Head of Tactical Analysis leaves Southampton after 12 years
Scott Waters: Worked under five managers and three Directors of Football
Written by Training Ground Guru — January 15, 2024
HEAD of Tactical Analysis Scott Waters has left Southampton after 12 years and more than 500 competitive matches with the club.
Waters joined the Saints in August 2011 as Head of Performance Analysis and switched to Head of Tactical Analysis a decade later. A major part of that role involved project-managing the Southampton Playbook, a 101-page document that detailed team and positional requirements, tactical solutions, training methodology and universal football language for the entire club.
He worked under managers Mauricio Pochettino, Ronald Koeman, Ralph Hasenhüttl, Ruben Selles and Russell Martin and Directors of Football Ross Wilson, Matt Crocker and Jason Wilcox.
As TGG has reported, Southampton’s analysis department has undergone significant change in recent months, with Analysis Operations Lead Adam Ridgewell departing at the end of last year, following Senior Technical Analyst Tobias Loveland, who joined Reading with Selles in the summer.
Incoming have been Lauren Jones and Lewis Mahoney, as First Team Opposition Analyst and Performance Analyst respectively.
Announcing his departure on LinkedIn, Waters said: “When I look back to 2011, filming my first fixture from the back of a John Deere buggy, it amazes me how progressive and intelligent our industry has become.
“Thank you to Ross Wilson, Matt Crocker and Mark Jarvis for their expertise, guidance and trust to develop my leadership skills to ensure I committed to empower our colleagues to shine. When I follow the career journeys of our former colleagues, that reinforces that the culture we worked so hard to set was indeed the correct one.
“To have project led and authored the club's first ever Playbook is my proudest achievement during my time at the club - to witness the impact of the Playbook throughout the business, see the performance staff embrace its intelligence and develop the next generation of Academy players with it. I hope its legacy continues.
“I have worked with many world-leading practitioners, who have shaped the behaviours and values I commit to in my career. Jim Rohn's theory of five couldn't have been more accurate when describing the relationship Adam Ridgewell, Tobias Loveland and I had.
“Both of you are highly skilled performers, and continuously drove us to improve our processes, each other and ourselves. We shared one heck of a journey together and I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone else. I am so proud of you both.
“I am looking forward to my next chapter and new opportunities in 2024, and thank you to my connections for any help you can provide me in my job search.”
Crocker was among many to reply, writing: “Top Job Scotty! You should be so proud of your work.”
