Sam Pond (Opposition Analysis & Recruitment Analysis) Current Achievements • Academy Football Scouting Experience (Individual/Recruitment Analysis) (2016/17) • First Class Honours Degree in Sports and Exercise Science (2015) • First Class Graded Football Performance Analysis Dissertation (2015) • The FA Level 1 Award in Talent Identification (2017) • The FA Level 1 Award in Psychology (2017) • The FA Level 1 Award in Coaching Football (Updated 2017) • The FA Emergency First Aid Course (Updated 2016) • The FA Safeguarding Children Certificate (Updated 2016) • Academy scout reports published via webpages • Example post-match reports from selected Euro 2016 matches • Example scout reports from selected Category 1 & 2 academy fixtures The following is a portfolio I have developed in an effort to present some of my skills and accomplishments. Much like my career, this is a working progress. I am always seeking new opportunities to develop my expertise and any feedback is always appreciated. Please feel free to contact me, details below. Mobile: 07919263050 Email Address: [email protected] Address: 3 Woodlane Close, Bramdean, Hampshire, SO24 0JR Opposition Analysis Opposition Analysis Phases of Play Analysis: Screenshots England Defensive Phase Set Up (open play) (England vs Russia – Euro 2016 – Stade Velodrome, Marseilles, 11/06/2016) Organised midfield 5, solid shape and evenly spaced. Lone striker presses opposition defence. England Attacking Phase Set Up (England vs Russia – Euro 2016 – Stade Velodrome, Marseilles, 11/06/2016) Full back pushes forward in the attacking phase. Winger drifts inside, combines with midfielder who attempts a through ball to the advanced full-back. Triangles on both the left & right side of the pitch. France Defensive Phase Set Up (France vs Romania – Euro 2016 – Stade de France, Paris, 10/06/2016) Man marking & high press on opposition back line. As the ball progresses to midfield areas, players press with intent (Kante & Matuidi) Romania Defensive Phase Set Up (France vs Romania – Euro 2016 – Stade de France, Paris, 10/06/2016) Romania sitting deep with little pressing. Approaching defensive play as compact, organised and difficult to break down. Individual & Recruitment Analysis Individual & Recruitment Analysis Condensed Scout Reports Genuine scout reports produced at the request of a Sports Agency. Criteria: ✔ Attendance of fixture. Analysis of individual player performances. ✔ Must include the players name, age & playing position. ✔ Commentary on their performance and overall potential. ( Half an A4 page maximum) Fulham F.C. U23 1 vs 0 Blackburn Rovers U23 Craven Cottage 15/08/2016 #8 Dennis Adeniran (Fulham) Central Midfield, 17, U17 England International, Fulham Senior 1 app/1 gl Adeniran is the engine room of the Fulham midfield. He played 70 minutes as a holding midfielder, but was then pushed forward in the latter stages of the game. He capped off an already impressive performance with a perfectly executed volley 20 yards out to win the game in the closing minutes. Dennis keeps the ball moving through the midfield with good passing accuracy and positive play. When he chooses to run with the ball instead he is very direct, capable of a good burst of speed and has strength to hold off opposing players. Adeniran is also very tactically aware for his age. When playing as a deep-lying midfielder he covered the full-backs if they had pushed on up the pitch. His awareness also showed when he was moved further up the pitch by his manager. He drove into space well, not settling for a draw, and put himself in good attacking positions on the edge of the area. For a young midfielder he has very impressive composure and trusts in his ability which has already earnt him a senior appearance with Fulham this season (against Leyton Orient – EFL Cup). He scored in that game making him fulham's youngest ever goalscorer. (Recently beaten by Ryan Sessengon) Adeniran made things happen and performed very well against Blackburn, he should be making more appearances for the Fulham senior side in the near future. #8 Joe Rankin-Costello (Blackburn) Attacking Midfielder, 17 Rankin-Costello is very competitive, he just keeps pushing over the 90 minutes showing an impressive work rate. He played as a '#10' for Blackburn but often had to drop deep to receive the ball. Joe is tenacious and will press high up the pitch and chase lost causes. He is not afraid to tackle but sometimes this did result in fouling and words with the referee. When Joe was in possession of the ball in the opponents half he did well to link up play with his teammates and bring them into the game. In some aspects he reminded me of Adam Lallana, very busy, covering a lot of ground and acting as a 'needle player' between the striker and midfielders. He sometimes