Inside Hearts' deal with Jamestown Analytics: What the club get and how the process works
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Hearts are understandably excited at the full potential of their deal with Jamestown Analytics. The sports recruitment and analysis company is now operational at Tynecastle Park thanks to an agreement brokered by Tony Bloom, the Brighton and Hove Albion chairman who is keen to become a Hearts shareholder.
Jamestown’s expertise in analysing individuals and teams in sport is designed to help push the Edinburgh club closer to Celtic and Rangers over time. If that happens, it is unlikely to be quickly. It is expected to take several transfer windows for the full benefit of Jamestown to be felt in Gorgie.
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Hide AdHowever, those involved in the Riccarton football operations are understandably buoyed after seeing how Bloom and Jamestown helped transform the fortunes of Brighton and the Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. Hearts will be operating within their own financial restraints and not, for example, with English Premier League-level money.
So what will they get and how does it all work? Having used analytics before, the Hearts head coach Neil Critchley is confident that Jamestown will be of huge benefit. “It means that we can use their knowledge and expertise in terms of how we prepare for games, opposition analysis, how we benchmark our own performances post-match and also for recruitment, which we're hoping will be really beneficial to us,” said Critchley, who used different software as a youth coach at Liverpool.
“It's quite exciting. I'm used to working with analytics and data before. I know how it can help and what a big aid it can be. It's a big announcement, fantastic for the football club and hopefully it plays a big part in what we do and our processes working forward. At Liverpool it still is a huge thing.”
Bloom’s influence on Hearts is not being too widely spoken about. He prefers to remain under the radar but his impact on other clubs is obvious. “Where Brighton were and where they are now is incredible,” said Critchley. “If you look at the clubs that his company has been involved with, they've all progressed and taken steps forward.
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Hide Ad“It's not just about recruitment, you've also got many other things right as well. Your facilities, your environment, your staffing, it plays a part, an important part. It's not everything, it's not the be-all-and-end-all, but it also can give you maybe an advantage in certain areas of your daily working life, your processes, which you hope will benefit the club in the future.”
Hearts have utilised Jamestown’s data for a number of weeks now, including for potential signing targets ahead of the January transfer window. “It's played a part in preparation for games and it's also playing a part which will become more prevalent in the next few weeks,” explained Critchley. “With Graham [Jones, sporting director] starting on Monday, those conversations will become much more frequent ready for January. But yes, it has been playing a part in identification of players for January and beyond. I can't go into that in too much detail, it's not what's inside, but yes, it has been so far.”
So how excited should everyone connected with Hearts get? “I think Jamestown actually said in their quotes that they're selective on who they work with. The fact that, if you like, they've chosen Hearts, I think that's a big thing for the football club. I think that's something we should be very proud of as a club. It's obviously in its infancy, it's only just been announced and we as a staff need to understand how to use it to our benefit. It might not be evident immediately, but you hope over a period of time that it certainly plays a big part in pushing this club forward.”
Jamestown are regarded as the best in the business in footballing circles, but specifically what makes them so special is a closely-guarded secret. “Good question. I can't give you the answer to that because they obviously have their process of how they work, which they don't share with everyone,” admitted Critchley. “Rightly so, because I'm sure it costs an awful amount of money and there's a lot of people working for them so they're going to be protective of it.
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Hide Ad“Obviously, they tell you enough so we can use it to our benefit. From my workings with it, or seeing of it so far, it's very simple. They tell you what you need to know. Data can blind you. I’ve seen certain things in the past where you get a lot of numbers and it's very hard to see the wood from the trees so to speak. They simplify it for you so it becomes football-user-friendly.
“It becomes part of your process for identification of players. First of all, you've got to have your way of playing and what you're looking for in those players that you're looking to recruit in the positions, and then they [Jamestown] are part of that process in identifying those types of players. Also, you have to understand that it's part of the process, it's not everything.
“What data doesn't tell you is the character of players and the personalities. Are they adaptable to the league and what's their family situation? That’s where the human side, the human element and the staff come into place. Not everyone that we're going to identify are going to be affordable or gettable. It also comes down sometimes to availability.”