Testing the Validity of a University Football Team’s

Half-Time Team Talk with the Use of Videotape.

Benjamin Robert Wrigglesworth

Student ID: 33248922

Leeds Metropolitan University

Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education

Submitted in part fulfilment of the degree of BSc

(Hons) Sports Coaching

(1)

2

Contents Page No. Page No.

List of Tables and Figures 3

List of Appendices 4

Acknowledgements 5

Abstract 6

1.0: Introduction 7-15

1.1: What is Match Analysis? 10-13

1.2 Previous Research 14-15

2.0: Methodology 15-21

2.1: Subjects 16

2.2: Reliability and Validity 16

2.3: Procedure 17-19

2.4: Data Collection 19-20

2.5: Data Analysis 20-21

3.0: Results 21-28

3.1: First Match 21-26

3.2: Second Match 26-28

4.0: Discussion 28-29

5.0: Conclusion 29-30

5.1: Limitations 30

5.2: Future Research 30

6.0: Personal Reflection 30-31

References 32-36

Word Count:6,272

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List of Tables

Table 1 (p.g. 17) – Advantages and Disadvantages of the Interview Method

Table 2 (p.g. 18) – Definitions of certain Football Techniques

Table 3 (p.g. 22) – Breakdown of Our Shots (Match 1)

Table 4 (p.g. 23) – Breakdown of the Opposition’s Shots (Match 1)

Table 5 (p.g. 25) – Breakdown of Our Passes (Match 1)

Table 6 (p.g. 26) – Our Player’s Dribble Success

Table 7 (p.g. 27) – Opposition’s Player Dribble Analysis (Match 2)

List of Figures

Figure 1 (p.g. 8) – Coaching Process Model (Franks, 2004).

Figure 2 (p.g. 10) – Three steps model of coaches’ decision making related to

tactics (Cloes et al., 2001).

Figure 3 (p.g. 11) – The major factors to take into account when purchasing a

computerised match analysis system (Carling et al., 2005).

Figure 4 (p.g. 12) – Some of the video and computerised soccer match analysis

systems currently on the market (Carling et al., 2005).

Figure 5 (p.g. 13) – Professional Football Club’s Staff Diagram (devised by Author)

Figure 6 (p.g. 23) – Pitch Map, Analysis of Shots (Adapted by Author)

Figure 7 (p.g. 24) – Shot Analysis of our Team (Created by Author)

Figure 8 (p.g. 24) – Key of the Pitch Map and Shot Analysis (Created by Author)

Figure 9 (p.g. 25) – Basic Pitch Map, showing the three zones (created by Author)

Figure 10 (p.g. 27) – Pitch Map showing Ball Retention (Match 2)

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List of Appendices

Technical Definitions employed in the Analysis (Dunn et al., 2003) – Appendix 1

Laws of the Game, FIFA – Appendix 2

Risk Assessment Summary Form – Appendix A

Resources for Data Collection Summary Form – Appendix B

Research Project Ethics Form – Appendix C

Progress Forms – Appendix D1-6

Coach’s Information Sheet – Appendix E1

Consent Form for the Coach – Appendix E2

Participants’ Information Sheet – Appendix F1

Consent Form for the Participants – Appendix F2

Interview Topics and Questions – Appendix G1

Pre-Project Coach Interview Transcript – Appendix G2

First Match Half Time Team Talk Transcript – Appendix H1

First Match Analysis and Results – Appendix H2

Second Match Half Time Team Talk Transcript – Appendix I1

Second Match Analysis and Results – Appendix I2

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Acknowledgments

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the following people

Graham Turner

Constantly challenging and supporting me, always getting the best out of me and

reminding me to strive for excellence. Thank You.

Participants

I would like to thank the team and the coach to allow me to film their matches and

supporting me throughout my work

Matt Round and Tom Stratful

Helping me film the matches, making the data collection fun, having some great

banter. Thanks guys.

My Family

Constant support from them, always wanting the best out of me and putting me first.

Thank you.

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Abstract

There are many advantages of videotape feedback within a sporting context and one

is to provide augmented feedback. The purpose of the current investigation was to

study the validity of a football team’s half-time team talk. This investigation is an on-

going project, exploring different aspects of the half-time team talks from different

perspectives, all with a final aim to find the effectiveness of videotape feedback at

half-time. This current piece is focused on the coach of a university football Men’s

team and it was monitored over two matches (one home and one away).The team

talks were recorded and cross-referenced with the match footage. The results

showed that the validity of the team’s half-time talks were not significantly different to

the footage of the matches, however the role of the performance analyst can provide

further information for the manager and impact the coaching process model. As a

result, it suggests further research is needed in this area to prove the effectiveness

of video tape feedback at half-time.

Key Words: Videotape, Feedback, Validity, Football, Performance Analyst,

Coaching Process Model

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1.0: Introduction

In the past two decades, there have been studies researching what and how much

coaches perceive during a competitive match across different sports and how

videotape is used to either match these decisions or aid them for further feedback

(Ice-Hockey, Gilbert et al., 1999; Netball, Jenkins et al. 2007; Basketball and

Volleyball, Cloes et al., 2001; Squash, Murray et al., 1998). This project is looking at

a university football team’s half-time team talk during two competitive football

matches and seeking its validity.

Performance analysis has come a long way in the past few decades (Hughes and

Franks, 2004; Carling et al., 2005), from the hand notation to the computerised

systems. The purpose of performance analysis in a coaching context is to provide

augmented feedback to players (Hodges and Franks, 2004). Performance analysis

today predominately uses the source of video, which has the advantages of

playback, slow-motion and editing the footage (Carling et al., 2005; Jenkins et al.,

2007; Hughes and Franks, 2004). Within the use of video, people can use it for

various of reasons; such as injury prevention, motivational videos, referee decisions

and media-use (Carling et al., 2005). However this piece is focusing on videotape

feedback within football solely, and James (2006) stated that in football, video-based

performance analysis is so established that most, if not all professional teams use

this form of analysis (Groom et al., 2011).

There are coaches who are sceptical of the process of using video analysis for

numerous of reasons; decrease in performance after viewing the video (for early

learners: Ross et al., 1985), little evidence in proving the effectiveness of videotape

feedback (Rothstein and Arnold, 1976) and distracting for players prior to

performance (Jenkins et al., 2007). Also the fact that there has been success prior to

technology being introduced is a factor coaches will stick by (Liebermann and

Franks, 2004), along with people not being I.T literate (Carling et al., 2005).

