JAMES: WE’VE GOT IT MJALL TO PLAY FOR
JAMES ANDERSON is having Swede dreams that Tony Bloom’s Hearts vision will see the league flag flying over Tynecastle.
Jambo s d i re c t o r Anderson is convinced the new model Tynecastle investor Bloom and his Jamestown analytics has brought to Gorgie will bear fruit sooner than envisaged.
Bloom said in August that Derek McInnes’ side had a realistic chance of finishing second this season and expected Hearts to be capable of winning the league within the next decade.
Given they can move eight points clear at the top of the table by beating Celtic today, he may have to revise his timeline.
Fellow Hearts benefactor Anderson is on board with the long-term objective but sees plenty of examples around Europe, including minnows Mjallby winning the Swedish crown, for the Jambos to follow.
He said: “I think our opportunities are great, this is about a structural addressing of where Hearts can get to.
“For heaven’s sake, if a town with less than 1500 inhabitants in Sweden can win the league…
“I am an international comparisons person so look at AZ Alkmaar, Union Berlin, Villarreal, Atalanta.
“If I look at the financial advantages [of Celtic and Rangers] I don’t find the gulf insuperable.
“The economics of Brighton are remarkable compared to others in England. We ought to be able to do this in Edinburgh, in many ways a luckier and richer city than Glasgow.”
Anderson was convinced a smart use of data and analytics was key to Hearts’ success long before Bloom arrived in Gorgie.
But the arrival of the Brighton chairman and the tools of Jamestown have him in dreamland.
He said: “I had thought that simply by increasing
resource base there had to be a pay-off. Next I came to the view that our more traditional recruitment methods were not working.
“Did I think we would have an opportunity with what seems to me the best data set in the world? That was beyond my hopes.
“I’d been convinced of the data’s value before our first meeting. I still find it strange only a very limited number of people [in Scotland] truly grasp it.
“I could tell it wasn’t just Tony, that he leads a hugely impressive organisation
“Less than six months ago we had ‘Sack the board’ shouts. Ann [Budge] has been remarkable in coping with that. I have been chewed out by Elon Musk, so my tolerance level is high enough.
“I thought what we were doing with Tony was far more important than short-term outcomes.
“There is a degree of impatience that is not helpful . There is a magnification of what unfortunately is a pretty random set of outcomes.
“For all the extraordinary improvements at Hearts it is not inconceivable you go six matches without winning. Jamestown can stand strong against that and have the credibility to do so.”
If Hearts win the title this season it will be well ahead of schedule – and Anderson’s predicted timeline of when they will really catch fire makes it more ominous for their rivals.
He added: “The model takes two or three years to really work in full. We will keep going.”