The Reasons Hearts' Historic Title Tilt Isn't as a Shock.
HEARTS ON FIRE
Perhaps the only surprising aspect of Heart of Midlothian's victory over Celtic in the Scottish top flight was just how surprised observers seemed when reports of the result and its impact for the top of the table emerged. While this convincing victory at their home ground, which leaves the Jambos leading of the table and eight points ahead of their rivals, was earth-shattering in nature, nobody who has been tracking the progress of both squad this season will have been in the least astonished by the final score.
For each of the last four decades, the Glasgow duopoly of the Old Firm have divided the Scottish football between them, turning fitba to something of a joke in the process. Several matches into the current campaign it has become clear that Hearts – who number Stephen Hendry, Olympic champion and renowned actor among their famous supporters – might just be prepared to strike while the Glasgow duo influence is at its weakest.
CELTIC'S SLUMP
While much of the focus in Scotland has been on the absolute bin-fire being endured by Rangers, the complete turmoil of the situation at Ibrox has resulted in that Celtic's slightly less terminal decay has been allowed to fester below the radar. The defending title winners have already lost 10 points from nine fixtures this season under their manager. The team's boss has acquired the distant look of a individual who can't stop consulting his Google calendar to find out how many days are remaining until his deal expires, and woke up this day to learn the answer is over two hundred.
"I've never worked harder in my entire tenure at the club," he told the media following the loss, after they had questioned his desire for anything resembling a title fight. "So the motivation is there to attempt to flip the levels that we're at. Everything is under control, it's still so early."
NEW CHALLENGER
Given the horrific beginning to the season being endured by the other Glasgow side, Rodgers and his players could typically be expected to get away with their own failure to roar out of the traps, but on this occasion an Edinburgh disruptor has joined the fray. Despite being forced to operate with a war-chest that isn't so much a small portion of their rivals' as a comparative budgetary baw-hair, the Tynecastle outfit have added the investment and knowledge of Tony Bloom to the SPL mix. As well as putting in ten million pounds during the summer, the Premier League figurehead has provided Hearts exclusive 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 discover hidden talents from an English lower-league side, the Slovakian top flight and the Norwegian second tier, among other lesser-known leagues, for the combined cost of a mid-range family saloon. Seen at Tynecastle on Sunday wearing a club colours, the famously shrewd sports betting expert could be observed cheering each goal with the enthusiasm of a man who had likely noticed the bookies had massively underestimated his side's chances of defeating the struggling champions, and placed large bets as a result.
MANAGER'S RESPONSE
"In my opinion it's a message-sending victory," said bearded team manager the head coach after his team's most recent success, their eighth win in nine outings. "It might be for those on the periphery. It could alter opinions. It may confirm views that there's a tightrope. But let's not kid ourselves, we are delighted with what the lads have provided us. In terms of skill, we look in a good place, and definitely physically we look in a excellent shape, so we hope it persists. Naturally, it's not a position that this club is accustomed to being in." Correct, Derek, it isn't. But the glorious, analytics-backed truth is that for the first time in many years, the Scottish game might genuinely have a championship battle that a team besides Celtic or Rangers can claim.
