‘Ground-breaking’ – Official statement confirms Tony Bloom’s latest move

Hearts chief executive Andrew McKinlay expressed his delight as the Edinburgh club confirmed their link-up with Tony Bloom’s football data analysis company, Jamestown Analytics.

   It was only revealed in September that the Jambo couple were to strike a deal that would see them access the famous recruitment data that underpinned the success of Brighton, Union Saint-Gilloise and Como.

   “There has been a lot of speculation about the merger between Heart of Midlothian and Jamestown Analytics, so I’m delighted that we can now officially announce our partnership and reveal the facts,” McKinlay told Heart’s website.

   “Jamestown Analytics’ reputation in football circles is second to none. I’m not understating it when I say they’ve made ground-breaking progress with clubs across Europe, so to be the sole Scottish beneficiary of their expertise is truly exciting.

   The Tynecastle club also confirmed that incoming sporting director Graeme Jones will start his new role on Monday after leaving the Scottish Football Association and will “lead the integration of the football department’s analytics into his work, which will help the club’s player recruitment and improve opposition analysis.”

   McKinlay added: “Our football staff, soon to be led by Graeme, have already been working with Jamestown Analytics data to plan recruitment in January, next summer and beyond.

   “I have every confidence that the club will reap the rewards of adopting this modern, innovative approach to analytics and we couldn’t be more proud to be associated with Jamestown Analytics as we take Hearts into a new era.”

   Hearts have already tapped Jamestown’s expertise in their latest search for a new manager, with Neil Critchley emerging as a standout candidate in terms of his ability to improve players.

   “We are very selective about the clubs we want to work with and we think Hearts is a good fit,” Jamestown Analytics CEO Justin Said said.    “We look forward to working with Graeme and his team and look forward to helping them achieve success.”