Talk is cheap everywhere, no more so than in football. The one exception to that rule is Tony Bloom, who dispenses words like cherished mementos. Bloom is a professional gambler, data savant, owner of Brighton, transformational investor in Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) and now 29% owner of Hearts. When he says he is at Tynecastle to “disrupt the pattern of domination [in Scottish football]which has been in place for far too long”, listen to him.
In 2021, three years after Bloom invested in USG, they returned to the top flight of Belgian football for the first time in 48 years. In May, they won the Belgian title for the first time in 90 years, after narrowly missing out in the previous three seasons. He cut his teeth in football at Brighton, whom he lifted from the third tier to competing in European football for the first time in 2024.
He operates at a level we do not. Every player is a project. Every manager is on-message or he is out the door. His clubs have a laser-like focus on growth and success. Indulgencies in sentiment and personalities are not tolerated. He does not bend to fan whim. Hearts years as a yo-yo club are over.
“Disrupt the pattern of domination” is an interesting phrase. He has not promised to break Celtic’s (generations of) domination, disrupting the pattern is a more achievable objective. Let’s be clear, though, he thinks he can win the Premiership title. My only advice is, never bet against Tony Bloom.
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tony booms
Forward Celtic
HH
Hail Hail
Where’s Aipple?🤔
Will make life more interesting. Just too bad he chose Hertz rather than Dundee Utd. Could’ve been worse, could’ve been the huns… except he’s not stupid.
Every player is a project… what, like 29-year old Killie, Philadelphia and Oxford Utd prospect Stuart Findlay?
Imagine if BR and Doc T said that ‘ra data’ had shown a player of this profile was just what we need !!
Will you be sending choccies or flowers to TB along with this love note, Paulo ?
LOVEBLOOMS CSC
I hope we are ready for the challenges.
I welcome the challenge!
Rising tides and all that….
Quadrophenian @ 12:13 pm,
LOVEBLOOMS
Classic:))))))))
Hail Hail
Does he serve up succulent lamb?
Proper bromance there Paul.
BrokebackmountainCSC 😂
“He operates at a level we do not. Every player is a project. Every manager is on-message or he is out the door. His clubs have a laser-like focus on growth and success. Indulgencies in sentiment and personalities are not tolerated. He does not bend to fan whim…”
Sound like just the kind of guy to Make Hearts Great Again !
Paul rates TB very highly and supports his belief with facts.
How does that equal a love in?
Genuine question rather than a criticism.
HOT SMOKED
I was just having a laugh at Paul’s expense.
No problem. It was actually the other two posts to which I was referring. but no big deal.
Cheerio for now.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 26TH JUNE 2025 11:28 AM
Celtic shares up by 13%
Stock Exchange CSC
…………………..
They rose by 21p per share. Headed back towards the 200p mark.
“Talk is cheap everywhere, no more so than in football. The one exception to that rule is Tony Bloom, who dispenses words like cherished mementos.
Indeed…
Maybe stuff like…
Player analysis
Development
Opportunity
Unlike Celtic’s Head of Football Operations…
“I am delighted that we have been able to bring Shaun back to the club in this role.
“Shaun will be tasked with developing the internal and external processes necessary to ensure we optimise the talents of our young players.
“Through his experience and knowledge, we believe Shaun will add significant value to the role”.
He was talking about how Celtic are developing one pathway to ensuring we have much better players and a top quality squad.
Back in the day, after a great deal of research and development, Tommy Burns came up with a blueprint for a world class football academy at Celtic.
We got the ball rolling as the implementation started.
Twenty years ago our new Chief Executive moth balled those plans.
You see he had read a book – Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis.
Undoubtedly Micheal Lewis is a very smart and prescient guy.
Undoubtedly the savant who implemented the sabermetric approach at the Oatland Athletics is a very smart guy.
Unfortunately for us the Accountant who read the book was no savant, no prescient guy and his smarts lay in a quite different discipline, certainly not implementation.
However, twenty years later and our academy has been released from it’s mothballs – anyone up for naming it: “The Tommy Burns Academy” !?
Yet that is not the only arrow in our quiver.
We are looking at recruiting quality experienced players that know what our club is about e.g. Kieran Tierney, Jota.
Player analysis and development e.g. Nic Kuhn, Callum Osmand
Top drawer opportunitist signings e.g. Benjamin Nygren, Matt O’Riley.
Top young prospects, Arne Engels
This multi pronged approach, along with our top class player development, training and conditioning – means that we are well ahead of the field.
Great to see the ambition if other Scottish Clubs, awakening from their slumber…
But the Hibs, the Hearts and the R2ngers have a heck of a long way to go…
Hail Hail
How many trophies have Brighton won?
“Disrupt the pattern of domination” is an interesting phrase.
Rangers have dominated that 2nd place for the last 4 season, he can start there.
I hope his team can become the third force in Scottish football.
With Celtic occupying first place and Hibs or Dundee United being second.
Will the jam tarts be the usual sacrificial lamb, v the Huns, I wonder. Maybe not.
It will help Celtic if there is a serious challenge from the likes of Hearts and Sevco too. Having been caught napping at the Covid season and faffing about in appointing a manager at the end of it, I would be gobsmacked if those in charge at Celtic allowed the Club to fall into such a state of unpreparedness again.
Yes Quadro, that’s exactly what Paul means: EVERY PLAYER!
