How Hearts use Jamestown Analytics in recruitment process

Nothing will ever top January 2006 at Tynecastle Park but so far this month four players have arrived and five have departed following the sale of Daniel Oyegoke to Hellas Verona. Both numbers could rise further with a week left of the window.

For Hearts, there has been a new dynamic at play. The involvement of Jamestown Analytics. It’s the first transfer window since the partnership with the data specialists, regarded as one of the best in the world at what they do, was announced in November.

It is not uncommon to see players or rumoured targets described as a ‘Jamestown signing’ or queries as to how certain players don’t fit a perceived profile or don’t appear to be a typical Jamestown recruit.

In his recent quarterly update with HeartsTV, chief executive Andrew McKinlay spoke about the partnership with Jamestown and its role in the recruitment process.

He described it as being “part of the process” rather than the whole process.

It should be reiterated that the partnership goes beyond just recruitment. It was involved in the search for a new head coach following Steven Naismith’s dismissal in September while it provides an assessment and continued analysis of the current squad as well as being used for opposition analysis.

“Jamestown Analytics is the world leader when it comes to football player and head coach data analysis,” the company notes on its website. 

“The bespoke data services we can offer to our clients can make all the difference in team performance.  We can assist with player valuations, player recruitment, head coach recruitment and opposition team analysis.”

Most intrigue, however, surrounds its involvement in the club’s recruitment. So how does it work?

Hearts won’t make a signing unless it has been approved by Jamestown data. That means Jamie McCart. That means Michael Steinwender. That means anyone and everyone who arrives.

It is part of the process. A very important part of the process that is ever present in every first-team recruit.

It is a process that starts with Neil Critchley identifying the position he requires as well as the type of player in that position. It moves onto the recruitment department to create a player profile with data looking to target the best players in that position around the world that are deemed realistic and achievable.

From there, that profile, as well as players put to the club by external sources, is essentially fed into Jamestown Analytics.

Through its bespoke and protected data, which digs deeper to give an even more thorough judgement, a list of suitable targets will be determined. Some of those may have already been identified by the club’s recruitment team and other names pushed forward that Jamestown believes would do well at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

One of the biggest aspects of the partnership is that Hearts have exclusive use in Scotland and what Jamestown provides is tailored to Scottish football. 

Take Jamie McCart, for example.

A few eyebrows were raised regarding the signing of a 27-year-old former St Johnstone centre-back from League One in England. He’s not a sexy name or a profile most expected with this partnership. Yet, he is proven in Scottish football and, in terms of replacing Kye Rowles, more suited to the style of play.

There has perhaps been an assumption that most signings would be players in their early 20s with resale value. But the squad requires a balance. Whether it is certain qualities, experience, position.

Hearts need players who are in their prime and need players who can provide continuity, on the pitch and in the dressing room, as well as those who know and understand the nuances of Scottish football. 

Sander Kartum, aged 29, is another who may not fit under the ‘resale value’ category but he’s at arguably his highest point in his career.

It is an important factor to consider. Players are brought in because they are the best fit for the club right now going by what the head coach is looking for. The ultimate aim is to be successful on the pitch. Doing so will only benefit player trading.

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Working with data is nothing new for Hearts. Like the vast majority of top-tier clubs and beyond, the club’s recruitment has involved data. However, it is the depth and quality of data, the layers to it, that separates Jamestown from other data specialists and clubs. Hearts have access to something very few clubs do and something a lot of the world’s biggest are trying to replicate.

Jamestown gives the club and the decision-makers more reassurance, greater cache, especially when it comes to signing players from countries that are not the norm or if they don’t fit a ‘typical’ profile. It removes any doubt.

After all, why would you question something that is viewed as a world leader in what they do?

Once targets have been identified, that part of the process is where Jamestown’s influence becomes minimal. The data has either supported or led the club to a transfer target (or targets). It is then on Hearts to take the next steps and turn that target into a new signing.

The player has to be watched to provide more context to the data in terms of aspects of their game that aren’t measurable and are best judged by the eyes. What’s their positioning like? What’s their reaction like to different on-field situations? Then there are the off-field elements like character assessment, gathering references, dealing with agents, and opposing clubs.

Jamestown can only take Hearts so far in the process. But the part it plays is so important and so valuable. It has simplified the club’s recruitment process and it now allows the club to get a much more focused, nuanced, and rounded view of possible targets.

It also means Hearts can act faster, something that has helped Brighton become such a revered and envied force when it comes to recruitment.

Hearts are just getting started but there is real excitement at the impact it will have. And there remains a strong belief in its ability to be a game-changer for the club on the field.