I took the FA coaching badges back in the late 1980s/ early 1990s and Reep's philosophy was the cornerstone of the approach used.
The Director of Coaching at the time, Charlie Hughes, analysed World Cup goals and produced a book which described the principles which had to be followed based on the key findings.
These were similar to Reep's who found that seven out of nine goals came from moves of three passes or fewer; moves starting with a long pass from your own half meant a goal was twice as likely to be scored when compared to using only short passes to progress up the field; most goals came from winning the ball back in the attacking quarter of the pitch, something Reep called a 'regained possession'.
On that basis, we were coached to get the ball into the opposition penalty area as quickly as possible, and be direct. An intricate move will break down, so these are to be avoided.
Now, this is a beautiful example of how not to interpret correlation. The data might support the conclusions ... but that doesn't mean that the approach produces the outcome.
Here's a ludicrous example to illustrate my point:
Most people die in bed. Don't go to bed, and you'll live longer.
Reep and Hughes set English football back a long way. I did my best over the years ... but, well ... you can only do so much.
Interesting that Beale’s title is head coach. Found an article from QPRs head of recruitment Andy Belk. He has a data background but no surprise that he talks about using a mixture of data, traditional scouting and finding out about the players personality.
Comments
The Director of Coaching at the time, Charlie Hughes, analysed World Cup goals and produced a book which described the principles which had to be followed based on the key findings.
These were similar to Reep's who found that seven out of nine goals came from moves of three passes or fewer; moves starting with a long pass from your own half meant a goal was twice as likely to be scored when compared to using only short passes to progress up the field; most goals came from winning the ball back in the attacking quarter of the pitch, something Reep called a 'regained possession'.
On that basis, we were coached to get the ball into the opposition penalty area as quickly as possible, and be direct. An intricate move will break down, so these are to be avoided.
Now, this is a beautiful example of how not to interpret correlation. The data might support the conclusions ... but that doesn't mean that the approach produces the outcome.
Here's a ludicrous example to illustrate my point:
Most people die in bed. Don't go to bed, and you'll live longer.
Reep and Hughes set English football back a long way. I did my best over the years ... but, well ... you can only do so much.
https://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/qpr-will-face-major-challenges-during-vital-transfer-window
His LinkedIn shows what his role covers. Suggests recruitment is agreed between him, the DoF, the board and manager.