Sheffield Wednesday fans will be delighted to hear that one associate of James Bord describes the preferred bidder for their club as “a mini Tony Bloom”, although the professional poker player’s references from the other side of the Steel City are rather less complimentary.
Until it became clear late last year that Bord was planning to buy Wednesday his data company, Short Circuit Science, had a consultancy contract with Sheffield United to assist with their recruitment, which, as their position in the lower reaches of the Championship indicates, has delivered limited success.
United’s decision to fully endorse Short Circuit’s data-led approach led to the sudden departure of the manager, Chris Wilder, last summer, a month after he took them to the Championship playoff final, having signed a new long-term contract the previous January. Short Circuit was also involved in the calamitous appointment of Rubén Sellés, who was sacked in September after six straight defeats at the start of the season, prompting a dramatic U-turn by United and the return of Wilder.
Short Circuit’s impact on player recruitment has been more difficult to correct. Of six signings made last summer only Tyler Bindon and Japhet Tanganga are playing regularly. The loans of Ben Godfrey and Louie Barry were terminated at the start of January, and the Swedish defender Nils Zätterström is also expected to depart this month without having made an appearance since his £2.8m signing from Malmö.
This seemingly bungled recruitment of players not suited to the Championship or not wanted by Wilder was a recurring trend at United. Two other players brought in on Short Circuit’s recommendation last winter – Jefferson Cáceres and Christian Nwachukwu – have not played for the club. In a strong indication of Short Circuit’s involvement, Cáceres, a Peruvian midfielder, is at Dunfermline, the Scottish Championship club bought by Bord and his fellow poker player Evan Sofer last January.
Bord’s Wednesday consortium, which is completed by the Germany-born tech entrepreneur Felix Römer and the Jordanian investor Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil, have said almost nothing throughout the takeover process, although they have not shied away from their data-led approach.
“The consortium focuses on long-term, responsible investment supported solely by its own capital, with an emphasis on stable governance, operational discipline and data-informed decision making,” they said in a statement this month announcing that Bin Jamil would become Wednesday’s chief executive if their bid were approved. The 37-year-old is a director of the Spanish second division club Córdoba, where Bord owns a 37% stake with the option to complete a majority takeover, and on the board at Dunfermline.
Bord’s group is understood to have offered more than £30m for Wednesday to come out on top in a competitive auction that also involved the former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. Little is known about his plans. The 44-year-old grew up in north London and supported Tottenham as a child, but spends most of his time in the United States.
A source involved in the bid said Bord had paid a multimillion-pound deposit to Wednesday’s administrators, Begbies Traynor, and that further responsible investment would follow.
“Wednesday was simply too good an opportunity to miss,” they said. “It’s the biggest club outside the Premier League and came up for auction as a distressed asset. When else do such big clubs become available?
“James won’t run the club himself, but has recruited a very good team. While there will be some investment in infrastructure, he’s not too concerned about sorting out the stadium initially. He wants to win on the pitch, and will get the fans onside that way.”
Judging by Bord’s activity at Dunfermline, Wednesday fans could expect investment in young players driven by data and analytics, underpinned by respect for football knowledge and experience. Dunfermline have one of the youngest squads in the Scottish Championship. Neil Lennon was appointed as manager on a short-term deal last March and, after saving the club from relegation, was given a two-year contract last summer.
Bord is a visible if silent presence at Dunfermline, regularly attending matches. Lennon’s side are pushing for a playoff place but Bord shows no interest in taking credit for Dunfermline’s improved fortunes, never giving interviews or getting involved in Scottish football politics.
He bought Dunfermline relatively cheaply from owners looking to exit – the German consortium DAFC Fussball GmbH – and another source who has worked with him says a cross-European multi-ownership group is his goal.
“He’s a very serious guy, and not to be underestimated as a poker player, who is taking a punt,” the source said. “He has been very quiet and respectful throughout the Wednesday process but has real money and will do his talking on the pitch. The ultimate ambition is to grow these clubs and ultimately make money via player trading. He’s a mini Tony Bloom.”
Beyond running a data company, with Short Circuit’s services similar to Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics, that comparison is a reference to the fact that Bord worked in his early 20s for the Brighton owner’s betting company, Starlizard, after completing a degree in international finance and working for Citigroup bank.
Intriguingly he subsequently worked for Bloom’s great rival, the Brentford owner, Matthew Benham, before devoting himself to poker full-time, his big break coming in 2010 when he won £830,401 at the World Series of Poker European Championship. The nature and extent of his work for Benham’s Smartodds is unclear, with one close associate of Benham’s saying Bord may have been used as a consultant.
The analytical tools powering Short Circuit are also shrouded in mystery, and the jury is out on their effectiveness in football. Unusually for a prospective buyer Bord appears to have made little attempt to engage and enthuse Wednesday’s fans, who remain as much in the dark about their secretive prospective owner as everyone else.
