
<p>In an era of ballooning transfer fees and wages with more cash going around than ever, the frugal nature of select clubs has been exemplary in the soccer world. Taking advantage of statistics has allowed clubs like <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/brighton-tv-schedule-where-to-watch-the-seagulls/">Brighton</a> and <a href="blank">Brentford</a> to set themselves apart from other clubs without so much funding. However, there is concern that this <em>moneyball</em> is not maintainable when it comes to clubs like Brighton or Brentford. However, this is something that can breed success at the highest level. It just needs more time to develop, and these clubs could take a spot at the top of the table.</p>



<p>Brighton is effectively there already. In its last two seasons, the Seagulls have finished in the top half of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> table. Its sixth-place finish last season ushered Brighton into European competition for the first time. Despite the uptick in performances, Brighton has a net income in transfers. In other words, it has made more selling players than it has spent purchasing players. Meanwhile, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-united-tv-schedule/">Manchester United</a>, the two clubs with the highest net spend in the last five years, are floundering in the 2023/24 season.</p>



<p>Stefan Szymanski, a professor of sport management at the University of Michigan and a co-author of <em>Soccernomics</em>, says analytics are the difference between the two. Brentford and Brighton have adopted statistics and analytics as a means to scout players. Traditional clubs and their owners have shied away from this new era.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="How Brentford&apos;s Moneyball Approach Works" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mrwwVoD1RQQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p>“The dominant clubs of our era, most of them have not been very interested in analytics,” Szymanski said. He mentioned Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson as noted opponents to the rise of analytics. “There is much more consumption of analytics outside of football clubs than there is inside of football clubs.”</p>



<h5>Brighton and Brentford leading the way in a new era</h5>



<p>However, there are Premier League clubs that have fully embraced the analytics age. While each club does have statisticians and analysts for new data, the true differentiator for clubs like Brighton or Brentford is that the movement starts from the top. </p>



<p>“Managers do not have any statistical background, and they feel threatened by this,” Szymanski said. “The problem with most clubs is that their analysts feel like a spare wheel. They feel like they’re not being listened to, or they are being sidelined. The thing about Brentford and Brighton is that the owners buy into it. They are sidelining anyone that will not listen to the analysts. That is probably the future: More and more clubs will realize they have to take the analysts seriously.”</p>



<p>When Szymanski mentions the future, Brighton and Brentford have a jump on the other clubs. He called Brentford’s rise to the Premier League one of the biggest sports stories in the world. Then, Brighton looks like a candidate for another finish in the European spots. Regardless, there is a major hurdle that these clubs have to overcome if they want to compete for titles regularly, and that is simply money.</p>



<p>Newcastle burst onto the scene in the 2022/23 season after the Saudi Public Investment Fund hit. Newcastle finished fourth after five-straight mid-table finishes in the Premier League. Szymanski says <em>moneyball</em> clubs like Brentford or Brighton do not need this massive cash influx. Instead, their projects take time to develop. It can still be fruitful after years of successful practice.</p>



<p>“No matter how much money the rich clubs have, there will always be potential for smart clubs who use their resources cleverly to be competitive, at least for a while,” Szymanski says. “Success is highly correlated with spending over time. In any short period of time, the correlation is not that close. It is very possible for clubs in a short period of time to do exceptionally well even though they do not have the resources.”</p>



<h2>Can moneyball spending transition Brighton or Brentford into ‘big’ clubs?</h2>



<p>So, if it is Brighton and Brentford looking to move into the conversation at the top of the table with regularity, what must they do to break through? Szymanski says the key is to keep up with consistent results and gradual success. </p>



<p>“The problem for Brentford and Brighton is fan base. They don’t generate the same revenue from their success because they do not have the same historic fanbases that clubs like United, Liverpool and so on have. They won’t have that same fanbase unless they have a period of sustained success over a number of years.”</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Brighton v. Liverpool | PREMIER LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | 10/8/2023 | NBC Sports" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8uFQYz5d8L4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p>In this way, Brighton would generate revenue to open doors to big-money transfers. Consequently, Brighton can avoid smart trading as a means to compete. </p>



<p>Brighton’s recent competition in the Premier League Summer Series is helping to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/premier-league-summer-series-averaged-44k-fans-per-game-20230731-WST-446640.html">build that global audience</a>. The Seagulls already have a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/supporters-groups/brighton-supporters-groups/">stateside fan group</a>, and the side’s continued success can help grow that fan base. In the summer of 2023, Brighton paid for four of the <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.us/brighton-amp-hove-albion/transferrekorde/verein/1237" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10 most expensive transfers</a> in its history. Success on the field can help lavish spending continue to grow in a domino effect.</p>



<p>Brentford will not be far behind, either. Both of the Bees’ record transfers came in the summer of 2023. While Brentford is still finding its footing in the 2023/24 campaign, sustained success is on the horizon for Thomas Frank and company.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images</em></p>


Brighton, Brentford and the sustainability of moneyball in soccer

Following the lead of Billy Beane and the famous Moneyball story, Brentford and Brighton are showing that success does not need a wallet.

