Why Hearts' Landmark Title Tilt Shouldn't Come as a Shock.
JAMBOS BLAZING
Maybe the sole unexpected element of Heart of Midlothian's victory over Celtic in the Scottish top flight was just how surprised people seemed when news of the result and its impact for the top of the table emerged. While this 3-1 win at Tynecastle, which leaves the Jambos top of the league and eight points clear of Celtic, was seismic in scale, nobody who has been tracking the progress of either team this season will have been even remotely shocked by the final score.
For each of the past four decades, the Glasgow duopoly of the Old Firm have divided the Scottish football between them, turning the beautiful game to something of a joke in the meantime. Several matches into the current campaign it has become apparent that Hearts – who number Stephen Hendry, Sir Chris Hoy and renowned actor among their famous supporters – could be prepared to strike while the Glasgow duo influence is freezing cold.
CELTIC'S DECLINE
While a lot of the focus in Scotland has been on the disastrous season being suffered by the Ibrox club, the full-spectrum nightmare of the circumstances at Ibrox has resulted in that Celtic's slightly less terminal decay has been allowed to worsen below the radar. The reigning champions have already lost a considerable number from their opening nine fixtures this term under Brendan Rodgers. The Celtic manager has acquired the thousand-yard stare of a man who can't stop consulting his schedule to see how many days are left until his deal ends, and awoke this morning to learn the answer is 246.
"I've never worked harder in my entire tenure at the club," he told the media following the loss, after they had doubted his desire for any kind of a championship battle. "So the motivation is present to attempt to flip the standards that we're at. Everything is under control, there is plenty of time."
NEW CHALLENGER
Given the horrific start to the campaign being experienced by Rangers, Rodgers and his men could normally be anticipated to escape scrutiny for their own inability to start strongly, but this year an Edinburgh disruptor has joined the fray. In spite of being obliged to function with a war-chest that is not just a small portion of their rivals' as a comparative budgetary baw-hair, Hearts have added the investment and knowledge of Tony Bloom to the Scottish Premiership mix. In addition to investing ten million pounds during the off-season, the Premier League figurehead has granted the club sole use of his highly confidential analytics-based proprietary scouting player identification system.
In an Irish defender, Alexandros Kyziridis and a Brazilian prospect it has allowed them to unearth unpolished gems from Walsall, the Slovak first division and the Norwegian second tier, among other lesser-known leagues, for the combined cost of a mid-range family saloon. Spotted at their home venue on Sunday sporting a Hearts scarf, the notoriously astute professional gambler could be observed cheering each goal with the enthusiasm of a man who had almost certainly realized the bookies had massively misjudged his team's prospects of beating the struggling champions, and filled his boots as a result.
COACH'S REACTION
"In my opinion it's a statement win," said bearded team manager the head coach after his side's latest success, their eighth win in nine outings. "Perhaps it is for those on the outside looking in. It could alter perceptions. It may confirm views that there's a tightrope. But let's not kid ourselves, we're really pleased with what the players have given us. In terms of skill, we appear in a good place, and certainly physically we look in a good place, so we hope it persists. Naturally, it's not a position that the team is accustomed to being in." No, Derek, it is not. But the glorious, data-driven reality is that for the initial occasion in many years, Scottish football might actually have a title race that somebody other than Celtic or Rangers can win.
