On the very limited evidence available, Hearts could well be on to something with Jamestown analytics.
The company helped identify Neil Critchley as the man the Jambos should appoint as Steven Naismith’s successor, and the doubters were quietened for a while at least after he led the Tynecastle club to a 4-0 win over St Mirren on his dugout debut – their first league win pf the season, which lifted them off the bottom of the table. That they were replaced by city rivals Hibs following their spectacular stoppage time collapse at Tannadice just made it a little sweeter.
Of course, the real test of the algorithm and Jamestown’s methods will be seen in the fullness of time. Hearts remain in talks with Brighton owner Tony Bloom and are set to use it going forward as they recruit new players to play for Critchley. Bloom does not own or run the company itself, which is an offshoot of the Starlizard gambling consultancy – he is their biggest client. And they remain shrouded in mystery.
Managing director Justin Said runs the company, and his cagey attitude to discussing exactly what they do highlights just how much they believe they can give clubs the edge when it comes to talent ID.
“It’s very hard to quantify [how far ahead we are of the competition], but I believe what we have is the best out there, so it’s important that the integrity of our data and what we do is upheld,” he told the Sunday Times.
“It’s our own bespoke data. Now, the algorithms and how they come to form, I can’t talk about. But once it gets to us, we refine it and tailor it really carefully for every single club so, in theory, it should only be useful to them. And we’re very selective about the clubs we want to work with.”
Jamestown are branching out, though. Having begun with Bloom’s Brighton (who are paying clients) and Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise, they are now working with Como, who returned to Serie A last season under Cesc Fabregas after 21 years away from the Italian top flight. Castellon, who won promotion to La Liga 2 and are owned by Greek-Canadian pro gambler Haralabos Voulgaris.
Jamestown are looking add four more clubs to their stable before the end of the 2024/25 season. And if Castellon are anything to go by, it could change how clubs are run in the future. The Spaniards do not employ a sporting director or even or scouts.
Como director Mirwan Suwarso explains how it works from their point of view: “They will say, ‘Here are 10 guys who would be in the top 30 per cent of your league’. Then we start digging down into each one to try and see why. We don’t get to see how the sausage gets made. It’s a leap of faith but, more often than not, whatever they recommend is good.
“We signed eight players in January last season and I would say we have two duds. This season, I think we’ve signed 16 players and we haven’t had a dud yet. Using them is a no-brainer. It stops you wasting money and you make a profit in the long run.”
Jamestown work on the basis that stats become more reliable after a player has played 3000 minutes. Being able to analyse data on tat rough threshold helps gives Jamestown clients the edge over their competitors, especially when it comes to younger players. Suwarso added: “Everybody is being forced to be more aggressive in their recruitment. It’s just a matter of time before an efficient player is found, so you’ve got to seek deeper.”
Surwaso however, warns that the numbers can’t simply be taken at face value: “They’re still humans. A player might be in the top 20 per cent, but is he a d***? Will he ruin the chemistry? All that stuff is still very important. A midfielder could be completely s*** playing for Dave Bassett because he’s short and then play for Pep Guardiola and be brilliant. You can’t just take it at face value.”