“There is an epidemic failure within the game to understand what is really happening. And this leads people who run Major League Baseball teams to misjudge their players and mismanage their teams” declared Peter Brand in the movie ‘Moneyball’.

Moneyball (based on the equally excellent book ‘the art of winning an unfair game’ by Michael Lewis, incidentally an economist)’ conveys the story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team and their general manager Billy Beane. Along with his (recently acquired) side-kick Peter Brand (a Havard economics graduate), Beane attempts to build a ‘play-off’ team on a ‘shoe-string’ budget by using analytical data of statistics (an idea first introduced by baseball writer Bill James) called ‘sabermetrics’.

Footballs own version of the ‘sabermetrics’ system is often coined ‘soccernomics’, also the title of a fantastic book by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski which explores this analytical approach and how match data is affecting the game. The authors discuss the transfer market and produce a manifesto of protocols for the purchase and sale of that most delicate of commodities…. footballers.
They continue by comparing results with population size and GDP, even suggesting that the England national team may actually overachieve!

Liverpool football seem to be one of the main protagonists of the ‘soccernomics’ trend.
Owner John W. Henry (Fenway Sports Group), also the owner of The Boston Red Sox (who is portrayed in the ‘Moneyball’ movie attempting to secure Beane’s services) is a long time admirer of the system and a friend of the Athletic’s general manager.
Was this system being used when they paid £35 million for Andy Carroll. He was the player who statistically heads in the most goals, however, of what use is that for a passing side like Liverpool?
Damien Comolli (ironically, recommended by Beane) the ‘director of football strategy’ subsequently parted company with the club.

Arsene Wenger, current strife not withstanding, has an enviable record in the transfer market (interestingly Wenger has a degree in economics) and Arsenal as a club (or company), have pursued economic equilibrium and redemption with the Emirates stadium.

Clubs have been developing their analytical departments for years and there have been an a steady increase in data gathering companies such as ‘Opta’, composing statistic for pass completion, distance covered, tackles made and all manner of match data and statistics
It may be construed that this composition of information has been evident (all be it in its rawest form) for years, even if it just be goalkeepers researching penalty takers, but this ‘data-mining’ now parallels technological advances.

Is it possible to build an efficient and capable side in the day and age for the ‘all star’ Premier league, Swansea City seems to have mastered the art, exemplified by the signing of striker ‘Michu’, nothing less than a master class in transfer dealing.

One of the more noticeable statistics from the table is the position of Everton, whom, at the time of writing are still battling for a Champions League position and just below them, Swansea, as already mentioned a well disciplined side with a specific playing style.

So will the ‘Moneyball’ style gain momentum? It would seem so, as they say… facts govern the world, not theories.
In the words of Beane… “Numbers might not transform soccer, but they’ll give you an edge. And if they give you an edge you have to do it.”

“If we try to play like the Yankees in here, we will lose to the Yankees out there”

It was around eleven in the evening when the melody of gunfire and car horns erupted, piercing (literally) the night sky. This is how the residents of Baghdad celebrate a victory for the national team, however what goes up must come down, not just the bullets in this case!
The Iraqi national team had just squeezed past the hosts Bahrain (after extra-time and penalties) during this year’s biannual Gulf Cup of Nations semi-final. The celebrations were both spectacular and protracted.
The ‘the lions of Mesopotamia’ eventually lost the final 2-1 to the UAE (after extra-time, once again) although the tournament had been a success for the team and it’s near fanatical followers.

In 1996 Iraq were positioned 139th in the FIFA world rankings, today they are 89th and could be higher (Brazil, somehow coming in at 18th, the federation setting its own decompartmentalised criteria).
The ‘lions’ history includes four Arab Nations Cup wins, three Gulf Cups victories, the Asian Games and the Asian Cup, which they won in 2007.
The greatest moment in the nation’s football history is of course the qualification for the 1986 Mexico World Cup, drawn in the group stages with the hosts, Paraguay and Belgium, they lost all three games.

The former Arsenal winger Anders Limpar once likened manager George Graham’s regime as ‘living in Iraq under Saddam’.
It was, however, Uday, the wicked and cruel son of Saddam, who was given control of Iraqi football by his father in 1984. The ‘beautiful game’ becoming anything but for many years until their qualification for the 2004 Olympics (by which time Uday had been killed during a military operation in the northern city of Mosul during the coalition occupation).
For the national team, public humiliation in the form of head shaving became one of the milder punishments for defeat. Other, more sinister sentences included; crawling through gravel and then immersion in sewage (to ensure infection of wounds), playing a game with a concrete ball and torture with various devices, including a rectum stretching instrument.

It would seem the only person to oppose the tyrannical Uday was the revered ‘Ammo Baba’ (‘Uncle Father’ in Arabic), his being a wonderful story. ’Baba’ learnt to play football watching British soldiers stationed in Iraq after World War II and played in Iraq’s first official international match against Morocco. He famously scored a number of memorable goals, allegedly stirring the interest of clubs such as Liverpool and Celtic. He rebuffed any advances and went on to manage the national side, leading them to the 1986 World Cup.
Baba and Uday were at odds with regards to administration and tactics; it was only Saddam’s protection that ensured longevity for both Baba’s career and life!

Fast forward to the present day, a war with neighbours Iran, a couple of invasions and an insurgency negotiated, and the country can be moderately optimistic. Qualification for the 2014 World Cup looks like an increasingly difficult prospect, although it was always going to be in a group including Japan and Australia (who have practically transcended their ‘emerging nation’ status).

The great Brazilian ‘Zico’ had a short tenure as manager resigning due to a contractual dispute with the Iraqi FA (thankfully not Uday!).
Meanwhile the current manager and former player Hakeem Shaker’s record has been admirable, although surely the re-introduction of a foreign, ideally European manager is almost inevitable in the near future (security issues not withstanding). The transfer of knowledge and integration of enhanced discipline and organisation would invariably benefit the side. And although a number of foreign coaches have held the position perhaps a big name acquisition will transpire in the not to distant future.

During November 2011 the country played their first World Cup qualifier on home soil for many years, then, were subsequently banned from hosting home games due to power failure during a qualifier with Jordan. FIFA have since affirmed Iraq’s eligibility to host games (although not for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers).

There is certainly a new found optimism here, not only within football circles but society in general. Although still a ‘searching diagonal ball’ away from total calm, the violence, sectarian or otherwise has dropped dramatically from the horrific heights seen in recent years. Incidentally the national team is an eclectic mix of both the Sunni and Shiite sects of the Muslim faith, another fine example of solidarity within the ‘Beautiful Game’.

Further enhancement of the ‘feel-good’ factor has appeared in the form of a brand new purpose built stadium and complex (secondary ground, training facilities, hotels and additional sporting facilities) in the southern city of Basrah. With a reported capacity of around 70,000 and costing in the region of £500 million, the ground is due for completion in 2013 and scheduled to host the Gulf Cup of Nations in 2015. It is an impressive structure and a suitable example of the ambition of the country as a whole.

Iraq now appears to be treading a path towards peace and stability, along with it, the evolution of its football.
The locals here love their football, most of the younger generation seem to support ‘Barca’ or ‘Real’, and all follow the English Premier League.
A couple of Iraqi players (or at least Iraqi born) are plying their trade in England at present, Yaser Kasim is on the books at Brighton & Hove Albion (although presently on loan at conference side Luton) and the Baghdad born (British raised) Shwan Jalal is with Bournemouth of league one.

How long before we see the first Iraqi player starring in the Premier League?