Ryan Stevenson has revealed he is now fully on board with Hearts' use of Tony Bloom's Jamestown analytics after a four-hour meeting with sporting director Graeme Jones. The former Hearts hero had previously voiced doubts about placing so much faith in data, but says the invitation to learn more about the system's workings changed his mind.
Graeme Jones: A man who cares deeply about Hearts
Stevenson's biggest takeaway from the meeting was that Jones is not a bluffer. "I think so many people in his position at clubs now are bluffers and in it for their ego - but Graeme isn't one of them," he wrote. "What I took away from that meeting is that Graeme is somebody who cares deeply about Hearts. He's not in it for the next big move. He supports the club, he wants to stay for the long haul and build something and believes Jamestown gives them the best chance to do that."
Stevenson appreciated that Jones wanted to sit down with him because he had read the column and his views. While Jones could not tell him everything, and there are detailed parts of Jamestown that even he is not privy to, the important bit for fans to understand is how they look at players before signing them. Any professional outfield player that hits 3,000 minutes of football across the planet will appear on their system.
The human side of the analytics process
The process after that goes through three different divisions of Jamestown in terms of how they process players, how they look at their attributes, and how they look at the minutes. It is so in-depth that players go under the microscope to the finest detail so they can work out not just how good they are but if they are suited to certain clubs.
Stevenson's fear was that signings were being made off of computers with zero human interaction. He asked Jones: what happens if the guy comes in with great stats but he's an absolute banger? One bad apple can ruin a changing room. But the background checks they do on players is extensive. Then it comes down to the manager or Graeme or both meeting the player, getting a feel for him, and then they make the decision.
Vrancken's bravery and the mentality of the squad
Stevenson said the last couple of weeks have told everything about the mentality of players at Hearts right now. He pointed to the European game in Vienna, where Calvin Miller played through the pain barrier with the team down to 10 men and all subs made, still producing a piece of magic for the second goal before burying his penalty in the shootout. "That's determination to empty your tank. To be a good team mate. Now a computer can't tell you that."
He said he does not know if Hearts would have gone away to Vienna and won that game 12 months ago. Automatically, when they went down to 10 men, he thinks they would have gone defensive. But Wouter Vrancken never. He threw on attackers and got his reward for bravery. Stevenson said the manager is elite, and he has been told he is in-depth with every player in one-on-one meetings about how to become better.
Jones also said the manager is ruthless, as seen on Sunday when he said Hearts were rubbish against Dundee in the first half, without excuses about playing a big derby on Thursday. They found a way to win even when they were way off their best, thanks to Sabah Kerjota's injury-time winner. Stevenson was happy for the winger to get the limelight because he has been patient and always makes an impact off the bench.
Eight games unbeaten is some run after the summer Vrancken faced. Stevenson's last question to Jones was: the manager will want to leave at some stage, what happens then? His answer: "We don't panic." Just like when Derek McInnes left in the blink of an eye in June. The meeting was in the final hours of the transfer window. Jones said if Claudio Braga was to leave in the next hour they would be devastated, but they would not panic because they would make one phone call and a list of replacements would appear.
Stevenson concluded that the afternoon with Jones has given him confidence in Jamestown and the process Hearts are following. "And with Vrancken in charge I really do believe something special could be brewing again in Gorgie."
