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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteJames Bord is not confirmed as the person set to replace David Clowes at Derby County. He was named in a November 2025 report as one of several people interested in the club, but that report does not show an offer, an agreement or a completed deal. Derby County’s official ownership listing still names Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, and the 2026 takeover that reached an advanced stage involved a different prospective buyer, Turki Al-Sheikh, whose deal did not complete. This article reflects reporting and club statements available as of 8 October 2026.
Who James Bord is
James Bord is a London-born former professional poker player. BBC Sport describes him as having worked for the gambling analytics firms Starlizard and Smartodds before moving toward machine learning and AI work in San Francisco. According to BBC reporting, he now runs Short Circuit Science, a data company that uses AI for sports analytics and advises several football clubs.
Poker career and the figure reported for it
BBC Sport reported his professional poker winnings as $4.3m (£3.2m), a career total as stated in 2025. That is a press figure for his poker career. Nothing reviewed for this article verifies his current personal finances, and the figure says nothing about how any football takeover would be funded.
What the Derby County reports actually say
Three separate pieces of reporting connect Bord to football clubs. They are easy to blur together, so it helps to keep them apart.
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The November 2025 report
A November 2025 report said Bord was among people with Derby County “in his sights”. The claim came from journalist Alan Nixon’s reporting on Patreon, which is secondary reporting. It describes interest. It does not establish an approach to the club, a bid, or any agreement.
Sheffield Wednesday, December 2025
BBC reporting in December 2025 identified Bord as Sheffield Wednesday’s preferred bidder at that time. That was a bid for a different club. It is historical context for his football interests and should not be read as a Derby bid.
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Who owns Derby County today
Derby County’s official ownership page lists Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd as the owner. The club’s page names David Clowes and Richard Tavernor on its board. No official source reviewed names Bord as an owner, director or buyer.
The 2026 takeover that did not complete
The more recent takeover process is the one that matters for the “replace David Clowes” question. The club’s official August 2026 statement said that the takeover completion expected on 10 August did not happen. David Clowes wrote: “We started the day expecting completion of a takeover and ended it stunned, in a daze and pondering steps we didn’t expect to have to take.”
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BBC reporting in September 2026 identified Turki Al-Sheikh as the buyer who withdrew from that proposed deal after it had passed the English Football League (EFL) and Independent Football Regulator checks. That process is separate from the November 2025 report about Bord. The reporting on it names Al-Sheikh, not Bord, as the buyer.
A reported lawsuit, unconnected to Derby
The Times reported in February 2026 that Jonathan Cohen, a former friend and business partner of Bord, sued him over an investment in Córdoba, where Bord is a part-owner and director. These are allegations in a reported legal dispute, not findings. No Derby County connection is reported. Treat it as background on Bord’s business history, not as evidence about his football interests.
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How to read ownership news at a football club
Ownership stories often use the same words for very different stages. The table below sets out the stages and where each reported party stands.
| Stage | What it means | Where it applies here |
|---|---|---|
| Reported interest | Media name someone as considering or interested in a club | Bord, November 2025 report (secondary, Patreon-sourced) |
| Preferred bidder | A seller picks one party to negotiate with | Bord at Sheffield Wednesday, December 2025 (BBC); not Derby |
| Proposed deal with a completion date | Terms are set and completion is expected on a stated date | Al-Sheikh at Derby, completion expected 10 August 2026 (club statement) |
| Regulatory checks | League and regulator approvals are reviewed | Al-Sheikh deal passed EFL and Independent Football Regulator process (BBC, September 2026) |
| Completion | The new owner takes control and official records change | Not reached at Derby; official ownership page still lists Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd |
To check a claim like “X could replace the owner” yourself:
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- Check the club’s official website and its latest statements. Ownership news can change within days, so confirm the date of any statement you rely on.
- Check the official ownership listing for the registered owner’s name.
- Look for a named buyer and a stated stage. Words such as “interest”, “in his sights” or “considering” describe a stage well before any deal.
- Look for regulatory steps reported by a named outlet, not just by a source who says a deal is close.
- Note whether the report is primary (club, regulator, or a named outlet’s own reporting) or secondary (reporting of another journalist’s claims).
Applying those checks to this story: the Bord reporting is interest from a secondary source, the club’s official records are unchanged, and the only recent takeover that reached regulatory review named a different buyer.
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