Grimsby appoint ex-Liverpool coach Shearwood as Coach Analyst

Grimsby Town have appointed Ray Shearwood as Men's First Team Coach Analyst.

The League Two club said Shearwood will “play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality performance analysis to support tactical objectives, individual player development and team preparation”.

Shearwood said he wanted to “create a culture where data, analysis and coaching combine to deliver success on the pitch”.

Shearwood returns to England after just over a year-and-a-half as Lead First Team Analyst at Saudi side Al-Ettifaq. Before that, he spent almost 10 years working for Liverpool’s Academy, coaching different age grades. His first analysis job came in August 2019 when he was appointed Individual Coach and Analyst for the Under-15s/16s and a year later he became the Analyst and Coach for the Under-21s.

He started his coaching career at Preston North End.

The role of Coach Analyst is becoming a more popular one in football, with clubs like Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion, Oxford United and Colchester United among others who have appointed one.