FC St. Pauli

"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's an uncrewed aerial vehicle!" Yes, indeed, one of the talking points at training camp on Monday was a flying object, initially unidentified. For during the morning session, there was a constant humming and buzzing noise above the pitch. Performance coach Karim Rashwan was worried it might be a swarm of wasps after being stung by one on his shin recently – ouch!  

But no, the mystery was soon solved when it was revealed that the unknown humming and buzzing object in question has a camera, four small propellers and goes by the name of a drone. The nimble flyer is not only ideal for capturing stellar photos and videos for use by the media department but also helpful as a sophisticated analysis tool offering a different view of things, as match analyst Ole Marschall is well aware. "All the footage we collect from so many different perspectives gives us loads of resources to work with. The drone is a really practical option that allows us to provide an even more in-depth analysis."

Marschall is another for whom it's the first time in Herzlake. The 27-year-old was senior video analyst at Greuther Fürth, recently promoted to the Bundesliga, before making the move to the Millerntor. The question that immediately springs to mind, of course, is how on earth do you get to become a match analyst? Ole grins. "I had a different career in mind to be honest and went to Berlin to study economics. While I was there, I realised that my friends were simply doing the stuff they really wanted to do and so I decided to do a match analysis placement at Hertha BSC. I ended up working two years for the first-team squad as well as the Under-19 and Under-17 youth teams."

Then came the call from Fürth head coach Stefan Leitl, who wanted him on his team in the role of senior video analyst. The beginning of a rapid rise for Ole. "It was amazing, for sure, but I'd already decided to move back up north to be closer to my friends and family. To then get the job at St. Pauli was just perfect for me," says the Kiel native, who loves the variety involved in his work most of all but is always up for a challenge.

"Everything has to work on matchday, especially the technology. When I'm sitting in the stand doing the live analysis, the key sequences have to available for the coaching team at half-time so we can react quickly to tactical developments," he explains. And then, to borrow the phrase made famous by World Cup-winning Germany coach Sepp Herberger: "​After the game is before the game". As well going over previous matches, the focus immediately switches to the work in training and analysing our forthcoming opponents.

If we were to be flippant, we might say Ole was a cross between a chess player and a fortune-teller. On the one hand, he has to work with the training team to design perfect moves for our own team, but he also has to point up the tactical finesses of the opposition and analyse their strengths and weaknesses. "I work very closely with the players, the coaching team, the scouts and the academy here," he explains before adding with a grin: "But there are always situations I can't account for in advance, of course. Sometimes the ball takes a bad bounce or the fine margins that can decide a game go against you."

Those unpredictable incidents and situations, those oddball moments, are what make sport what it is and make us love football just as much as when a plan forged by people like Ole Marschall comes off. *Football and heart emojis* 

What else did the Boys in Brown get up to on training camp day 8? Check out our video:

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Photos: FC St. Pauli