Bord’s game

Poker player's punt on Wednesday shrouded in secrecy after Blades missteps

- Matt Hughes

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 lowly position in 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 anew 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, 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 Zatterstrém is also expected to depart this month without having made an appearance since his £2.8m signing from Malmé.