MATT BARLOW: The 'Moneyball' 反目，不和 that is 運動ing the 首相 League's talent factories... with Brighton and Brentford upsetting the 設立するd エリート and in the running for Europe

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Like all the best offbeat 競争s, it started with a grudge. Matthew Benham やめる working for Tony Bloom’s company to 始める，決める up in 競争 and by the time he bought Brentford had made an enemy of his former boss.

Bloom, usually 私的な and remote, would change his normal 決まりきった仕事 when his Brighton team travelled to play Benham’s, riding on the team bus and making it abundantly （疑いを）晴らす to the players that this one was personal and he was desperate to 勝利，勝つ.

He would swerve the directors’ box to watch from the away end. 支援する then, 衝突／不一致s with Brentford were the biggest of the season and though animosity may ぐずぐず残る the horizons have changed.

European football will be in the 空気／公表する when they 会合，会う again at the Amex Stadium on Saturday and football’s biggest clubs are now 緊急発進するing after the secrets of Bloom and Benham, the algorithms created to give them an 辛勝する／優位 in their 賭事ing 商売／仕事s, then 罰金-tuned and adapted to proffer the Midas touch when it comes to data-led 新規採用.

Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma has been the 打開 星／主役にする of the 首相 League season, his data in 所有／入手, crossing, dribbling and creating chances almost a perfect match for Jack Grealish who plays in the same position for Manchester City, arguably the best 所有／入手 team in the world.

Long-time 競争相手s Tony Bloom (L) and Matthew Benham (R) are enjoying very successful seasons with Brighton and Brentford それぞれ as bot h clubs are in 論争 for European football

Brighton are also in the FA Cup 半分-決勝戦 and have a vibrant team under Roberto De Zerbi

Brentford keep on impressing during their second 首相 League season under Thomas Frank

Mitoma’s data was off the 規模 in his final season at Kawasaki Frontale in the J-League, but who was looking? Bloom’s 新規採用 team were. Brighton 調印するd him for £2.5million in 2021 and sent him on 貸付金 for a year to feeder club Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) in Belgium.

Wealthier clubs will clamour for him, Moises Caicedo and others. It will be intriguing to see how Bloom plays it in the summer.

Earlier this season, one 尊敬（する）・点d former 首相 League striker told a 同僚 of 地雷 he thought Brighton were only a 最高の，を越す centre 今後 short of 存在 本物の 競争相手s for a place in the 最高の，を越す four. That was before Evan Ferguson burst through on his 加速するd 開発 curve. Ferguson played men’s football for Bohemians in Dublin at 14, joined Brighton at 16 and has been impressive this season. He 得点する／非難する／２０d his first 共和国 of Ireland goal in a friendly against Latvia last week and goes up against フラン in Euro 2024 qualifying tonight.

Viktor Gyokeres, scorer of 18 選手権 goals for Coventry this season, was 調印するd by Brighton at the age of 19 from Brommapojkarna in Sweden. Perhaps they 悔いる letting Gyokeres leave for a 料金 of about £1m after a successful 貸付金 in 2021 but it is その上の proof the talent 身元確認，身分証明 決まり文句／製法 is strong.

Data never stops. If football is played it keeps 注ぐing in from around the world, and Bloom’s army of brilliant mathematical minds keep crunching it 負かす／撃墜する and filtering the results through the football department because 非，不，無 of this would work without total 傾向.

If there is clarity, 傾向 and 約束 in the culture, the club should 生き残る changes in 職員／兵員. That’s the theory and perhaps easier to 課す upon clubs 解放する／自由な from the 圧力 of 期待, able to make low-重要な 調印s without fuss. Twenty-five years ago, Brighton were finishing 91st in the Football League for the second 連続する year.

Now they have the beginnings of an empire, with USG 事実上の／代理 as a finishing school if necessary. 勝利者 Boniface and Simon Adingra are 向こうずねing for Bloom’s ベルギー club, challenging Genk for the 肩書を与える and into the last eight of the E uropa League.

Boniface is a Nigerian striker 調印するd by USG from Bodo/Glimt in Norway, Adingra an Ivorian winger who has just received his first international call-up, 調印するd by Brighton last summer from Nordsjaelland in Denmark and on 貸付金 at USG.

