Trying out a new system for watching live games. What worked?
Heading south, again, for a pre-season mission to watch Chichester City at home to Bognor Regis, armed with a notebook and a plan...
The season started with a 5-hour round trip to Chichester, which is a long way for a Friday night. But compared to last year’s adventure to Weymouth this felt like a local derby.
You can read about that trip here.
Regular readers will know that I use video for most of my scouting. But the first game of the season is the exception. This is the one match of the year when there isn’t any video. So the only way to get information on an opponent is to eyeball them. And my eyeballs were to do the eyeballing.
Scouting in person is different and harder. You’re limited to what you can see in one look, and once it’s happened there’s no going back over the same clip again and again. And to be honest, this process doesn’t always go well.
But this time I decided to try a few new things. I wanted to reduce some of the stress involved, and to come away knowing I’d got some useful information. Enough to avoid a drive home spent wondering if I could even remember what colour shirts they’d worn.
Here’s how things panned out…
I arrived early. Which to me means having an entire grandstand to myself. Chichester’s pitch has a slight slope, so I sought out the high ground at the far end. The wasn’t particularly high, but it was good enough.
So what was the plan?
It was simple. I would focus only one key part of the game. Anything else I got would be a bonus.
I had my notebook, but I decided to use my phone to record restarts at both ends. That was it. Only restarts.
It’s easy to get preoccupied with getting video. I know I’ve done it. What happens is you become so distracted by video that you don’t see the game. Things that would have been better to see and note rather than capture on camera and take away for later. Or forgotten. This time would be different.
Then something interesting happened.
After I got the first few clips I started to see beyond the basics. I could see Chichester playing out from the back. I could see them playing usually to one side over another. But I could also see the movement of the midfielders. Then, who moved into the open space they left behind them.
It was like getting a couple of clips on my phone then allowed me to put the phone down and take a deeper look.
It sounds easy. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve resorted to that false feeling of comfort you can get from recording everything. A feeling that tells you that as long as you’ve recorded it, you’ll find the information you need at some point.
But there’s nothing like seeing it in the moment, and fitting that sequence of play into the bigger picture.
Another restart, this time involving another player. A chance to note how that defender or midfielder operated. All right, I would think. That worked well (or didn’t)… They look stronger there (or weaker)... He looks comfortable on the ball (or doesn’t)... He’s stronger going forward than in defence…
You get the idea…
The result was one of the most enjoyable matches I’ve ever watched (the clip above is just a ten-second example of the type of clips I was getting). Before I knew it the first half was over. The whole match flew by in a combination of restarts, and added notes about chances created and key players.
Best of all, it has changed my approach to how I’ll watch games. Even if it is once a year.
A week later, how did the match turn out?
I’ve since watched the match footage. My first impression was relief that Chichester played in a way I’d mentioned in my report. But better was seeing a new look Folkestone Invicta team playing well and working hard. Especially in the first hour.
But Chichester are a decent side, and got their point. I did come away from that Friday night game thinking they were a side capable of better results than pre-season form suggested. It’ll be interesting to see how this season plays out with a lot of teams capable of winning big.