George Brown - Head of Academy Analysis at Rangers Football Club

MacBear

MacBear

Well-Known Member
A wee tangent took me to the Linkedin page of George Brown our Head of Academy Analysis and it's an interesting read so thought i'd share it:

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/george-brown-95359259

Summary

An experienced Level 5 ("World-Class") ISPAS accredited Performance Analyst who received First Class Honours at Undergraduate level, I was recognised as the outstanding analyst in my graduating class before securing a full scholarship to enrol on the MSc Sport Performance Analysis course at the world-leading Cardiff Metropolitan University.

I have worked in 10 different sports, including work for a number of national governing bodies (e.g. the ECB, GFA, SFA and AFL). A hard worker, who often goes above and beyond what is expected, I learn quickly and embrace new challenges with relish. Never happy to rest on my laurels, I have engaged in some self-teaching on open-source statistical software such as R and Python to ensure my skill set grows alongside industry trends.

I'm currently working for Rangers Football Club as Head of Academy Analysis.


  • Head of Academy Analysis
    Rangers Football Club
    December 2017 – Present 1 year
    Glasgow, United Kingdom
    At Rangers Football Club, I am wholly responsible for all academy and academy loan-player analysis - developing protocols that each academy team can utilise during live coding, post-match coding, and during post-match reviews. The new protocols were designed to introduce world-class performance analysis provision into the academy.

    All analysis feeds into databases after matches have been coded, as well as utilising unique features of Nacsport to produce dashboards that link to video ensuring feedback to coaches is interactive and engaging.

    I have introduced advanced statistics to the feedback process. The KPIs were selected through statistical analysis of successful footballing performance, which vary according to position, and this research forms the basis of our benchmarking within the Rangers Academy Game Model. By profiling our players in this way, we are better able to make predictions about the future performance of our players - this will improve as we gather more data.

    Pre-Match analysis follows current 'gold standard' processes, with the four moments (in possession, out of possession, transition, and set pieces) forming the key themes we cover when profiling opponents.

    Moreover, I line-manage staff members (part-time, volunteer, and interns) to ensure the smooth running of all academy analysis operations. This process includes liaising with academic institutions to bring in students for work placements, and informally guiding those students through their research projects in conjunction with their academic institution.

    In this role, I am part of the Senior Management Team, the Research and Innovation Group, and regularly present to the Coaches Technical Group to help enhance the Rangers Game Model.

  • Post-Match Analyst
    Scottish Football Association
    November 2016 – December 2017 1 year 2 months
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom
    My role with the Scottish FA was a varied one, where I was wholly responsible for the Post-Match analysis for all Scottish national teams. In this position I had been a key part of utilising our budget effectively and efficiently, and introducing new concepts within the analysis process. I completely redesigned the Post-Match analysis template in Nacsport, created a fully functional radar chart document for coach perusal, as well as generation of a mathematical algorithm to help identify high quality footballers in the Scottish football system.

    My work was not solely based around Post-Match analysis, however, I was also responsible for the Pre-Match analysis profiling of opposition teams which was presented as an interactive iBook/ebook which could be viewed on mobile phones, tablets, and the organisations Microsoft Surface Hub.

    Part of my role was to lead the purchase and installation of fixed 4K IP Cameras the Oriam high performance centre at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. This project helped increase the quality of analysis, as we were able to capture and use ultra high definition footage in live and post-match environments.

    After a meeting with the Chief Executive of the SFA I - alongside two colleagues - presented the new protocols to the SFA Board to showcase the world-class work we did

  • Performance Analyst
    England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
    June 2016 – December 2016 7 months
    With the ECB I provided Performance Analysis services to relevant ECB competitions - such as the Bunbury Festival and Kia Super League - and international competitions - such as ICC tournaments being played in the UK and televised tournaments from across the globe (e.g. the IPL, BBL, WBBL, and CPL).

    Duties in this role included maintenance of databases, set-up of equipment in challenging environments, live-coding cricket matches, maintenance of equipment, and feedback as required.
  • ghost_company_60x60_v1.png

    Head of Performance Analysis
    Gibraltar Football Association
    August 2016 – November 2016 4 months
    Gibraltar
    With the Gibraltar FA I implemented a performance analysis process within their senior squad. This included filming and analysis of training sessions (including GPS data), filming and analysis of all matches, opposition analysis, creation and management of a performance-data database, leading or assisting in pre-match, post-match and post-training meetings, creation of motivational videos, and any other video duties as required by the Manager and coaches.

    This work was completed during the international football breaks, and includes intense periods of work with the Gibraltar coaching staff and players.

