The Reasons Hearts' Historic Title Tilt Isn't as a Shock.
JAMBOS BLAZING
Perhaps the sole unexpected element of Hearts' victory over Celtic in the Scottish top flight was just how taken aback observers appeared when reports of the outcome and its impact for the top of the table emerged. Although this convincing victory at their home ground, which puts the Edinburgh side top of the table and a significant margin clear of their rivals, was seismic in nature, nobody who has been tracking the progress of either squad this campaign will have been in the least astonished by the final score.
Over the past 40 seasons, the dominance of two Glasgow clubs of Celtic and Rangers have carved up the Scottish league between them, turning fitba to almost a punchline in the process. Nine games into the current season it has become clear that Heart of Midlothian – who count Stephen Hendry, Olympic champion and Ken Stott among their celebrity fans – could be prepared to strike while the Old Firm iron is freezing cold.
THE CHAMPIONS' DECLINE
While much of the focus in the Scottish game has been on the disastrous season being suffered by Rangers, the complete turmoil of the situation at Ibrox has meant that Celtic's comparatively less severe decay has been able to fester below the radar. The reigning champions have already dropped 10 points from their opening nine league games this term under Brendan Rodgers. The team's boss has acquired the distant look of a individual who constantly consulting his schedule to see how many days are left until his contract expires, and awoke this morning to discover the answer is 246.
"I've never worked harder in all my time here," he informed the media following the defeat, after they had doubted his appetite for anything resembling a title fight. "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 dreadful start to the season being experienced by Rangers, the Celtic boss and his men could typically be anticipated to get away with their own failure to roar out of the traps, but on this occasion an capital city challenger has joined the mix. In spite of being forced to function with a budget that is not just a small portion of their rivals' as a comparative budgetary baw-hair, the Tynecastle outfit have added the money and expertise of Tony Bloom to the Scottish Premiership equation. As well as putting in £10m during the off-season, the Premier League figurehead has granted the club exclusive use of his highly confidential analytics-based Jamestown Analytics player identification system.
In Oisin McEntee, Alexandros Kyziridis and Cláudio Braga it has enabled them to unearth hidden talents from Walsall, the Slovakian top flight and the Norwegian second tier, among other exotic footballing outposts, for the combined cost of a mid-range family saloon. Spotted at their home venue on matchday wearing a club colours, the notoriously astute sports betting expert could be observed cheering each score with the enthusiasm of a man who had almost certainly realized the oddsmakers had massively underestimated his side's prospects of beating the struggling champions, and placed large bets accordingly.
MANAGER'S RESPONSE
"I don't think it's a statement win," said bearded Hearts gaffer Derek McInnes after his side's most recent victory, their eighth win in nine league matches. "Perhaps it is for those on the periphery. It could alter perceptions. It might validate opinions that there's a tightrope. But let's not kid ourselves, we are delighted with what the players have provided us. In terms of skill, we look in a good place, and certainly in fitness we seem in a good place, so long may that continue. Naturally, it's not a position that the team is used to being in." No, the manager, it is not. But the wonderful, data-driven truth is that for the first time in ages, Scottish football might genuinely have a title race that somebody other than the traditional powers can win.