lacked an end product but was important to Blackburn creating chances. Rankin-Costello is an intelligent footballer on the ball and is very good technically. He can draw fouls, but commits them too, but this just shows his desire to win the ball back. I was impressed with his performance, especially for a 17 year old, and providing he can produce a little bit more in the final third I think he can go on to break into the Blackburn senior team. Tottenham Hotspur U21 2 – 3 Manchester United U21 White Hart Lane – 19/04/2016 #15 Marcus Edwards (Tottenham) Right Winger, 17, Both Footed, Contracted until 2017, U21 5 apps/0 goals, ENG U18 3 apps/4 gls, ENG U17 23 apps/6 gls Marcus came on as a substitute with around 20 minutes left to play, but the impact he made in that short amount of time was remarkable. He was brought in to a wide right position and he started to make things happen almost immediately. It was his skill and attacking ability that got him an assist and his team a goal. He is unbelievably comfortable on the ball and is always looking for it when out of possession. His ball control is brilliant, he dribbles very well and the opposition really struggled to get a tackle in. Marcus looked dangerous every time he went to dribble, using tricks, balance and speed to catch out the opposition. One of my favourite things about his gameplay is he often drives to the by-line and then cuts back the ball, a lot of modern wingers don't seem to do this, but it causes havoc and actually resulted in Spurs' second goal. If his opposing defender manages to show him inside he still poses a real threat as he is capable of dropping his shoulder and shooting with both feet. Still very young and that shows physically, this could be the reason why he didn't start the game against such a physical United side. His impact as a substitute was great though and he is clearly one of the most naturally gifted footballers at this level. Providing his development continues I think Marcus Edwards has the potential to become a top Premier League Player. Reading F.C. U21 1 – 3 Chelsea F.C. U21 The Madejski Stadium – 07/03/2016 #9 Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) Striker, 18, Right Footed, Contracted until 2019, U21 25 apps/13 gls, ENG U19 7 apps/4 gls Another brilliant attacking display by Abraham. Scored within 2 minutes and quite possibly should have had a hatrick after hitting the post and forcing a save by the Reading GK in a 1-on-1 situation. For the first goal he was alert and capitalised on a mistake by the Reading keeper, scoring with a cool finish. What impressed me more was the chances he created for other players. Still only 18. There is a lot of responsibility playing up front on your own, and he was more than up to the task. Playing at the tip of a 4-2-3-1 formation, his hold up play was exceptional, successfully bringing the 3 attacking midfielders into play and therefore maintaining the momentum of the attack. His link up play was brilliant, the only negative was during Chelsea's best move, where he played one pass too many at the end of a great interchange. Abraham made himself a handful using his unique physical attributes, and worked hard to ensure the Reading defenders didn't get too much time on the ball. He also made himself an outlet for Chelsea whenever they were penned back in their own half. Predicting Abraham's potential is somewhat difficult due to Chelsea's record of promoting academy youngsters. To me, he has all the qualities required to be a premier league goalscorer, however I'm not entirely convinced he will achieve this at Chelsea. Nevertheless, I still think he has the potential to be a top premier league player. Individual & Recruitment Analysis Performance Reports Performance reports produced for my own information in my own time. Information, statistics & graphics collected and produced by myself. Analysis: Overall match performance Marco Asensio – Real Madrid vs Legia Warsaw (18/10/16) Analysis: Substitution impact (strategy: closing out the game) Nathaniel Chalobah – Chelsea vs Leicester (15/10/16) Analysis: Match performance in a new playing position Wayne Rooney (Playing in Central Midfield) – England vs Russia (11/06/17) Player Profiling & Social Media Player Profiles & Social Media Scout Reports: Social Media Genuine scout reports produced at the request of a Sports Agency. Criteria: ✔ Must be playing at Academy Level but nearing a potential breakthrough ✔ Key Information about the player, establishing a profile ✔ Strengths, weaknesses and next steps towards a professional football career ✔ Published through Twitter with the target of interactions Trent Alexander-Arnold Scout Report Trent Alexander-Arnold has burst on the scene at Liverpool FC after a series of impressive performances at U23 level.