Anatomy of a Football Scout by Jon Cotterill Release date: 07th February, 2022 Publisher: Camara Brasileira List Price: £7.99 Our Price: £7.99 You Save: £0 (0%) Buy Now

Would you enjoy watching football for a living, perhaps taking in five or six matches a week? For many football supporters, this would be a dream job: analysing a Premier League team?s future opponents, spotting a potential weakness or a hidden strength before submitting your detailed report and discussing its content with the team manager eager to hear your opinion. In truth, such a scenario is extremely unlikely, although it is still possible to get involved in the beautiful game and earn a decent living from it as a proven talent spotter. As Michael Calvin pointed out in his 2014 book about scouting, The Nowhere Men, the would-be scout must first complete his or her time, trawling the country, usually unpaid, watching school, junior and non-league football in the hope of coming across a rare diamond. Jon Cotterill admits that he became a scout accidentally after going to work in Brazil as a teacher. By a stroke of luck, he was soon working as a Brazilian football commentator. His verbal analysis and observations prompted some clubs to contact him, asking his opinion of players they had already identified. Others asked him to take a look at specific players and submit a report on their performances; soon, Cotterill was combining broadcasting with scouting. In Brazil. Some people are born lucky? Cotterill has written an easily digestible book on how to become a football talent spotter and offers a number of suggestions on how the wannabe scout can get involved in the game. Some of his suggestions are plain common sense, others very useful insider tips. If, however, you imagine you can start by scouting for a Championship or top-flight club or adding Pep?s mobile number to your phone?s memory, think again. Instead, working your way up, possibly by starting as an unpaid volunteer for a non-league club, is a much more realistic route to the top of the scouting profession. Professional football clubs understand the value of accumulating comprehensive knowledge of the best young talent, a requirement that will continue to create opportunities for the astute, well-connected scout. For those wishing to get involved, or develop a burgeoning talent spotting career, reading Anatomy of a Football Scout would make an excellent starting point.