Nevertheless today it is evident that performance analysis is becoming more

apparent and beneficial (Jenkins et al., 2007), with introductions of different systems

that are able to provide statistical data and videotape evidence of the match. Of

course it comes with their limitations, involving; costs, training, logistics and I.T

reliability. (Carling et al., 2005; Bartlett, 2001). The use of video analysis supports

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studies stating coach’s cannot see everything and respond accurately to their

findings within a period of a game (Galsworthy, 1990; Franks and Miller, 1986, 1991;

Franks, 2004). As a result in today’s game, the role of the performance analyst has

become more established and providing the services and tools for the manager to

decide upon.

One of the main reasons I feel that performance analysis is becoming more

apparent within football and other sports, is the recall memory of the coach and the

validity of that feedback. There have numerous of studies that seek the recall of a

coach during a competitive match (Netball, Jenkins et al., 2007; Football, Franks and

Miller, 1991; Laird and Waters, 2008) Without objective feedback, the coach will

resort to his subjective observations and in turn may not be able to recall events

reliably (Franks and Miller, 1986; Franks and McGarry, 1996). Franks et al (1983a)

stated that more objective the feedback, the greater the effect it has on performance.

Therefore as the performance analyst, I need to ensure this is the case, whilst also

remembering that it is only a tool and that the manager will have the final say.

Franks (2004) proposed how performance analysis now fits into the coaching

process model (see Figure 1). This is a small part of a big picture in how

performance analysis is becoming a norm within the coaching process (Franks,

2004; Maslovat and Franks, 2008; Carling et al., 2005 (p.g. 10), 2009; Jenkins et al.,

2007). The role of the coach is to provide information to their players (Jenkins et al.,

2007; Markland and Martinek, 1988); however the information they provide is

Figure 1- Coaching Process Model

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subjective. What is this subjective feedback based on? Philosophy? Knowledge,

background and experience in the sport? The philosophy of the coach plays a major

factor in the role of the coach (Cassidy et al., 2004; Lyle, 2002). And this links with

the scepticism of video analysis, is it needed? Does it benefit the team? This project

is not looking to change the participant’s philosophy about video analysis, it is to

understand what a coach and team views in a match and where these views have

originated from. The results can then be fed back to the coach, and he can choose to

use it or not.

This research project is solely a case study to gain an insight, as I have an aspiration

to become a performance analyst within professional football, and so to understand

what the coach looks out for and does with the objective, video information is

interesting and beneficial. The related, previous literature is all based within elite

sports and as I stated that is where I want to work within. This suggests a lack of

research within different levels of sport; amateur, university, semi-professional. Cloes

et al (p.g. 4, 2001) proposed a model displaying the coach’s thinking process; pre-,

during and post-match (see Figure 2). Therefore this is not an intervention, such as

how could he improve his retention through observation training, as there has been

research on this with minimal success (Franks and Miller, 1991). However the results

and information will be provided to the coach as a feedback source and therefore a

tool that they can then use.

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Furthermore, the concept of this on-going project derived from a video I watched on

the internet. It looked at what a performance analysis department of an elite football

club did on a match day (Manchester City, 2011). They have the resources and

therefore are able to have more than one analyst. With this they showed how they

live coded a match and was then able to provide video highlights and stats to the

manager and coaches at half-time, which can then back up their original

interpretation of the first half and decide upon whether to show the team.

1.1: What is Match Analysis?

O’Donoghue (2006) stated that the purpose of match analysis is to provide

augmented feedback to players. There are many forms of match analysis, which

provide quantitative and qualitative feedback to the performers and coaching staff.

The primary purpose of this is to improve performance, however it is very versatile in

Figure 2 – Cloes et al., 2001; p.g. 4

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the sense of constructing training programs, player recruitments, motivational videos,

and many more (Carling et al., 2005). Video-based performance analysis is seen as

an important tool to provide feedback with an aim of modifying athletes’ behaviour

and improve their understanding (Court, 2004; Groom and Cushion, 2004).

Thelwell (2005) stated that football uses match analysis primarily to form the basis

of weekly training programmes. However, I personally feel performance analysis is

expanding in football and many other sports and can be used other many areas,

such as; coaching, fitness, injuries and so it is up to the club how they organise it

within their structure and more to the point how the performance analyst offers their

services. Not just providing the match statistics and video highlights, but going into

further depth in order to show the value of the analyst.

Figure 3 outlines major factors with computerised match analysis systems (Carling et

al., 2005; p.g. 55). Therefore acknowledging these factors, as the performance

analyst I would need to overcome and minimise these.

Figure 3 – Carling et al, 2005: p.g. 55

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Carling et al (p.g. 35, 2005) provides a list of some computerised match analysis

systems that are used around the world (see Figure 4). Going back to Figure 3,

many of the restrictions clubs have to accessing these systems is price (Carling et

al., 2005), in that they are very expensive. In this study, I was fortunate to access

two of these programs the university had, focusing on one for the data collection and

analysis.

Figure 5 is an example I designed from my experience as an intern within a

professional football club. It outlines who is who and who answers to whom. It

provides an insight in how a club can be run and inevitable it is independent to that

club as others may have the performance analyst interacting with the fitness and

physio departments. A website I check regularly for opportunities within the

profession is ‘videoanalyst.com’, they allow clubs to advertise positions, specifically

Figure 4 – Carling et al., 2005: p.g. 35

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performance analysts and outline the roles and responsibilities and who they work

for within their club. There will be some clubs who feel that the performance analyst

is within the sport science department, so to refer to Figure 4, the arrow would be

pointing from the analyst to the sport scientist and then to the manager. Other

examples I have seen are within the coaching setting, the fitness department (i.e.

strength and conditioning) and even their own department, as I stated before it is

becoming more renowned.

Groom et al (2011) looked at what England national team youth football coaches did

with match analysis and why. They stated how video-based performance analysis

fitted into the coaching process model presented by Lyle (2002). The coaches said

that they used the video tape for specific incidents within certain matches, position

specific. However, the most interesting finding was the players’ reaction towards the

video. One quote within the piece (p.g. 24) was;

‘I didn’t enjoy being singled out in front of 18 people, because you can see I’ve made

a mistake, it’s obvious I’ve made a mistake, and the coaches turned it into, ‘that’s

your fault’. What I wanted him to do was help me correct the mistake; ‘what did I do

wrong?’

