Interviews: Stuart Reid - @From_The_Wing - Set Piece Specialist

As Everton conceded yet another set-piece goal I put it out there that there must be something that could be done. 

I was contacted by a set piece expert, then working for Millwall, who explained the problems with the defensive set up. A few days later was the FA Cup draw, where Everton were picked out to face...Millwall.

A good test to see if this bloke knew what he was talking about. 

And it turns out he did. Millwall ruthlessly exploited the weaknesses that he had explained to me scoring three goals from close range after freekicks.

We agreed to speak more about the world of set pieces and how analysts like him are looking to help clubs make the most of this undervalued area of the game.

A chat with Stuart Reid @From_The_Wing

2. How did you get involved in the world of set pieces?
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   I'd been looking for a way into football and had been doing lots of analysis pieces for various websites and had done a couple of my coaching badges but hadn't made much progress. Then I read a Ted Knutson piece on set-pieces and it really called to me (and it's an area with few specialists). So I began learning as much as I possibly could on set-pieces!

    
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   Q: I think the example we all know within analytics is Midtjylland but were there any other clubs or managers/coaches that impressed you while doing your research?
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   Real Madrid a couple of seasons ago were fantastic from set-pieces which I took a lot from, Sarri as well has done a lot of impressive work in this area as well. Gianni Vio earns an honorary mention as well as I looked at all the goals his teams scored from set-pieces and I learnt a lot about the various key components that make up a good routine from analysing those goals. Currently Watford and Reading have some good ideas, although Reading haven't had much luck in hitting the net from them.

    
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   Q: So you've become an expert on set pieces, researched the best teams and coaches. How did you take the next step of getting interest from professional clubs?
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   That's the hard bit! I got a lucky break (mixed with a bit of initiative), I saw the Head of Analysis at Leyton Orient was holding an "introduction to analysis" workshop, so I went along told him about the work I'd been doing, and then he emailed me a few days later asking what I could provide for them. That then lead to my work for Millwall this season which I landed via Twitter I think, I'm very active on social media in this regard as feel that's the best way to network these days, and will hopefully play a part in landing my first full time role in football!

    
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   Q: So tell us about the Millwall work. As an Everton fan I am fully aware of their prowess from set pieces after 3 goals against us in just one game. What has your role been with them?
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    My role focuses solely on corners at present (as I have a full time job away from football so had to choose between free kicks and corners to work on, and I believe corners make the biggest impact). I do a report on the oppositions corners and look at what they're likely to do both in offence and defence based on what they've done previously. From this I can then work out the best way to attack the opposition defence. To help with this I've created a framework that looks at a number of criteria to help analyse each part of the opponents defensive setup to make creating a routine easier. I've also built my own software for providing help with set-piece analysis although that hasn't been used yet as it's not been launched (and wont be until I'm in a paid position)

     
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    Q: Given Millwall have had so much success from corners it seems that it works. If you were to move into a full time role how much more do you think you could add to a team?
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    Lots more! I've already mentioned my software which will be useful, and also add my knowledge of throw-ins and free kicks into the mix as well. I'd also love to move out onto the training pitch as well, my eventual aim is to be an all in 1 set piece coach/analyst (I've done a few coaching badges) and believe I can be an asset there as well.

     
    19h19 hours ago
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    Q: Does the success Millwall had in transferring their set piece dominance at Championship level into their cup games against PL teams show that their are still unexploited gains available for teams in the top flight?
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    Oh most definitely, in my analysis of those games I was impressed at what Brighton were doing offensively, but Everton were very one dimensional in their attack - ball aimed into the same area with the same idea and execution for practically every corner I looked at. This obviously makes it somewhat easier to stop when you know exactly what the opponent will be doing! Most Premier League teams are in the same boat with very little variation from game to game - tailoring your approach to the opponents weaknesses should of course see an increase in chances and subsequently goals.

