‘The idea of the sign of a good team is when they grind out a result from not playing well is b******s.’ 

These are the words of Oxford educated Brentford and FC Midtjylland owner Matt Benham.  A former professional gambler, Benham hit headlines when former manager Mark Warbuton announced he would be leaving Brentford despite reigning over a period of success.

After leading them to promotion from League One, and ultimately a place in the Championship play-offs, Warburton was cast aside after a disagreement over the ‘long term direction’ of the side.  Having been met with dismay from the Brentford fans, Benham calmly replied: "I am single minded in my resolve that we can leave no stone unturned in our quest for sustainable Premier League football."

Now, Warburton – a fans favourite and a seemingly nice bloke - will be replaced by a continental structure with both a head coach and a sporting director.  It is a common sight in football to see an owner ruthlessly kick a manager to the curb, as Carlo Ancelotti will tell you.  The image of a cold hearted owner acting on his impulses is one of the most recognisable in football.

The same can’t really be said about Benham.  Though the mathematical approach to football will rattle the diehard romantics, perhaps Benham’s approach is truly the more beautiful.  Speaking to the Guardian in February 2015, Rasmus Ankersen (the man Benham appointed chairman at Danish side FC Midtjylland) quipped: "No one wants to say they were lucky when they win."

Is this not more of a romantic approach to the beautiful game?  Nothing is knee jerk.  In Benham’s statistical revolution key performance indicators (KPIs) over the long term are more indicative of success.  He is not interested in signing a flash in the pan striker, in fact he ‘does not care’ about such a player’s goal scoring record and is far more interested in how ‘the team do collectively, offensively and defensively within the context of the individuals performance.’

Rather than sit back and park the bus, Benham is driving it straight into a new era for football.  The systematic approach is not quite as cold hearted as you might think.

In the Premier League, the vibrant Southampton had their own statistical revolution.  Using a complicated recruitment system, they were transformed from would be relegation fodder to Champions League contenders.  Their statistical approach to measuring how a player feels each morning, through the use of saliva tests, seems to have paid off.

How often has your club wasted millions on a signing?  Perhaps the cliché shattering, statistical based way of running a club can rectify the age old problem of signing a stylish South American superstar with tricks to boot, only for him to freeze up on a cold night in Stoke.

Imagine where Manchester City would be if they had applied their multi millions in such a way.  Southampton expertly reinvested their cash, as Liverpool paid £20million pounds for Dejan Lovern.  That’s right.  Twenty.  Million.  Pounds.

As a result, they had an excellent season and can look forward to European competition next year.

‘When there’s a question, I trust the numbers.  The numbers don’t lie.’  When a visionary like Benham says that, he is not being as cold hearted as it sounds.

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