The Reasons Hearts' Landmark Title Tilt Isn't as a Shock.
JAMBOS BLAZING
Maybe the only surprising aspect of Heart of Midlothian's victory over Celtic in the Scottish top flight was the extent to which surprised observers seemed when news of the result and its consequences for the top of the standings emerged. While this 3-1 win at Tynecastle, which leaves the Edinburgh side top of the league and a significant margin clear of their rivals, was earth-shattering in nature, no one who has been following the fortunes of both team this season will have been even remotely astonished by the result.
Over the past four decades, the Glasgow duopoly of Celtic and Rangers have carved up the Scottish football between them, turning the beautiful game to almost a punchline in the meantime. Nine games into the current campaign it has become clear that Hearts – who number Stephen Hendry, Olympic champion and renowned actor among their celebrity fans – could be ready to strike while the Old Firm influence is freezing cold.
THE CHAMPIONS' SLUMP
Although much of the focus in Scotland has been on the disastrous season being suffered by Rangers, the complete turmoil of the situation at their stadium has resulted in that Celtic's slightly less terminal decay has been allowed to fester unnoticed. The defending title winners have already lost a considerable number from nine league games this season under Brendan Rodgers. The Celtic manager has acquired the thousand-yard stare of a man who can't stop checking his Google calendar to find out how many time are remaining until his deal ends, and awoke this morning to discover the number is 246.
"No one has put in more effort in my entire tenure here," he told the media following the loss, after they had doubted his desire for any kind of a championship battle. "Therefore the drive is there to attempt to reverse the levels that we're at. It's absolutely fine, there is plenty of time."
NEW CHALLENGER
Given the horrific start to the campaign being endured by the other Glasgow side, Rodgers and his players could typically be expected to escape scrutiny for their own failure to start strongly, but on this occasion an Edinburgh disruptor has joined the mix. In spite of being forced to operate with a war-chest that is not just a small portion of Celtic's as a minuscule amount in comparison, Hearts have introduced the investment and knowledge of Tony Bloom to the Scottish Premiership equation. In addition to investing £10m during the off-season, the Premier League figurehead has granted the club exclusive use of his top secret analytics-based proprietary scouting recruitment tool.
In Oisin McEntee, Alexandros Kyziridis and a Brazilian prospect it has enabled them to discover hidden talents from an English lower-league side, the Slovak first division and the Norwegian second tier, among other lesser-known leagues, for the total price of a modest car. Seen at their home venue on Sunday sporting a club colours, the notoriously astute professional gambler could be observed cheering each goal with the gusto of a man who had almost certainly realized the bookies had greatly underestimated his side's prospects of beating the struggling champions, and filled his boots as a result.
COACH'S RESPONSE
"In my opinion it's a message-sending victory," said the facial-haired Hearts gaffer the head coach after his team's latest victory, their eighth in nine league matches. "It might be for those on the outside looking in. It might change opinions. It may confirm opinions that there's a tightrope. But we must be realistic, we're really pleased with what the lads have given us. Technically, we look in a good place, and definitely in fitness we look in a good place, so we hope it persists. Naturally, this is not a situation that this club is accustomed to being in." No, Derek, it is not. But the wonderful, analytics-backed reality is that for the initial occasion in many years, Scottish football might genuinely have a title race that somebody besides the traditional powers can win.