🔗 Share this article

HEARTS ON FIRE

Maybe the sole surprising element of Heart of Midlothian's triumph over Celtic in the Scottish top flight was the extent to which taken aback people seemed when news of the result and its consequences for the summit of the standings circulated. While this convincing victory at their home ground, which puts the Jambos leading of the table and a significant margin clear of Celtic, was earth-shattering in nature, nobody who has been following the progress of either squad this campaign will have been even remotely shocked by the result.

For each of the past four decades, the dominance of two Glasgow clubs of the Old Firm have divided the Scottish league between them, reducing the beautiful game to something of a joke in the process. Nine games into the present campaign it has become clear that Heart of Midlothian – who count celebrated snooker player, Sir Chris Hoy and renowned actor among their celebrity fans – might just be ready to make their move while the Old Firm iron is at its weakest.

CELTIC'S DECLINE

While a lot of the focus in Scotland has been on the disastrous season being endured by Rangers, the full-spectrum nightmare of the circumstances at Ibrox has meant that the title holders' slightly less terminal decline has been able to fester below the radar. The reigning champions have so far lost a considerable number from nine fixtures this term under their manager. The Celtic manager has acquired the distant look of a man who can't stop consulting his schedule to find out how many days are remaining until his contract ends, and woke up this day to learn the number is 246.

"No one has put in more effort in all my time here," he informed the media following the defeat, after they had doubted his appetite for any kind of a title fight. "Therefore the drive is there to attempt to reverse the levels that we're at. It's absolutely fine, it's still so early."

NEW CHALLENGER

Given the horrific beginning to the season being experienced by Rangers, Rodgers and his men could typically be expected to get away with their own failure to start strongly, but on this occasion an capital city challenger has entered the fray. Despite being obliged to operate with a war-chest that isn't so much a small portion of Celtic's as a comparative budgetary baw-hair, the Tynecastle outfit have introduced the money and knowledge of Tony Bloom to the Scottish Premiership mix. In addition to putting in ten million pounds during the summer, the Premier League figurehead has granted the club sole use of his highly confidential data-driven proprietary scouting player identification system.

In an Irish defender, a Greek talent and a Brazilian prospect it has allowed them to discover hidden talents from Walsall, the Slovakian top flight and the Norwegian second tier, among other exotic footballing outposts, for the total price 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 score with the enthusiasm of a person who had almost certainly noticed the bookies had massively underestimated his team's chances of defeating the out-of-sorts champions, and filled his boots as a result.

MANAGER'S REACTION

"I don't think it's a message-sending victory," said the facial-haired Hearts gaffer Derek McInnes after his team's most recent victory, their eighth in nine outings. "It might be for those on the outside looking in. It could alter opinions. It may confirm opinions that there's a fine line. But let's not kid ourselves, we're really pleased 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 excellent shape, so we hope it persists. Of course, it's not a position that this club is accustomed to being in." No, the manager, it is not. But the wonderful, analytics-backed truth is that for the first time in ages, Scottish football might actually have a championship battle that somebody besides Celtic or Rangers can claim.