I feel this quote is great advert for the use of video-based match analysis, as the

player wants to know what he did wrong, and the video can show that, but it comes

down to the coach and their philosophy that affects the effect (Groom et al., 2011).

Figure 5 - Professional Football Club’s Staff Diagram (devised by Author)

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1.2 Previous Research

The first study that is related to my project was the work of Franks and Miller (1986),

where they related sport to crime scene investigations and looked at coaches’

observation and recall abilities. They examined 30 novice coaches with limited

football experience and assigned them to three groups. Each group would watch the

same 45 minute period of an international football match; however each group would

be given definitions of the game in different ways. So one group would have it before

the game, where another would have it after. After that process was carried out, they

would then have to answer a 30 question questionnaire related to the match. The

results showed that were no significant difference across the groups and that the

overall observational accuracy was only 42%. But looking at each category of the

questionnaire it was split into, the coaches recalled set-pieces the best with a score

71%.

After this study, Franks and Miller (1991) went onto look specifically at football and

see how much a football coach can recall during a 30 minute period of an

international football match and then implement a training programme to seek

improvement. They had an aim of devising an observational training programme in

order to improve coaches’ recall ability. Their method was similar to their previous

study (1986) but with different subjects. This time they used 28 males and 8 female

football qualified coaches. They used the three groups and questionnaire method

from their 1986 project, but they only watched 30 minutes of an international football

match. The results from this showed that the ability of the coaches to remember key

events during the match were extremely limited. And so overall, even though the

coaches were incapable of remembering more than 40% of relevant information, the

subjects in the experimental group (the ones who underwent the training

programme) improved their ability to recall all events that surrounded the ‘taking of

shots’. This gives an impression that an observational training programme could be

implemented in order to improve coaches recall ability, however the use of video

tape feedback could replace this.

Another related piece but in a different sport (Netball, Jenkins et al., 2007) looked at

the effectiveness of computerised match analysis and motivational videos. They

provided quantitative match statistics and video highlights to the coach over an 8

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match period. They split the 8 match period into two four matches in order to seek

progression and to prove the effectiveness of the analysis process. They looked at

fitting the analysis process into the coaching process model. They stated that there

was no really improvement in performance, but stated it as a limitation and noted it

for future research to increase the period of matches. As for their findings from the

motivational videos prior to the match for the players were distracting and made

them over think. Therefore I feel it comes down to knowing your athletes and their

learning styles and routines. This is because in another case of pre-match

motivational videos it worked, as FC Barcelona in the 2009 UEFA Champions

League Final in Rome (p.g. 121-122, Hunter, 2012). The manager of the team

showed a video of their road to the final and related it to the movie ‘The Gladiator’. A

Spanish newspaper stated how the players were ‘crying and their shouts indicated

that the aim had been achieved’ (El Pais, 2009).

In Murray et al’s work (1998), they looked at both elite and sub-elite and focused on

quantitative feedback and the influence of it on the players. They based it on Brown

and Hughes’ work (1995), with junior squash players and the effects of both

quantitative and qualitative feedback. The findings in that study showed that there

was no change in the overall group, only one player showed a slight improvement.

They wanted the squash players to produce more total winners and decrease their

total errors. They recorded it over four matches and found that the sub-elite players

showed a greater improvement in the specific shot types and that the elite players

only displayed a slight increase in performance. I feel this study is the most relevant

to mine, in that it is not just looking at elite level and it was recorded over a small

period, four matches.

Going back to football, Laird and Waters (2008) used Franks and Millers (1986)

Eyewitness Recollection work as a basis for their research and assessed

experienced, qualified football coaches to recollect critical events from a 45 minutes

of a football match. However, they were allowed to take notes during the video

before answering the questionnaire. The results showed that the probability of

qualified, experienced football coaches recalling critical events accurately is 59.2%

(SD ± 15.3) therefore being 17.2% greater than the novice coaches from the Franks

and Miller study (1986). Concluding that qualified coaches who have a greater

familiarity with the sport have a greater recall accuracy.

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All these researches are similar to my overall aim, to prove the effectiveness of

videotape feedback and match statistics at half-time as a source of feedback. The

previous researches are looking at the coaches’ ability to recall during a half of a

match in order to develop their feedback to the players during the break. This piece

is a foundation of an on-going project to reach that aim. As stated prior, this part is

looking at what coaches do and say in their team talks. As it is an independent study,

I have only been able to do it with one coach and one team at a university level,

therefore in order to improve the reliability; I can return and sample more coaches,

maybe at different levels over more games.

All these researches are similar to my overall aim, to prove the effectiveness of

videotape feedback and match statistics at half-time as a source of feedback. The

previous researches are looking at the coaches’ ability to recall during a half of a

match in order to develop their feedback to the players during the break. This piece

is a foundation of an on-going project to reach that aim. As stated prior, this part is

looking at what coaches do and say in their team talks. As it is an independent study,

I have only been able to do it with one coach and one team at a university level,

therefore in order to improve the reliability; I can return and sample more coaches,

maybe at different levels over more games.

2.0: Method

This research project is set in a case-study manner as the definition stated by

Gratton and Jones (2004) involves a study of a specific case. That case being a

sports team; a men’s university football team. Gratton and Jones (p.g. 97, 2004)

stated that the use of the case study design is based upon the argument that

understanding human activity requires analysis of both its development over time

and the context within which the activity occurs. The overall aim in gaining the

holistic understanding of a set of issues, that being what is included in a university

football half-time team talk? Why I have chosen to use a case study design, Yin

(1994) provided three instances in the reasoning of using a case-study method.

From the three instances I felt the final two applied to this study; ‘to be able to

describe and explain a unique situation’ and ‘to describe and explain a case that has

yet to be studied in any detail.’ As looking through the previous research, they are

focusing more within elite sports with different methods.

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The research will be primarily qualitative; transcribing the pre-interview along with

the two half-time team talks, however there will be some quantitative results in terms

of match statistics. Nau (1995, In: Gratton and Jones, 2004; p.p. 25) suggested that

‘blending qualitative and quantitative methods of research can produce a final

product which can highlight the significant contributions of both’. Therefore the

qualitative data can support the quantitative research.

