What's it like being an analyst in the Irish League? Meet the man that played a key role in Larne's historic Conference League run
Reaching the UEFA Conference League has not only provided unique challenges for Larne’s playing squad in balancing a hectic schedule alongside taking a step into the unknown on the European stage, but also the backroom staff that have played key roles in helping them get here – and Rory Scott, Head of Performance Analysis, has loved every moment of it.
Scott started his current role with the Inver Reds in November 2023 and has since enjoyed playing an integral part behind the scenes as Larne celebrated a second consecutive Gibson Cup triumph before creating Irish League history this summer.
A self-confessed “proper football geek”, Scott’s career in football initially began as a coach for the Irish FA after returning from university in Leeds and it was during those four years with the national association that a chance meeting sparked his love for analysis.
Rather than wait around for an opportunity to come his way, Scott created his own by compiling a detailed document on Glentoran and delivered it to then-manager Mick McDermott, who liked it so much he offered him the role of first-team analyst.
It’s an all-consuming job with hours dedicated to coding, tagging, watching video, producing reports, meetings and more, and the fact Larne have already played almost 20 competitive matches by early-October adds another layer to it, but Scott wouldn’t have it any other way.
"It's what I love doing,” he said. “It has been busy but you have to stay ahead of the game as much as possible, watch as many games as possible and keep an eye on everything all the time.
"We work around a matchday so there's everything that comes with that. After the match I produce a report on all aspects of the game supported by data and video, which takes about three or four hours, and then you're straight onto the next team, watching four or five of their matches and rewatching them to start pulling out trends or patterns. You're talking a couple of days for that.
"I've massively enjoyed it. I got into analysis for all these different challenges, coming up against different opponents and facing different styles. It's unbelievable being in Europe - when the Conference League music was playing you're like 'this is actually real'.”
While well accustomed to the threats provided by Irish League opposition who Larne play multiple times per season, scouting teams from all around Europe – they faced sides from Latvia, Kosovo and Gibraltar in qualifying – on a matter of weeks notice is a different challenge.
If there’s one example from that historic run which highlights the value of analysis from Scott and his team, it’s the third-round penalty shootout success over FC Ballkani, where goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson produced two stunning saves to secure progression.
To the untrained eye, many would have thought Ferguson benefitted from luck of the draw, guessing correctly in what is generally described as a lottery, but that certainly wasn’t the case.
"Myself, goalkeeping coach Al (Blayney) and the goalkeepers look a lot at penalties and study them, and we'd a great showing against Ballkani with Ro making two huge saves and the one they scored he went the right way too,” added Scott. “We'd a good moment after the game and that's where you get encouragement and extra motivation.
"You do as much digging as you can. Penalties are a lucky draw in a way but there are certain trends for sure and it's in those moments you have to make sure that in every instance you have the player as prepared as possible.”
Barely hours after Larne’s opening Conference League fixture against Molde had finished, Scott was glued to his laptop in preparation for their Premiership clash with Dungannon Swifts less than three days later.
Conversations have already started about the threats posed by Shamrock Rovers in their next European outing on October 24 while in the coming weeks Scott will also run his eye over teams from Switzerland, Slovenia, Belarus and Belgium.
"Europe is a lot more tactical than the Irish League...there's a lot more space, teams play with a lot of structure and want to play with the ball, so there's more time required for preparation.,” he says when asked about differences between the two. “Even with set-pieces they'll have six or seven variations where a lot of Irish League teams might be looking for a specific target man to hit.”
In Scott’s role, it’s also crucial to have a solid relationship with the coaching staff, who are led by the impressive Lynch, and it’s the Larne boss that helps drive standards both on and off the pitch.
"I talk to Tiernan more than I talk to my girlfriend!” laughs Scott. “I'm having a few days off here but am constantly chatting to Seamus (Lynch) about Shamrock Rovers and Tiernan about Crusaders, who we play next weekend.
"He's dedicated, relentless and constantly wanting to improve and be better, which rubs off on everybody. There's a real drive for improvement.
"The thing with analysis is it can come across quite critical but you don't want it to be - you have to be positive and at times you have to have somebody who can deliver that message in an encouraging way, which Tiernan does better than most...because he always wants to improve and wants feedback, the players have that same sort of mindset."
Analysis is a department of sport that has exploded in importance and stature in recent years – the worldwide market is expected to grow from $3.87 billion in 2023 to $18.14billion by 2031 – with teams across disciplines looking to gain every possible advantage.
That preparedness can be the difference between winning and losing, finishing first or second, or in Larne’s case, creating history or coming close.
It’s still something which is slowly seeping into Irish League football as it continues to become more professional and Scott would highly-recommend any prospective analysts to contact their local club, just like he did – you never know where it might take you.
"There were a few analysts when I started - it wasn't by any means a massive department,” he reflects. “Approaching Glentoran was my step into the Irish League and it's something I'd recommend to other analysts.
"It's a department in football in Northern Ireland where there's not a lot of it but I know managers are crying out for it. I'd definitely encourage anybody who has a taste for it to approach their local team and start building up experience, prove your worth and you never know where it could take you."