The talk of a £10m investment in Hearts along with the use of Brighton’s famous player database might have some Hibs fans worried. But I’m not one of them.
Sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for. It all sounds too good to be true. The Jambos get a whack of money and the expertise of a guy like Tony Bloom and his swanky Starlizard data recruitment set-up. Listen, Bloom is obviously a smart guy. He’s a professional gambler who made millions on the poker tables before turning his attentions to football.
He might be a good guy to get a tip for a coupon, and this Starlizard model seems to have worked well for the likes of Brighton and Union Saint Gilloise in Belgium. I can understand why Hearts fans might be excited at the thought of him getting involved at Tynecastle. But there are still a lot more questions than answers. Hibs have their own Premier League investor link up with Bill Foley and the Black Knight group and we’re still seeing how that all plays out.
There’s been friction with the rest of the club over certain issues, like the drama over the appointments of David Gray and Malky Mackay. It’s not been plain sailing so far and it remains to be seen how it all plays out in the future.
Black Knight might want more say but the control remains at Easter Road. But if Bloom was to invest serious money into Hearts, you’d have to think that means he wants considerable input.
Does that mean Hearts get dictated to over who they buy and who they sell? Does that extend to pressure being put on the manager to pick certain players. What if they do recruit a cracker and he does well, would Brighton just scoop him up for less than the market value? There’s a lot of what ifs. And a lot of the Starlizard play is pure data led. That seems to be the way the game is going right now, it’s the Moneyball method and sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn’t though. I’ve heard Brighton got rid of Billy Gilmour based on his stats. I still think the best data you can get is with your own eyes. Speaking of liking what you see, I was impressed with the second half display from Hibs against St Johnstone at the weekend.
They looked like an entirely different side, with a bit of confidence flowing through them. It’s a shame they got papped out of the Premier Sports Cup and need to cool their heels for a fortnight.
It’s also a blow with Martin Boyle likely to miss the Rangers game after the break as he’s finally going under the knife to get his hand fixed. He looked back to his best against Saints and it was nice to hear him saying he was going to be more selfish.
I’m not sure I would have felt the same if he’d missed that one the other day and I was screaming for him to square it. But it’s good to see attackers with only one thought in their mind. It’s a shame he’ll need to step back for a couple of weeks to get surgery but you suspect it’s for the greater good.
There’s no doubt Boyle hasn’t been himself this season and the hand has clearly been bothering him. It’ll be a case of getting it patched up and getting back to business as soon as possible.
Boyle will be a miss at Ibrox but Hibs have a few options now – especially with Dwight Gayle coming in. I know there was chat about him over the summer but losing Kieran Bowie leg term has probably forced them to hit the button.
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There’s no doubt Gayle has pedigree, playing in the Premier League with the likes of Newcastle United and Crystal Palace. I know there have been plenty of veteran strikers who have come to Scotland and not quite cut it. But there also have been more than a few that have. I played with a few at Hibs. I remember Craig Brewster coming in at 34 and he was superb. Mix Paatelainen was no spring chicken when he pitched up for both his spells at the club.
You look at the impact Junior Hoilett had at the weekend and the composure he brought to the side. I’m sure Gayle can do likewise. It’s a low risk move and it might produce a few goals. And you don’t need to be Tony Bloom to see it was a gamble worth taking.