     
    19h19 hours ago
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    Q: One thing I've always found strange is the slightly snobbish attitude towards set pieces. Roberto Martinez famously (maybe not entirely fairly) was quoted several times saying how he disliked set piece goals and didn't spend much time in training on them. The old cliche is "keep it tight and nick a goal from a set piece" But they are a massive source of chances both for and against. I wrote a piece once showing going from worst to best could be worth 10 points a season which is what a £50m player will get you. I presume you won't be asking for £50m to work with a team on set piece design, so why aren't top clubs fighting over the best set piece analysts?
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    To be fair I really don't know the answer to that, of course, I won't be expecting any more than a normal analysts salary so teams can definitely afford it (and analysis departments tend to be growing pretty quickly). So a dedicated analyst/coach for set-pieces certainly makes a lot of sense from a financial point of view as you said, but it also helps create another valuable resource - time. Most clubs set-pieces are done by an assistant manager or goalkeeping coach with an analyst spending a little bit of time on them as well, hiring a set-piece specialist then frees their time up and lets them refocus elsewhere - potentially bringing improvements in other areas of the game. But yet other than the top clubs in the PL and Brentford/Midjtylland I don't know of anyone paying for set-piece work, which blows my mind. I'm hopeful this changes soon!

     
    7h7 hours ago
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    Q: Analysis of set pieces on TV tends to be mainly pundits moaning about how zonal defending isn't as good as man to man. I'm assuming it is a lot more complicated and you want to be defending both space and opponents. Do you have a preferred set up for defending or would you change depending on the opponents strengths?
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    Oh definitely, that really irritates me when pundits blame zonal marking for a goal conceded, but don't do the same when someone doesn't follow their man. I'm amenable really - I really like a zonal marking set-up like the one Man City deploy - a strong emphasis on defending the 6-yard area with height, with blockers to delay runs to the 6-yard area. I have also developed a system similar to my attacking one that focuses on all the key aspects of the opposition's strengths (delivery, runs etc) that I believe would be quite beneficial - although that is so far untested!

     
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    Q: Do you take inspiration from other sports, I know basketball really considers how to find space in tight areas, and handball in particular is about finding the best shooting angle?
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    I find it really hard to watch other sports that I know nothing about, so haven't really focused on them too much, to be honest! However, blocking/screening is something I always recommend in my routines as that's definitely a key component to an effective offensive routine and I know that has roots in Basketball (pick) and American Football - although instead, I watched teams who were good at implementing it in football to help form my knowledge on it!

     
    5h5 hours ago
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    Q: Goalkeepers are often an overlooked factor, some are very passive, some very aggressive with aerial balls, that must have an impact on the design of appropriate set pieces?
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    For sure, and is something I'll admit I also overlooked when I was first getting started! Although now I've developed a few tricks to help identify those keepers who might like to come out and claim - which ultimately factor into my routine creation.

     
    5h5 hours ago
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    Q: You made your name on twitter with your graphics showing team effectiveness on corners. Can you tell us a bit about the graphs and any interesting findings?
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    One of the things I'm really hot on is statistics - people are firmly for or against stats in football, and I can see both sides as footballs a very hard game to quantify. But from corners especially, data can be incredibly useful as the corner is taken from 1 of 2 places with a few set outcomes, which makes it a lot easier to glean data from. So I collect a huge amount of data tracking a number of criteria that help determine the approach I take in my analysis. These can then be collated into ranking the league in terms of effectiveness both in defence and attack. What I believe to be the most interesting finding (although not particularly useful) is that Leeds have faced just 1 short corner all season which is staggering for 38 games played. They might not have the tallest team in the league (hence why teams prefer getting it into the mixer) but it's still a pretty weird occurrence (the average for the league this season is 24 short corners faced). There's a few teams that stick out as possibly being unlucky, Middlesbrough have had an incredible amount of shots off target from corners for instance, but haven't had that many on target or goals scored which is odd for a Pulis team so either luck hasn't gone their way or something is going wrong in the process!

     
    4h4 hours ago
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    And finally, sell yourself, why should a club appoint Stuart Reid as a full time set piece analyst/coach?
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    For a start I'd consider myself highly knowledgable in an area where there currently isn't much knowledge out there for people to learn from which will obviously be highly useful for a large majority of clubs. I also think my time outside of football gives me some useful attributes - I've spent the last 11 years working in IT which perhaps allows me to provide a lot of things (such as software) that a lot of the analysts currently employed by clubs might not be able to do. Finally, on a personal note, I'm ambitious and want to be one of the leading experts in the field of set-pieces - this means giving my all to the job and finding ways to constantly innovate - which can only be good news for anyone wanting to hire me right? Thanks for having me!

     
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