Benham, since the 分裂（する） from Bloom, has instilled a 類似の culture at Brentford: data-led 新規採用 from obscure markets, 約束 in EFL talent and a sister club in Denmark, 貿易（する）ing players such as Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma for healthy 利益（をあげる） and still looking the part in the 最高の，を越す half of the 首相 League.

Ivan Toney is behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane in the goal charts, goalkeeper David Raya 手配中の，お尋ね者 by Tottenham, and Rico Henry discussed as a possible England player.

The Moneyballers are marching on the 首相 League, and with their stories entwined by the simmering bitterness and creative 緊張s of their owners this is a very modern 競争.

Kaoru Mitoma has been the 打開 星／主役にする in the 最高の，を越す flight this season and he is another example of Brighton's superb data-led 新規採用 model that keeps on bringing success

Ivan Toney is now a member of Gareth Southgate's England squad after 向こうずねing for Brentford

CREWE PUT THEIR FAITH IN RISING STARS?

乗組員 Alexandra, flagbearers for 青年 開発 in the lower leagues until reputational 損失 原因（となる）d by 乱用 スキャンダルs and the Sheldon 報告（する）／憶測, want to 再度捕まえる a philosophy 信用ing young players in the first team.

十代の少年少女s Joel Tabiner and Connor O’Riordan, both 19, are attracting scouts. James Beadle, 18 and on 貸付金 from Brighton has impressed.

Their League Two fixture against Bradford on Saturday was 延期するd because centre half O’Riordan is with 共和国 of Ireland’s Under 21s, Beadle is with England’s Under 19s and Lachlan Brook, on 貸付金 from Brentford, is at training with Australia’s Under 23s.

LEABURN HAS CHARLTON IN HIS BLOOD?

Miles Leaburn, the 最高の，を越す 得点する／非難する／２０ing 十代の少年少女 in the EFL with nine goals にもかかわらず 行方不明の two months with an 傷害, was born to play for Charlton.?

His dad Carl spent more than a １０年間 playing for them. His mum Tracey is 長，率いる of player care at the club.?

And Miles, 19, has been in the 青年 階級s since he was seven.?

Miles Leaburn is Charlton born-and-bred and he is the 最新の 学院 星／主役にする for the Addicks

HOSKINS ENDS 36-YEAR WAIT FOR NORTHAMPTON

No club in the 最高の，を越す four tiers of English football has been waiting longer than Northampton Town to see a player 得点する／非難する／２０ 20 in the league.?

Richard Hill, the last to do it, in 1986-87 will be 60 later this year. But the wait is over because Sam Hoskins 得点する／非難する／２０d his 20th League Two goal of the season for the Cobblers on Saturday.?

Earlier this season, Chuba Akpom become the first Middlesbrough pl ayer to reach 20 goals since 1989-90, leaving Sheffield Wednesday now at the 支援する of the 列.

No Wednesday player has reached the 20-goal 示す since David Hirst in 1990-91. 最高の，を越す scorers for the フクロウs Josh Windass and Michael Smith (both on 11) have some way to go.?

Sam Hoskins (L) became the first Northampton player to 得点する／非難する／２０ 20 league goals since 1986-87

NATIONAL LEAGUE HIGH-FLYERS NOTTS COUNTY BRING IN THE FANS?

More than 16,000 watched Notts 郡 （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 Scunthorpe 4-0 in the 国家の League. Only League One Portsmouth had a bigger （人が）群がる in English football on Saturday.?

At Meadow 小道／航路 they saw Macauley Langstaff 得点する／非難する／２０ twice to reach 39 league goals for the season.?

Macauley Langstaff 得点する／非難する／２０d his 38th and 39th league goals this season for Notts 郡 in 前線 of more than 16,000 fans at Meadow 小道／航路 in their 4-0 victory over Scunthorpe 部隊d

NAT LOFTHOUSE WAS ONE OF THE GREATS?

One crotchety friend from Bolton 手配中の，お尋ね者 to know why Nat Lofthouse was overlooked in a Sportsmail feature last week 支払う／賃金ing homage to a golden 地位，任命する-War 世代 of England 今後s who won 4-0 in Italy, in 1948. T

he main 推論する／理由 存在 the mighty Lofthouse did not make his international debut until 1950.?

His 30 goals in 33 games stands scrutiny, however, in the かつてない 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） doing the 一連の会議、交渉／完成するs once again since Harry Kane climbed （疑いを）晴らす at the 最高の，を越す.?