Ex-Villa boss Tim Sherwood does not support 'Moneyball' in football
Tim Sherwood, who was ousted from his role as Aston Villa manager in October, has taken advantage of his spare time to look into the scouting methods of clubs in English leagues.
He believes Jamie Vardy, who used to play for eighth-tier Stocksbridge Park Steels, has proven an excellent example of how Premier League teams should look down the league pyramid to search for talent. Purchasing players using stats reminiscent of Billy Beane's recruitment methods for Major League Baseball franchise the Oakland Athletics - dubbed "Moneyball" - does not work according to the Englishman.
"All that data analysis can be used for something but it can't be used to pick your players. Some of the data is not about goals, or assists, it's about 'expected goals' when a player got himself in position to score, but didn't. What a load of nonsense," he told Sam Wallace from the Telegraph.
"Trust your eyes. You can't get a feel for them on the screen. Any player can be made to look good on a showreel. It's far sexier to go to the top European leagues and find these players. It's easier to sell it to your fans."
Sherwood supports the old-fashioned methods of scouts huddling at lower league grounds and scribbling notes on paper. Talent-spotters similar to those who found the likes of Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand, and Stuart Pearce in the 1980s.
"Everton are a great example of doing it the right way. Look at Seamus Coleman (signed from Sligo Rovers), Mason Holgate (Barnsley), Brendan Galloway (MK Dons) and John Stones (Barnsley). They have got it right. So have (Tottenham). Those are two good managers, Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto Martínez, who are willing to give young and developing players an opportunity.
"They also recognise that if you have a lot of academy kids coming through or from lower league it opens up the purse strings and you can spend the budget on the one or two outstanding make-the-difference players. You are always better off going for quality rather than quantity."
Perhaps that's what went wrong at Villa Park. Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph were sold and Tom Cleverley, who had spent the previous season on loan, opted to move permanently to Everton instead. In their place, a mass influx of pricey imports came in.
Sherwood speaks with an incredible passion for the game, but also with the eagerness of someone who is willing to learn. He is not bitter too, tipping Aston Villa to survive Premier League relegation this term and hoping his predecessor Remi Garde is a success.
"I wish them well," Sherwood said. "It's difficult when you lose your three best players and you finished 17th in the Premier League the previous season. It was always going to be a tough task. The club is always going to be bigger than any individual. I respect their decision."