Reading these relevant literatures has provided me with a platform and ideas for how

to approach it. With Franks and Miller’s (1986, 1991) and Laird and Waters (2008),

they did theirs over a period of a match, which is the route I decided to use, as I want

to know what is said in a half time talk and whether it is valid, it will be about the first

half, lasting 45 minutes. However they used questionnaires to data collect, where I

decided to use videotape and attempt to cross-reference the key themes from the

team talk with the video of the first half. Inevitably subjectivity comes in, and that is

why further research is needed in this idea, however it does provide a basic picture

of the validity of a half-time team talk.

All of these had similar outcomes in that they wanted to seek a coach’s recall ability

and prove the effectiveness and usefulness of videotape feedback. Therefore this

part of the on-going study is focusing on a sole member, and the idea of it is to seek

whether videotape feedback is needed within a sporting context?

2.1: Subjects

The participant was a university Men’s football team, with one manager and a squad

of 14 players. Usually within an university setting, the squads are inconsistent and

change quite a lot within the other teams, however the two matches recorded were

back to back and fortunately the squad was the same. The players are numbered

Player 1 to Player 9 in both matches, and this indicates that five of the 14 players do

not interact within the team talk, attributing maybe to social groups and hierarchy.

Something I can feed back to the coach to consider. As for the manager, he is

labelled Coach.

2.2: Reliability and Validity

Gratton and Jones (p.g. 104, 2004) noted mistakes in selecting a sample and some

apply to this and are reasons for future research in this on-going project. A previous

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relationship with the subjects with knowledge of the project may prove behavioural

changes and affect the validity of the results.

However as it is an independent research project with a view of future research,

recognising the limitations, I will be able to overcome the barriers when I return.

2.3: Procedure

Prior to the data collection, I wanted to know the coach’s philosophy towards half-

time team talks and perceptions to video tape feedback. I asked him what he would

typically do at his half-time team talk and replied:

‘…at the break I would always first ask the players how they thought they’d done.’

(see Appendix G2, p.g. 10, Line 12)

So straight away you can see he gives the players responsibility to reflect the first

half. And from this within my data collection I would pick out key, critical incidents

from both the players and the coach. This study is focused on the first half of the

match and what is said at the half-time team talk. However wanted to know what he

did at the end of the match, whether he provided feedback or just if he just let the

match end and to move one, he answered:

‘I’ve got to say I’m not much into discussing and feedback after games.’

(see Appendix G2, p.g. 12, Line 6)

The interview was set in a semi-structured manner, with the topics emailed to him

prior to the interview (see Appendix G1). I decided to use a semi-structured

technique as it allows flexibility and further follow up questions that may not have

been originally planned (Gratton and Jones, 2004; p.g.141). The pre-interview was

set face to face with a table in the middle and lasted for 41 minutes.

Gratton and Jones (p.g. 142, 2004) provided advantages and disadvantages of

using the interview methods. Here below is a table of advantages and disadvantages

of the interview method (see Table 1);

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Advantages Disadvantages

Enables the participant to talk about their own experiences in their own words.

As the interviewer, I may add bias unconsciously, such as encouraging

answers that I may want.

A face to face interview allows you to assess the participant’s body language,

facial expressions, one of voice, etc. which may be useful in some cases.

This can also work in the other way, in that the interviewee wants to ‘look good’ and give the right answer, instead of a

true answer.

Interviews allow unexpected data to emerge.

The quality of the data is dependent on the responses of the interviewee.

Table 1

Knowing his philosophy and method towards half-time team talks, it provides me an

indication of how it will run for when I am analysing the data. Also within this

interview, we would have generally meetings during training, giving me an

opportunity to agree upon certain terms, such as a cross, a dribble and so forth.

From this we also agreed what is successful and not, which provides a limitation as

with other samples they may find something we feel is successful as being

unsuccessful. We based the definitions on Dunn et al (2003) (see Appendix 2),

Tenga (p.g. 41-46, 2009) and Taylor et al (2004) and adapted them to our agreed

versions. Here are the basic definitions we concluded (see Table 2):

Successful Shot A shot that is on target, resulting in either a goal or a save from the opposition’s goalkeeper.

Unsuccessful Shot A shot that is off target, resulting in a change of possession.

Successful Pass A pass made from one player to another player, resulting in retained possession.

Unsuccessful Pass A pass that either does not reach the player due to; technique, power and/or direction or the receiving player having a poor ball control, all

resulting in a change of possession.

Successful Cross Referring to the pitch map (Figure 6), zone 1 and 3 (flanks), a delivery from one player

reaching another player. Subjectivity comes into this and an unsuccessful cross, as me and the coach felt if the delivery is good and it was the fault of the player’s positioning and the off

the ball movement, then the player who played the cross was not at fault.

Unsuccessful Cross A cross made from zones 1 and 3 (Figure 6) that is of a poor quality, such as; going out of

play, overhitting or underhitting it.

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Successful Dribble From the first touch of the player to their last resulting in retained possession or an end

product, such as; a pass to another teammate, a shot, a cross, winning a foul.

Unsuccessful Dribble Same as above, however resulting in a change of possession, such as; being tackled, dribbling out of play, unsuccessful pass or cross as the

end product. Table 2 – Definitions of certain Football Skills

As for recording the half-time team talk, both of them took place on the side of the

field, not in the changing rooms. I used a standard Dictaphone and stood near the

group as they spoke. Referring back to Table 2, the quality of the data is dependent

on the responses and from the two matches they varied in quantity

2.4: Data Collection

As stated previously the study was conducted over two matches, one being home

and the next match followed the week after which was away. Does the match

location influence the performance? Home advantage? (Taylor et al., 2008)

something I have considered as future research. This again relates to the coach

knowing his athletes, in terms of what he is going to say at half-time. The players will

all have different mental states depending on the match status, the score, being

home or away and many more factors. As a result, the coach will need to be

cautious of what feedback to provide.

When video recording the two matches, I used a video camera that had internal

memory and recorded it at a standard quality. This was due to the high quality not

being able to record the full match. There were two match analysis systems I had the

availability to use within university; Dartfish and Gamebreaker (see Figure 4).

Dartfish was used on a Windows computer, whereas Gamebreaker was only

compatible with an Apple MacBook. Prior to the data collection, I tested different

cameras and the two systems to seek which was the best in both productivity and

quality. Even though I preferred using Gamebreaker, the software was only

compatible with video cameras that used DV Tapes that were highly unreliable and

the quality was poor. As a result, I used the video camera with internal memory and

after the game I was able to plug it up to a computer that had Dartfish installed and

download the game.

