Sheffield Wednesday's preferred bidder has been described by an associate of James Bord as "a mini Tony Bloom", but while his data company, Short Circuit Science, is a major part of the takeover process, its impact on player recruitment has left much to be desired.
The decision to fully endorse Short Circuit's data-led approach has led to several high-profile signings that have failed to deliver, including Jefferson Cáceres and Christian Nwachukwu, who have not played for the club. Other players recommended by the company, such as Ben Godfrey and Louie Barry, were loaned out at the start of January after failing to settle.
A source close to Bord has revealed that his group offered more than £30m for Wednesday in a competitive auction, and that he paid a multimillion-pound deposit to the club's administrators. While it is unclear what plans Bord has for the club, those close to him believe he will invest in young players driven by data and analytics.
Bord himself is a visible presence at Dunfermline, where his group acquired the Scottish Championship club last January. The club have pushed for a playoff place under manager Neil Lennon, but Bord shows no interest in taking credit for their improved fortunes. A source who has worked with him describes him as "a very serious guy" and says he is not to be underestimated as a poker player.
Bord's background is shrouded in mystery, but it is known that he worked for Tony Bloom's rival, Matthew Benham, before devoting himself to poker full-time. He won £830,401 at the World Series of Poker European Championship in 2010 and has since become a respected figure in the poker world.
Despite his success on the poker circuit, Bord appears to have made little attempt to engage with Wednesday's fans or provide any insight into his plans for the club.
The decision to fully endorse Short Circuit's data-led approach has led to several high-profile signings that have failed to deliver, including Jefferson Cáceres and Christian Nwachukwu, who have not played for the club. Other players recommended by the company, such as Ben Godfrey and Louie Barry, were loaned out at the start of January after failing to settle.
A source close to Bord has revealed that his group offered more than £30m for Wednesday in a competitive auction, and that he paid a multimillion-pound deposit to the club's administrators. While it is unclear what plans Bord has for the club, those close to him believe he will invest in young players driven by data and analytics.
Bord himself is a visible presence at Dunfermline, where his group acquired the Scottish Championship club last January. The club have pushed for a playoff place under manager Neil Lennon, but Bord shows no interest in taking credit for their improved fortunes. A source who has worked with him describes him as "a very serious guy" and says he is not to be underestimated as a poker player.
Bord's background is shrouded in mystery, but it is known that he worked for Tony Bloom's rival, Matthew Benham, before devoting himself to poker full-time. He won £830,401 at the World Series of Poker European Championship in 2010 and has since become a respected figure in the poker world.
Despite his success on the poker circuit, Bord appears to have made little attempt to engage with Wednesday's fans or provide any insight into his plans for the club.
this takeover is like trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces 
short circuit science is supposed to be helping wednesday find its next big player, but so far it's been more like trial and error 
jefferson cáceres and christian nwachukwu didn't exactly set the world on fire 
ben godfrey and louie barry were sent out on loan 
and we're all just waiting to see what his next move will be 
maybe he'll surprise us and find a gem player in the data, or maybe we'll still be wondering why he invested so much time and money into this takeover 
I mean, who wouldn't wanna invest in a top-tier football club like Sheff Wed? James Bord seems like an interesting cat - all that poker money and data expertise must be worth something 
But what's up with the signings tho? I mean, Jefferson Cáceres and Christian Nwachukwu just chillin' on the bench 
I get it, data says they're not good enough, but can't we mix in some old-school scouting like the good ol' days? 
" they got a new bidder but its like "who is this guy?? 
thats just weirdos for me
this guy seems super secretive about what he wants to do with Sheffield Wednesday, just kinda waltzing in and making big offers... what's up with that? Interesting 
but so far, not much has come of it 
like they invested £30m but nothin's pannin out 
how r they gonna turn this club around w/ data science tho? Bord's got some serious poker cred tho 
u gotta wonder what his plans are tho
. And let's be real, their approach hasn't exactly been a resounding success so far 
. I'm not sure what kind of investment Bord has in mind for young players, but it would be awesome if he could give us some insight into his plans 
. At the end of the day, I just want to see some passion and commitment from the new owners – it feels like they're still playing a waiting game 
.