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<p>Big spending led to big expectations for Manchester United since the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Couple that with everything the Scot achieved at Old Trafford, and the spotlight on players at Manchester United is brighter than any other club in England. However, the one thing weighing this club down remains the ownership. The Glazer family is the one responsible for Manchester United’s consistent struggles.</p>



<p>Stefan Szymanski, a professor of sport management at the University of Michigan and the author of <em>Soccernomics</em>, says the problem with Manchester United is the quality of management. </p>



<p>“The obvious thing in the case of Manchester United is the quality of the management. And I do not necessarily mean the quality of the coaches, I mean the quality of the organization as a whole,” Szymanski said. “This is an organization where they have managed to make themselves utterly hated by the people they depend on for their income.”</p>



<p>Manchester United has become the model for how not to treat a fan base. There are regular protests at Old Trafford against the American ownership of the club. For example, during the 2020 campaign, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/match-delayed-as-man-utd-fans-storm-old-trafford-in-anti-glazer-protest-20210502-CMS-332816.html">supporters stormed into Old Trafford</a> before a game. </p>



<p>Szymanski says this hatred toward the ownership prevents the club from making the right hire. In his eyes, Manchester United’s volatile atmosphere may push away ambitious managers or coaches looking to take the next step in their careers.</p>



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<p>“Maybe the problem is not on the pitch with the players, maybe it is more about the internal management,” Szymanski said. “Maybe it is the fact that knowing everybody hates the owners of the team that affects the players as well.”</p>



<h2>Glazers breed consistent struggles at Manchester United</h2>



<p>The only reason Manchester United put up with the Glazers beforehand was because of Ferguson’s success. United won the lot with the Scot at the helm. His ability to manage his players and effectively control what they did allowed them to handle any outside pressure. That is a rare talent that few coaches have, and Manchester United was the beneficiary of his talent. Without that presence, United’s players faced the scrutiny from supporters head-on.</p>



<p>“In the aftermath of his departure, it is a toxic environment,” Szymanski said. “It is hard to do your best. You’re thinking about all the problems, you’re thinking about what’s right and wrong. You’re getting distracted by the talks of politics. All of these things are having a negative effect. If it is not bad luck, it has as much to do with the quality of ownership of the club.”</p>



<p>Manchester United supporters are then in the precarious situation of both wanting success and wanting change. </p>



<p>“If the team failing would get rid of the Glazers, would they like that? Yes.”</p>



<p>Yet, these fans also want success. Paying for tickets to games and buying merchandise help keep the club afloat. Manchester United fans organized <a href="https://theathletic.com/4795599/2023/08/24/manchester-united-glazers-protests-sit-in-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sit-ins where supporters protested the club’s ownership</a> after games. The Glazers and their technical staff are there to sell a product. That product is success on the field, and it can bring in billions for the club. </p>



<h5>Unlucky transfers</h5>



<p>Much of those billions go back into the club via transfers. Szymanski alluded to luck, which plays a role in how well transfers pan out. Szymanski argues having the <em>Class of ’92</em> and Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney work so well over the years set too high of a standard. The recent struggles of Manchester United under the Glazers have not been happening for that long in the grand scheme of soccer. </p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fans protested against the Glazer ownership at Leigh Sports Village as Manchester United hosted Arsenal in the WSL. <a href="https://t.co/WGa5La1Jrh">pic.twitter.com/WGa5La1Jrh</a></p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1710401892054901222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Like other clubs, Manchester United must pick out a handful of players who can become world-class talents. To shorten it, United went to players that had already been proven at other clubs or leagues. Harry Maguire was a great center-back at Hull City and Leicester City. Jadon Sancho was a key component of some great Borussia Dortmund teams. Paul Pogba was in the UEFA Team of the Season in the 2014/15 campaign. </p>



<p>“The ability of individuals is pretty much known by everybody,” Szymanski said. “Unlike a lot of markets where you do not know what you are getting, it is a much more reliable market.”</p>



<p>Perhaps United, in addition to the toxic atmosphere, has been suffering from a string of bad luck in that market. These things will pass, as Szymanski notes this decade of struggles with the Glazers in charge is nothing in the grand scheme of the history of Manchester United. Perhaps it only seems worse than it is because United’s peak was so high. Regardless, the club may need a change in culture to return to that level of success.</p>



<p><em>Photo: Imago</em></p>


Glazers remain at the core of United's decade of struggles

Manchester United has played out a decade of struggles since Sir Alex Ferguson departed, and the blame lies with the Glazers.

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Brighton, Brentford and the sustainability of moneyball in soccer

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Glazers remain at the core of United's decade of struggles