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During the matches, I would have normally used scaffolding, in order to get a better

view and angle of the game. However, with the change in management, I was

unable to get scaffolding and as a result I had to record it from pitch level, using the

tripod at its highest point. The first game was at the opposition’s pitch, and it was

played on artificial surface, 3G. The second match was the week after and was

played at our home pitch which was on grass. Whilst videoing the game, I would

primarily follow the ball action, which led to restrictions of the ball, for example if we

were attacking and in the half-time team talk, the team states how we were

positioned well or bad at the back, there would not be any footage to back it up or

contradict it. Also, whilst being on internships with a professional football team,

working with a professional performance analyst, they provided me with an insight in

what they would focus on, for example with a corner, they would zoom in on the

penalty area, instead of getting the whole picture.

2.5: Data Analysis

The data were analysed manually from transcribing the half-time team talks, to

cross-referencing the critical points that arose to the videotape of the first half. As it

is done manually, the data and results are subjective and therefore may be invalid;

however there were agreed definitions with the coach.

The first game, as stated before, took place at the opposition’s pitch. After

transcribing the half-time team talk, I picked out eight critical points to find within the

first half period (see Appendix H1, p.g. 3, Line 7). The five critical points are as

followed:

Had 10 shots

They had 1 chance

Passed it well through midfield

Pressed them well

Gave the ball away to cheaply

Scored in the last 10

Opposition formation uncertainty

WM doing tricks and when should be easily taking him on without using tricks,

but pace.

22

The team’s half-time team talk only lasted 04:10 minutes, comparing to the FIFA’s

15 minute regulation (see Appendix 3), it was an interesting observation, that they

used so little time.

As for the second match, it took place at our home pitch a week after the first match.

In this team talk, there were less content and critical points to analyse. The team talk

only lasted 03:23, so again a short period compared to the regulated time period.

There were eight points I picked out of the team talk (see Appendix I1, p.g. 2, Line

11), here as followed:

Constant pressure even from front

Unorganised in 1st ten minutes?

Their 32 (best player?) wants to cut inside

Winning a lot in midfield

Gave away a key FK to them

There were more to find in the first than the second, showing that there is no real

pattern in terms of their team talks, however to improve the reliability, I would need to

do more than two games. It is also dependent on the philosophy of the coach, as

another coach may want to take the lead and so the content and duration would

vary. Furthermore, the match status and score as well needs to be taken into

consideration. In these two games, our team was leading in both at the end of the

first half. However, would the content and duration change if they were losing?

(Taylor et al., 2008).

Once I transcribed the two team talks and analysed them I would go through the first

half of both games, twice, in order to improve the validity and match up or notate the

incidents stated at the half time team talk and seek the legitimacy of their words. As

stated prior, subjectivity comes into it, as I may deem a successful shot differently to

someone else, however using the literature’s definitions (Dunn et al., 2003; Tenga,

2009; Taylor et al., 2004), and agreeing upon them with the coach allows for more

stability and inevitably it is unique with this coach and team.

3.0: Results

As you can see in the Data Analysis (see Section 2.5), there were eight critical

points in the first game and five in the second.

23

3.1: First Match

Looking at the first game, there were three more key points to analyse than the

second game. The first point was that we had ten shots, stated by one of the players

(see Appendix H1, p.g. 1, Line 1). As a result, I went through the game and

evidenced every shot our team took, by taking a screen shot of each one (see

Appendix H1, p.g. 1-3). We actually had nine shots, not the ten that one of the

players thought we had. However, as I want to prove the effectiveness of videotape

analysis and match statistics, correcting a player’s guess and only by one, is not

proving its worth. Therefore, I broke down each shot, such as;

On/Off Target

Inside/Outside the Penalty Area

The build-up towards the shots

o Where and How we retained it

o How many players were involved

o How many passes took place

Once I had the results of each individual shot (see Table 3) I then made it look more

presentable for the manager, and potentially the players, by putting the data onto a

pitch map. The pitch map was adapted by me from an internship I had within a

performance analysis company (see Figure 6).

Our Shots

Zone Ball Retention

How Retained

Players Involved

Passes Shot Zone

Shot Location

Shot Outcome

1 D2 Loose Ball

3 2 B1 BR On Target - Goal

2 E11 Throw 5 6 D2 Left Off Target

3 D2 FK 1 0 D2 TR On Target - Save

4 E22 Loose Ball

5 4 D1 Left Off Target

5 E22 Loose Ball

1 0 D1 Over Off Target

6 E13 Tackle 5 3 B2 Blocked Blocked

7 D3 Loose Ball

2 1 D2 Over Off Target

8 E12 Loose Ball

6 8 C2 Over Off Target

9 I2 GK 5 9 B2 MR On Target - Goal

Table 3 – Breakdown of Our Shots

24

Another point made by the team was that they felt that the opposition only had ‘one

chance’ (see Appendix H1, p.g. 1, Line 24). Therefore, I went through the same

process as with my team for the opposition (see Table 4). And input their data along

with our data onto the pitch map (see Figure 6). Looking at Table 4, you can see that

they had more than ‘one chance’ and using the Figure 6, shows the coach and the

team where and how they had them, in order to counter it.

Their Shots

Zone Ball Retention

How Retained

Players Involved

Passes Shot Zone

Shot Location

Shot Outcome

1 D3 Throw 3 2 D3 BL On Target – Save

2 A2 Loose Ball

1 0 A2 BL On Target – Save

3 A3 CK 3 2 A2 Over Off Target

4 E22 Loose Ball

6 6 B2 Left Off Target

Table 4 – Breakdown of Opposition Shots

Figure 6 – Pitch Map of both teams’ shots

A B C D

E1 E2

F G H I

3

2

1

1

2

3

4 5

6

7

8

9

Opp. 3

Opp. 1

Opp. 2

Opp. 4

25

Along with the pitch map, I could provide a shot analysis for our team (see Figure 7),

displaying which shot went where; all being referenced with a key (see Figure 8).

So in conclusion of the shots of both teams, it was evident looking at the pitch map

that 0.56 of our shots were from outside the area and on the left side of the field.