  • Senior Performance Analyst
    Performance Advantage Ltd
    October 2015 – May 2016 8 months
    Durham, United Kingdom
    As an Analyst with Performance Advantage I provided Performance Analysis services and solutions across the professional sports sector, tertiary education sector and the school sector. This mainly included a role as the Head of Performance Analysis for Durham County Cricket Club 1st XI in the County Championship, T20 Cup and One-Day Cup during the summer months and as an Analyst for Durham University sport during the winter months. However it also included working with Newcastle University, Durham School and Fettes College as required.

    While the work itself was varied, it comprised any of the following responsibilities: film and code matches (either live or post-match), provision of video and statistical feedback through many different means (pre-match or post-match), provision of opposition analysis, creation of motivational or highlight videos and any other tasks as set by any of the Head Coaches.
 
millar2318 said:
Bet he's f*cking amazing at football manager.
Click to expand...
:D

What stood out for me was the Rangers Academy Game Model:

"In this position I had been a key part of utilising our budget effectively and efficiently, and introducing new concepts within the analysis process. I completely redesigned the Post-Match analysis template in Nacsport, created a fully functional radar chart document for coach perusal, as well as generation of a mathematical algorithm to help identify high quality footballers in the Scottish football system.

Pre-Match analysis follows current 'gold standard' processes, with the four moments (in possession, out of possession, transition, and set pieces) forming the key themes we cover when profiling opponents.

I am part of the Senior Management Team, the Research and Innovation Group, and regularly present to the Coaches Technical Group to help enhance the Rangers Game Model."​

For the SFA he was the main pre and post-match analyst:

"I created a fully functional radar chart document for coach perusal, as well as generation of a mathematical algorithm to help identify high quality footballers in the Scottish football system.

My work was not solely based around Post-Match analysis, however, I was also responsible for the Pre-Match analysis profiling of opposition teams which was presented as an interactive iBook/ebook which could be viewed on mobile phones, tablets, and the organisations Microsoft Surface Hub."​

Top of his graduating class and he's not even been in post for a year yet but seems very experienced and pretty decent at what he does. I wonder if he recruited the guy that did The Rangers Report...?

Keep up the good work George!
 
I remember when football was a simple game!

It's actually probably fair to say that trying to analyse the opposition 40 years ago would have been a nightmare for these guys. Players were allowed to go out and express themselves and did different things every week. Souness said something quite recently about asking Bob Paisley what his role was in the team before his Liverpool debut and Paisley told him straight, they didn't pay all that money for him to tell him how to play fukn football!

Yes, I know times have changed and moved on and that's the way it needs to be now.......but still.
 
Guys like this are killing the game. Stats don’t win leagues. I just couldn’t imagine guys like Smith or Ferguson listening to this guy
 
Big D said:
I remember when football was a simple game!

It's actually probably fair to say that trying to analyse the opposition 40 years ago would have been a nightmare for these guys. Players were allowed to go out and express themselves and did different things every week. Souness said something quite recently about asking Bob Paisley what his role was in the team before his Liverpool debut and Paisley told him straight, they didn't pay all that money for him to tell him how to play fukn football!

Yes, I know times have changed and moved on and that's the way it needs to be now.......but still.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I totally agree with you.
 
Have to be honest. Stopped reading after a few lines. Full of management consulting jargon beloved by the pseudo intellectual that takes a big fee then tells you what you already know about your business. In 30 years in banking I've seen more of these guys then I care to recall and never has one made any changes with a lasting impact
His cv would suggest he will bugger off in a few months anyway so hope we've prepared for the loss of stat man
 
basiltherat said:
Have to be honest. Stopped reading after a few lines. Full of management consulting jargon beloved by the pseudo intellectual that takes a big fee then tells you what you already know about your business. In 30 years in banking I've seen more of these guys then I care to recall and never has one made any changes with a lasting impact
His cv would suggest he will bugger off in a few months anyway so hope we've prepared for the loss of stat man
Click to expand...
I endured it slightly longer at a couple of paragraphs.

A load of pretentious shite.
 
Puts the cones out, operates the camera to film Academy training, completed introductory 1 day Excel and Powerpoint courses.
 
To be fair, one of the guys at works son is in the academy all Brit at a very young age.
The dashboard he talks of is first class, each player (even at 10 years old) has a login to there own on line page.
The dashboard has different sections, diet sheet, current fitness, school performance, past games (which are full videos of every game played).
It is very slick and impressive.
 
I know a young guy who is currently doing this for Wigan, been for an interview at Liverpool recently. This role is a big thing now in football. Got to say I am not overly impressed with his profile seems like he moves on every year,
 
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