And Tony Bloom doesn’t use ‘ra data’ like some gadgie in the pub, he uses ‘the data’ to gain knowledge. I would think very much like Alan Morrison, it’s the interpretation, it’s what the data tells you regardless if it seems unlikely. Bit like the unlikely ‘project’ that was Aaron MOOY.
T
Morning BRRB.
Had a crappy day at the office yesterday and came in super early today to continue banging my head against desk.
Please take a wee drink for me. I know that is against your morals but do it for me?
So we have to be fearful of a guy investing a tiny amount of money in Hearts?
This small investment is going to turn them into a multi million pound entity capable of toppling us?
Totally agree we, as a club, should always be watchful of our competitors but surely this is over the top rhetoric?
I wonder if Tony Bloom is related to Molly Bloom?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(novel)
HotSmoked.
I have a wee pop at P67 as he saves his reverential writings for Bloom and keeps his poisoned pen for Brendan; the latter is an operator I genuinely respect.
I just think it’s weird that all that data saw him appoint Critchley and signings who got them to 7th place last term, and appoint a new manager who’s had more Scottish clubs than Tommy Armour.
If Bloom ups the competition it might be good for us, but he’s not (yet) the messiah opp north.
Interesting to think the last time Hearts came above Celtic in the League was the 1991/92 Season – Joe Jordon was Manager and Frank Connor was Assistant Manager at Hearts.
A few seasons later they both would join Celtic.
Anybody up for guessing the next time Hearts will finish above Celtic?
I’d say not in the next decade – wonder if Tony Bloom would take my bet!?
Hail Hail
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy @ 1:14 pm,
Agreed – Celtic would have to screw up big time as they did in 2020/21 to let Hearts in with any chance.
It seems to me lessons were learned.
Hail Hail
Maybe we should ditch Brendan and bring in Neil Critchley…….?
Chairbhoy
High 90s points should do it. Over 100 almost certainly. Hmmmmm…….
Hot Smoked @ 12:46 pm,
With all due respect Paul67’s “Facts” are pretty subjective these days.
Neil Critchley was Hearts manager last Season, Derek McInnes is this season, that’s the facts.
Any of those appointments shouting Savant to you?
Hail Hail
GlassTwoThirdsFull @ 1:42 pm,
Agreed, the quality and consistency needed to best Celtic is just not in the Hearts remit for the foreseeable future.
Hail Hail
And the computer says Derek Mcinnes……..eh?
Paul taking a day off from BR bashing?
HH
‘His clubs have a laser-like focus on growth and success. ‘
Hearts, like Celtic or indeed any club for that matter, aren’t conglomerates with multi companies and divisional arms under them. They are solely football clubs and it is every Board’s duty to ‘have a laser-like focus on growth and success.’
However there are differing strategies that a Board adopts to achieve that growth. Many believe our Board’s approach is to simply stay one step ahead of our city rivals although if Hearts are successful then that approach may pivot to stay one step ahead of them.
Either way, for me at least, that shows a lack of confidence in your own brand and a lack of business belief in your customer base.
Call me Gerry @ 2:01 pm,
As if:))))
Think this was for Mr Rodgers and his boss Mr Desmond…
“…He operates at a level we do not. Every player is a project. Every manager is on-message or he is out the door. His clubs have a laser-like focus on growth and success. Indulgencies in sentiment and personalities are not tolerated.
There is no woo~woo in the recruitment of football players.
Certainly some do it better than others, yet that is the same with most of life’s disciplines.
Few words, the savant syndrome*, uniquely tapping into hidden rich stream of talent, some secret formula.
It doesn’t happen.
This is the reality of signing a player…
January 2023
“Kuhn had interest from other clubs but insists the call from Celtic and a chat with boss Brendan Rodgers made up his mind to make the move to Glasgow.
He said: “We had some really good meetings, we talked a lot and he told me what a great and big club this is although I knew about Celtic before and I also saw some games.
“He convinced me to come here and everything he told me was really nice and I had the first training session today.
“It was clear at the moment Celtic called and showed interest that I wanted to come here.
“There was some interest from other clubs but the moment I received the message I didn’t think about going somewhere else.”
As for Rodgers, he said of the new arrival: “We are delighted to welcome Nicolas to Celtic. We believe he is a dynamic player who has an excellent level of quality and all the attributes to fit well into our style of play.
“He has the profile we are looking for, he has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.
“He is someone who can play wide on both sides so he brings with him that versatility for us too, and myself and the coaches here really look forward to working with him.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11095/13048926/celtic-transfer-news-nicolas-kuhn-joins-hoops-on-five-and-a-half-year-deal
It isn’t all plain sailing, but you put together the best processes, you get the best guys in to implement them, you support them to strive to obtain joint goals.
Nothing mystical or magical about it…
*A very misunderstood concept.
Hail Hail
Tony Bloom is a pro poker player and is nicknamed The Lizard. He is also involved in a secret betting syndicate which reportingly returns profit each year
Inside information is behind their successes, allegedly
The Lizard is not the warm and cuddly type. Lizards are cold bloodied reptiles. Brighton have had 10 managers in 10 years.
I don’t like that he has multi club interests
Just another dig at BR in a roundabout way. Every player is obviously not a project…though there is nothing wrong in signing players as projects sometimes you need battle hardened troops !!!