Also 0.67 of the shots were off target, so even though we had a lot of shots, we were

not clinical with them. This is highlighted through the use of performance analysis

and videotape, which can then aid the coaching process for training and future

matches (Bishop, n.d.; Thelwell, 2005).

Figure 7 – Our Team’s Shot Analysis

Figure 8 – Key for the Pitch Map and Shot Analysis

26

Another point raised by the team, was that we ‘passed the ball well through the

midfield’ (see Appendix H1, p.g. 2, Line 1-2). Therefore, I would do a notation of all

our passes, open play (see Table 6) and split them into three zones of the pitch;

Defensive, Middle and Attacking. Looking at Table 5, you can see how many passes

our team make, and a breakdown within each zone.

As you can see in Table 5, 54% of all the passes were from the Middle third, 77.7%

of the Middle third passes proving successful. To make it look more presentable, I

can insert the data onto a pitch map (see Figure 9).

An interesting point was brought up by the coach to a certain individual on the team,

in that he was not being as confident as the coach knew he could be (see Appendix

Leeds Met. Successful Unsuccessful

All 129 39

Defensive 3rd Pass 19 6

Middle 3rd Pass 70 20

Attacking 3rd Pass 40 13

Table 5 – Breakdown of our Passes

Figure 9 – Breakdown of Our Passing Success

27

H1, p.g. 2, Line 7-9). He felt that the opposite player marking this certain player was

not at the same calibre, and so he should be able to take the ball past him more than

he did in the first half (see Appendix H1, p.g. 2, Line 11-12). This is a great

opportunity to take the individual to the side and show all the dribbles he did and to

focus on the opposition’s body shape and technique in tackling, in order to counter in

the second half. I notated every dribble this player, whether they were successful or

not (see Table 2, p.g. 20) and the results showed that the player dribbled the ball

successful 50% of the time (see Table 6).

Another point that arose from the team talk in the first match was that we closed

down well (see Appendix H1, p.g. 1, Line 16). A great way to prove the effectiveness

of videotape replay, would be to show clips of our team doubling, even tripling up on

the player on the ball, leading them into making a mistake.

3.2: Second Match

As for the second game, they stated how they closed down the opposition’s

defenders (see Appendix I1, p.g. 1, Line 8). Another one of the critical points was

regaining possession a lot in the midfield (see Appendix I1, p.g. 1, Line 27), so there

was a theme of the team working hard, and as I result I combined these two together

and notated every time one of our players won the ball in the middle and final third of

the field. I created a simple pitch map that was equally divided into three zones (see

Figure 10).

Player Successful Unsuccessful

Dribbles 5 5

Table 6 – Breakdown of our Player’s Dribbling Success

28

As you can see in Figure 10, the results show that 62% of ball retention between in

the middle and final third took place in the middle. As a result, relating that to Player

8 stating,

‘You three are winning a lot in midfield, well done…’

(see Appendix I1, p.g. 1, Line 27)

Therefore, I can provide the manager with the numbers and he can then decide

whether to use them or not.

The next point was that we were unorganised in the first ten minutes of the match

(see Appendix I1, p.g. 1, Line 9) and after viewing the match, from a personal view, I

did not feel that this was a case. Consequently, I could provide video highlights of

our shape within the first ten minutes.

One of the main critical points from the second game was the team and coach

picking up on a certain opposition player (see Appendix I1, p.g. 1, Line 12-16) and

stating how to counter him. The coach stated how the player wanted to ‘go inside’

(see Appendix I1, p.g. 1, Line 13) and therefore I notated how many times the player

either went inside or outside on the flank.

Goes Inside 6

Goes Outside 1

Table 7 – Opposition Player’s Dribble Outcome

Figure 10 - Basic Pitch Map

29

As you can see from Table 7, the coach was right in that the opposition’s player

wanted to go inside, as 86% of his dribbles resulted with the player going inside.

The final point of the second match, was giving away a key free kick (see Appendix

I1, p.g. 1-2, Line 31, 32, 1-3). In terms of presenting this as result, was only to

provide it as a video. As you can see in the transcript, one of the players asks,

‘When was that’, (see Appendix I1, p.g. 2, Line 1). Therefore, uncertainty took place,

and with the access to video replay, I could present it to them.

4.0: Discussion

When I first went through the two first-halves and matched up the video to the

critical points. The results were fairly accurate to the teams’ recall and so not really

proving the effectiveness of videotape analysis and match statistics. For example, in

the game, when one of the players stated that ‘we must have had about then shots

there’ (see Appendix H1, p.g. 1, Line 15) and the results showed that they actually

only had nine, does not prove the effectiveness of the video analysis. As a result,

you can see in the Results section (see 3.0), that I then went into further analysis,

using the tool of the videotape and DartFish. Consequently, I can then provide this to

the coach, who can decide whether to use the feedback during the team-talk, also

has the opportunity to use it after in training (Bishop, n.d.; Thelwell, 2005). As a

result, this shows some sign of effectiveness with videotape analysis.

Looking at what is deemed successful or not is a subjective decision as stated

before, me and the coach agreed upon definitions from the literature (Table 2, p.g.

20) and he trusted me when analysing the matches.

It is easy to say that live coding is clicking what you see, however it is very complex

process in which you need to be familiar with the product and lots of practice is

needed. Creating your own tagging panel that suits your own needs is imperative, in

order to know where everything is and so when that action occurs in the match, you

can code it as close to action as possible. Looking back at the Manchester City video

(2011), they have the resources of having multiple members of staff, who can focus

on different areas of the match, one for the team, another on the opposition, another

on set-pieces and so forth. As for this project is based on university level, it would

not be difficult to have multiple people to volunteer and to be assigned to different

areas, however, the differences between this and Manchester City would be that

30

their staff are experienced and qualified, where the volunteers at university may not

have the knowledge and training. Also the software for live coding is expensive and

therefore another limitation.

Having the clips, whether they can be provided at half time or after the game can be

motivational for the players (Jenkins et al., 2007). However in their piece, they stated

how it can be distracting for the players if played prior to the game, and as a result

could have similar implications at half time, prior to the second half. Nevertheless, I

feel it comes down to the player and therefore as the manager knowing your

athletes. Some players may enjoy seeing themselves, where others may feel

intimidated and be under the ‘Big Brother Effect’.

