta United?- Why Bob Bradley should never change- Predictions for the upcoming season- Joe's advice for those aspiring tactical analysts & writersJoe's Twitter; https://twitter.com/joeclowery?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorTimestamps;00:00 - 03:54 - Tactics 03:55 - 12:21 - MLS v Modern day tactics12:22 - 17:44 - Atlanta United17:45 - 20:46 - Columbus Crew20:47 - 25:42 - Philadelphia Union & the Supporter's Shield25:43 - 27:04 - Rest of the East27:05 - 30:55 - Seattle Sounders30:56 - 33:53 - Portland Timbers33:54 - 36:08 - LAFC36:09 - 41:22 - LA Galaxy & Efrain Alvarez41:23 - 45:04 - USMNT & Gregg Berhalter45:05 - 49:55 - Season predictions

A lot of people think; “Wow you work in football!” but what does the reality actually look like? Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Chris Rush as he reflected upon his 15 years working in professional football at clubs such as Middlesbrough, Manchester City and most recently Blackburn. The interview focuses on the realities working as support staff in the professional game and the circumstances surrounding his recent departure from Blackburn. We discussed topics such as; - Working as support staff in football- What did the weekly routine look like?- When does a passion become a profession?- Can universities do a better job at raising awareness among students?- Cultural reformPacey Performance Survey; https://www.strengthofscience.com/pacey-performance-academy-performance-staff-survey/Timestamps;00:00 - 03:17 - 15 years in football03:18 - 11:30 - Reasons for leaving professional football11:31 - 15:15 - Pacey Performance Survey15:16 - 17:35 - Is it just football?17:36 - 19:38 - What does a typical week look like?19:39 - 26:36 - Can universities do better?26:37 - 31:04 - Reforms31:05 - 35:30 - What's next for Chris?