Statistics make even David Batty look good: Brooking blasts increasing over-reliance on stats analysis

David Batty may have missed that penalty in the 1998 World Cup, but there is another reason to be vilify the former Leeds midfielder, says Sir Trevor Brooking.

The Football Association's director of development has singled out his style of play as a poor example to young players and views him as evidence of the weakness of the Prozone-style statistical analysis favoured by managers like Steve McClaren.

Brooking told West Ham fanzine Ex: "[The FA] tell me that so-and-so has completed 90 per cent of his passes during a game and the first thing I will say is: 'How many of them went forward?'

"We can all be a David Batty, where we can pass it to the back four and look great by never giving it away."