The aim of this project was to not to test the team’s recall ability, but to seek what

they say in a half-time tea talk and whether videotape analysis and match statistics

can be provided as a tool to the coach. Inevitably, each half-time team talk is

different, but examples in this project, such as breaking down the shots and passes

and presenting them on pitch maps, show how the performance analysis can be

used.

5.0 Conclusion

This small study is part of a big picture. I wanted to know what was included within a

typical team talk and whether the feedback was valid to the videotape. Initially, I was

looking if the team were valid in their observations, however when the results didn’t

show significant findings, I felt it was necessary to show how performance analysis is

used and how it can be an effective tool for the coach to use in his/her half-time team

talk.

There are many factors to consider prior to a match and during, such as; the

location, the opposition, the status of the match, the score and even the weather

(Taylor et al, 2008). As a result, I return to the coach needing know each individual in

the team and their learning styles. If the team are losing, should he provide long

video highlights of why they are doing badly? Again, that comes down to the coach’s

philosophy.

Overall, this is an on-going project to seek whether videotape feedback along with

stats can be effective at half-time in providing validity to the manager and the

31

players’ opinion of the first half. Of course there will be for’s and against’s toward the

idea, however it is important to remember that it is a tool and therefore it is not

mandatory to use it. Consequently, it is the manager’s decision and therefore as the

analyst, I would need to ensure that the information is there for the coaches and the

players, if needed.

5.1 Limitations

Many of the limitations were mentioned throughout this report;

Subjective Analysis of the Videotape

Change in Management, affecting the playing style

Participants’ knowledge of the project, affecting their behaviour

Different team-talks with different coaches and teams

5.2 Future Research

As this was a basic individual case study, the need for further research is a given.

Increasing the sample size – vary in philosophies

More matches - increase reliability

Players’ perspective similar to Jenkins et al’s work (2007)

Vary the level of the teams

Actually carrying out the experiment of live coding and providing video

highlights and match statistics to the team at half-time

6.0: Personal Reflection

Throughout my time with this research project I have been able to develop my

independence in many factors. I was able to plan, research, collect data and analyse

it along with similar literature, independently.

All of this is relevant and helpful for my future aspirations working in professional

football. My aim is to become a performance analyst and within the role I need to

collate stats for the players and team and keep them up to date. This project is

relevant to what I have done in my time on internships with professional football

clubs, where I provide information to the coach and players.

32

Doing this project has opened my eyes and made me aware of limitations and

barriers to overcome for future work. For example, ensuring the results mean

something and taking it that extra mile in ensuring my role as an analyst is beneficial.

In this report I stated how one of the players said that ‘we had ten shots’ whereas we

only had nine. Now is that useful information to the coach and players? For me, it

certainly corrects the player’s observation however I feel it is not beneficial to team to

go into the second half or future matches. Therefore as the analyst, I can go further

into detail, such as on target or off, shot location, build-up and more information.

Through my experience with this research and my internships, I realise that it is only

a tool and the manager will have the final say.

Overall, this research and other extra, related activities have provided me a

foundation for my aspirations in working as a performance analyst in professional

football. I have developed my data collecting and analysing skills which has made

me become more meticulous and aware in ensuring that the information is valid and

meaningful for the team.

If I was to do this project again I would do more games in order to seek reliability

and find trends such as is feedback affected by the score or the opposition or match

location? Is there a ‘home advantage’? (Taylor et al., 2008).

33

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Appendix

Appendix 1 – Dunn et al., 2003; p.g. 42

39

Appendix G1

Interview Questions (Semi-Structured)

Coaching Pathway

Participation and Coaching – Sampled other sports?

Qualifications – FA? Any others?

Experience – How many years?

o Why did you start? Role Models?

Coaching Philosophy

Where does it derive from? Role Models? Others? Experience?

Do you feel it always changes?

Do you believe in Ericsson et al.’s theory (1991) of 10 years deliberate practice to become

expert?

Style of Play

What would be your preferable style of play?

Is that what you instil into your team or do you believe you need to have the players’ of

certain technical ability?

o Therefore do you play with what you have or use the tactics you feel is best even if

the players cannot carry them out?

What indicators do you focus/look out for during a match?

Do you take notes?

What do you generally say in your team talks?

o Motivational? Tactical? Individual? Criticism? Any others?

o Do you feel its dependant on the result of the game?

Video Analysis

Pre-conceived beliefs of videotape feedback

Pros and Cons

Have you had any experience with it?

Are you hoping that the Videotape Feedback (Objective) can replace/aid your Subjective

Observations?

40

Appendix H2

Key Points:

Had 10 shots (Objective) - 9 Shots

They had 1 chance (Objective (Subjective) – 4 Shots

Passed it well through midfield (Subjective (Objective) – Middle 3rd Pass Success Rate 77.7%

Pressed them well (Subjective) Watch the video to see how we win the ball back

Gave the ball away to cheaply (Objective (Subjective) – Pass Success Rate = %

Scored in the last 10 (Objective) - Scored in last 5mins = 43:30

Opposition formation uncertainty (Subjective) Watch video where opp. is in poss. and not

WM doing tricks and when should be easily taking him on without using tricks, but pace.

(Objective and Subjective) – Dribble Success Rate = 50%

As for the oppositions chances, one of the players said they only had one chance, however looking

back, you can see they had 3 chances, with a total of 4 shots. With the video, it can make the

defence aware of how the opposition are creating their chances in order to counter it.

Breakdown of Shots

Shot Leeds Met. Newcastle

On Target 3 2

Off Target 5 and 1 Blocked 2

Shot Leeds Met. Newcastle

Inside Area 4 3

Outside Area 5 1

Our Shots

Zone Ball Retention

How Retained

Players Involved

Passes Shot Zone

Shot Location

Shot Outcome

1 D2 Loose Ball 3 2 B1 BR On Target - Goal

2 E11 Throw 5 6 D2 Left Off Target

3 D2 FK 1 0 D2 TR On Target - Save

4 E22 Loose Ball 5 4 D1 Left Off Target

5 E22 Loose Ball 1 0 D1 Over Off Target

6 E13 Tackle 5 3 B2 Blocked Blocked

7 D3 Loose Ball 2 1 D2 Over Off Target

8 E12 Loose Ball 6 8 C2 Over Off Target

9 I2 GK 5 9 B2 MR On Target - Goal

41

Instead of just providing meaningless information, such as ‘we had nine shots not ten’, I had the

ability to pause the footage and break each shot down in order to find trends. I devised a pitch map

which is adapted from my time with a media company. Also having visuals, such as pitch maps with

drawings of shots, can allow it be easier to process for the players and manager. So looking at the

visual on the pitch map, it gives the manager and the team an impression that most of the shots are

