The Reasons Hearts' Historic Title Tilt Shouldn't Come as a Shock.
HEARTS ON FIRE
Perhaps the only surprising aspect of Hearts' triumph over the Glasgow giants in the Scottish top flight was just how surprised people appeared when news of the outcome and its impact for the summit of the standings emerged. While this convincing victory at Tynecastle, which puts the Jambos top of the table and a significant margin ahead of Celtic, was earth-shattering in nature, no one who has been tracking the fortunes of both squad this campaign will have been in the least astonished by the final score.
Over the past 40 seasons, the Glasgow duopoly of Celtic and Rangers have divided the Scottish league between them, turning fitba to almost a joke in the process. Nine games into the current campaign it has become apparent that Hearts – who number Stephen Hendry, Olympic champion and renowned actor among their celebrity fans – might just be ready to strike while the Glasgow duo influence is at its weakest.
THE CHAMPIONS' SLUMP
Although a lot of the focus in the Scottish game has been on the absolute bin-fire being endured by Rangers, the complete turmoil of the situation at their stadium has resulted in that the title holders' comparatively less severe decline has been allowed to fester below the radar. The reigning champions have already lost 10 points from nine league games this term under Brendan Rodgers. The team's boss has developed the thousand-yard stare of a man who can't stop checking his schedule to see how many time are left until his deal expires, and awoke this morning to learn the number is 246.
"I've never worked harder in all my time at the club," he told reporters following the defeat, after they had questioned his appetite for any kind of a title fight. "Therefore the drive is present to try and reverse the levels that we're at. It's absolutely fine, it's still so early."
EDINBURGH DISRUPTOR
Considering the horrific start to the campaign being experienced by the other Glasgow side, the Celtic boss and his men could normally be anticipated to get away with their own failure to start strongly, but on this occasion an capital city challenger has joined the fray. Despite being obliged to function with a war-chest that isn't so much a tiny fraction of Celtic's as a minuscule amount in comparison, the Tynecastle outfit have introduced the investment and expertise of Tony Bloom to the Scottish Premiership equation. As well as investing ten million pounds during the off-season, the Brighton owner has granted the club sole use of his top secret data-driven Jamestown Analytics player identification system.
In an Irish defender, Alexandros Kyziridis and Cláudio Braga it has enabled them to discover unpolished gems from an English lower-league side, the Slovak first division and the Norwegian second tier, among other lesser-known leagues, for the combined cost of a modest car. Seen at Tynecastle on Sunday wearing a Hearts scarf, the famously shrewd professional gambler could be seen celebrating each score with the gusto of a person who had almost certainly realized the bookies had greatly misjudged his side's chances of defeating the out-of-sorts title holders, and placed large bets accordingly.
MANAGER'S RESPONSE
"I don't think it's a statement win," said the facial-haired Hearts gaffer Derek McInnes after his team's most recent victory, their eighth win in nine league matches. "It might be for those on the outside looking in. It might change opinions. It may confirm views that there's a tightrope. But let's not kid ourselves, we are delighted with what the lads have given us. Technically, we appear in a good place, and definitely in fitness we seem in a excellent shape, so long may that continue. Naturally, it's not a position that this club is used to being in." No, the manager, it is not. But the glorious, analytics-backed reality is that for the initial occasion in many years, the Scottish game might genuinely have a title race that somebody besides Celtic or Rangers can win.