Chris Platts
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Football career knowledge base · · 3 min read

The stats don't lie!

Not only do we need reliable data, we need to use data reliably.

I have spent some weeks talking about statistics and careers in football, and I feel there is an issue that needs addressing. I consistently hear misinformation about careers in professional football. Statistics need to be handled with caution. They are but one part of a wider story that needs telling. If the statistics were accurate, then they would all align, but they don't. So what is going on? How should we use them? And how do we tell what is accurate?

Did they make it?

As an example, here are some places I have read about the statistics associated with becoming a professional footballer. For something that seems pretty simple (did they make it or not?), it quickly unravels with data that, quite literally, don't add up!

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