The Numbers Game

Does the impossible of making the beautiful game even more beautiful -- Malcolm Gladwell A must-read . . . Chris Anderson and David Sally have the ability to see football in a way few have before them. Be warned: The Numbers Game will change the way you think about your favourite team or player, and change the way you watch the beautiful game. -- Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland A's, the subject of <i>Moneyball</i> A fascinating and stylish investigation into a rapidly developing way of understanding football -- Jonathan Wilson, author of <i>Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics</i> Whether you are a traditionalist or a numbers nut you can enjoy this book. It's thorough, accessible, and devoid of the absolute truths so many on both sides of the debate peddle. -- Gabriele Marcotti, football broadcaster and author It is the book that could change the game forever * Times * You need to like football. Millions of people do. And they should rush to read this book immediately. The game they love will take on new depth, colour and subtlety -- Ed Smith * The Times *

At 17, Chris Anderson found himself playing in goal for a fourth division club in West Germany; today, he's a professor in the Ivy League at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. An award winning social scientist and football analytics pioneer, Anderson consults with leading clubs about how best to play the numbers game. David Sally is a former baseball pitcher and a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in the US, where he analyses the strategies and tactics people use when they play, compete, negotiate, and make decisions. He is an adviser to clubs and other organizations in the global football industry.