Charles Reep was an accountant in the RAF who rose to the rank Wing Commander before turning his hand to statistical analysis of football games on his retirement. He quickly became an influential figure with his advocacy of a long ball game because his stats showed that most goals were scored after moves of four or less passes.
There have always been critics of Reep’s findings with accusations of him not putting them in the proper context and that what may work in a lower league game in England is less likely to at higher levels where such basic tactics would be handled more easily.