Their Shots

Zone Ball Retention

How Retained

Players Involved

Passes Shot Zone

Shot Location

Shot Outcome

1 D3 Throw 3 2 D3 BL On Target – Save

2 A2 Loose Ball 1 0 A2 BL On Target – Save

3 A3 CK 3 2 A2 Over Off Target

4 E22 Loose Ball 6 6 B2 Left Off Target

1 – (Shot Number) Shot Location

– Shot Off Target

– Shot On Target

TL TM TR

ML

BL

MM

BM

MR

BR

OVER

LEFT RIGHT

1

2 3

4

5 7 8

9

A B C D

E1 E2

F G H I

3

2

1

1

2

3

4 5

6

7

8

9

Opp. 3

Opp. 1

Opp. 2

Opp. 4

42

coming from the left, outside of the area and off target. And therefore it can provide a foundation

for feedback.

Looking at the results, yes we had more chances but breaking them down you can see that 56% of

the shots were outside of the area compared to 25% of the opposition. Other trends that were

found that the opposition gave the impression that they were more direct in that their shots came

from possession build-up of less than two passes 75% of the time and got into the penalty area

75% of the time, compared to our 44%. However the most important stat is the amount of goals

and from having more shots we increased our likelihood of scoring. But having this information

can indicate the manager to be more clinical.

Penalty Area Entries (Passes, Crosses and Dribbles):

Looking at the first half subjectively, they definitely created chances and played balls into the

attacking third (see Penalty Area Entries Table). In the half time team talk, one of the players stated

that we had ten shots and he wasn’t far off with nine shots, so his recall memory wasn’t too invalid.

However, with live coding and notating, I could break their shots down, tell them where they were

striking; inside or outside of the area, whether they were on target or not, or whether they were

from open play or set-pieces, with video highlights to back them up.

Therefore having instant notational stats and video highlights to prove it, it can show the team; ‘yes

you are getting to these dangerous areas, but you are not finishing your chances’. A successful entry

would apply similarly to Dunn et al (2003) and Taylor et al (2004) definitions, in that success is where

possession is maintained. As for the penalty area entry, it is something from outside the area

entering into it. Again this would be agreed with the manager.

Wide Midfielder Dribble Success Rate – 50%

Relating again to Dunn et al (2003) and Taylor et al (2004) works on defining actions in football, for a

successful dribble, they state that the player has to hold onto the ball for more than four seconds,

however after telling the coach this definition and explaining that didn’t agree with it, he agreed

with me and we agreed upon our own definition for a dribble as the first touch of the player to the

last. A successful one then is a player holding onto a ball and either passing, crossing or shooting,

whereas an unsuccessful one being tackled or losing control of the ball.

The coach stated how this player could do better in taking on the opposition using his speed and not

skill. As you can see he achieved a 50% success rate in dribbling in the first half.

Having video footage, I can clip the dribbles from this player and he can look through what he is

doing wrong or what the manager deemed he needed to improve on. It also provides the player with

knowledge of hi opposition, to seek their technique in order to overcome.

Pen. Area Entry Successful Unsuccessful

Pass 9 6

Cross 4 3

Dribble 1 2

43

Giving the Ball away to Easily

Passing Well through the Midfield

The passes notated were from open play (not including free kicks, goal kicks and corners) and the

validity of the results are tested to determine what is a successful pass and not. Looking at Dunn et

al (2003) and Taylor et al (2004) they characterised a pass as an attempt to kick the ball to a

teammate (picture from on email). They stated that a successful ball is where the receiver receives

the ball and possession is maintained and therefore an unsuccessful pass is where the pass is not

met and possession is lost. Me and the coach also decided it is not just down to the passer, it’s also

whether the receiver comes to the ball or his first touch is good enough whether the pass is

successful or not.

Products such as Prozone will do it for you if you have the money, however, going through the

match, similar to the shots, I can break them down. I have already looked at success and the

location, however I could further in distances of passes. Using the product of Prozone on a course,

they categorised a short pass as <10 metres (m), medium is 10-25m and long 25>m.

Leeds Met. Successful Unsuccessful

Pass 129 39

Leeds Met. Successful Unsuccessful

Defensive 3rd Pass 19 6

Middle 3rd Pass 70 20

Attacking 3rd Pass 40 13

76% 77.7% 75%

44

The diagram above shows the pass success rate in each third of the pitch. It is also a nice visual for

the players to see, as it is very basic and easy to interpret.

Closing Down Well

Would be difficult to code live with just one person, considering some many aspects, however

looking through the video, our players are closing down quickly and sometimes are doubling if

tripling up on the opposition with the ball.

Conclusion

First ten minutes, the opposition could not get the ball out of their half and Leeds Met had four

shots, one of them being a goal. The oppositions first entry into Leeds Met defending third created

two shots on target, one of them being one v one.

Player Successful Unsuccessful

Dribbles 5 5

45

Appendix I2

Key Points

Constant pressure even from front – 13 Ball Retentions

Unorganised in 1st ten minutes ?

Their 32 (best player?) wants to cut inside – 86% of his dribbles, he cut inside

Winning a lot in midfield – 21 Ball Retentions

Gave away a key FK to them – 37:21

Ball Retention/Opposition Mistakes

Att. Third: 13

Mid. Third: 21

Also can clip highlights of the forward’s constant pressure, causing mistakes from the opposition.

Watching the first half, there is constant closing down from the midfield and attack.

Oppoistion No. 32

Right midfielder

Cut Inside: 6

Goes Outside: 1

86% goes inside

With the video, I can clip all his dribbles and show the players who will counter him, such as the left

back. This way they can evaluate him and provide an insight for themselves.

Unorganised in First Ten Minutes

Go through the video and related to original manager’s formation and strategy.

From a personal point of view, Leeds were in control of possession in the first ten minutes, scoring a

goal and restricting them of chances and entries.

62% 38%

46

Opposition’s Key FK

There would be a video highlight of the foul and the free kick. From the free kick, the opposition

didn’t succeed with the opportunity and the hit the wall, and we countered them.

37:21