The Reasons Hearts' Landmark Title Tilt Isn't as a Shock.
HEARTS ON FIRE
Maybe the only surprising aspect of Hearts' triumph over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership was the extent to which taken aback observers appeared when reports of the result and its impact for the summit of the table circulated. Although this 3-1 win at Tynecastle, which leaves the Jambos leading of the league and a significant margin ahead of Celtic, was earth-shattering in scale, no one who has been following the fortunes of both team this campaign will have been in the least shocked by the result.
For each of the last 40 seasons, the dominance of two Glasgow clubs of the Old Firm have carved up the Scottish football between them, reducing the beautiful game to something of a punchline in the process. Nine games into the present campaign it has become apparent that Heart of Midlothian – who count celebrated snooker player, Olympic champion and renowned actor among their famous supporters – might just be prepared to strike while the Glasgow duo influence is freezing cold.
CELTIC'S SLUMP
Although a lot of the focus in Scotland has been on the absolute bin-fire being suffered by the Ibrox club, the full-spectrum nightmare of the situation at Ibrox has meant that the title holders' slightly less terminal decline has been allowed to fester below the radar. The defending title winners have so far lost 10 points from their opening nine league games this season under their manager. The Celtic manager has developed the distant look of a individual who constantly consulting his Google calendar to find out how many time are left until his contract ends, and woke up this morning to discover the answer is 246.
"No one has put in more effort in all my time at the club," he informed reporters following the loss, after they had doubted his desire for anything resembling a championship battle. "So the motivation is present to try and reverse the levels that we're at. It's absolutely fine, there is plenty of time."
NEW CHALLENGER
Given the dreadful start to the campaign being endured by Rangers, the Celtic boss and his players could typically be expected to escape scrutiny for their own failure to start strongly, but on this occasion an capital city challenger has entered the mix. In spite of being obliged 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 introduced the investment and knowledge of a renowned businessman to the Scottish Premiership equation. As well as putting in ten million pounds during the summer, the Premier League figurehead has granted Hearts sole use of his highly confidential data-driven Jamestown Analytics recruitment tool.
In Oisin McEntee, a Greek talent and a Brazilian prospect it has allowed them to discover hidden talents from Walsall, the Slovakian top flight and the Norway's second division, among other exotic footballing outposts, for the combined cost of a mid-range family saloon. Spotted at their home venue on Sunday wearing a club colours, the notoriously astute sports betting expert could be observed celebrating each goal with the gusto of a person who had almost certainly noticed the oddsmakers had massively underestimated his side's chances of beating the struggling champions, and placed large bets as a result.
COACH'S RESPONSE
"In my opinion it's a statement win," said bearded Hearts gaffer Derek McInnes after his team's most recent victory, their eighth in nine outings. "Perhaps it is for others on the periphery. It might change perceptions. It might validate opinions that there's a tightrope. But we must be realistic, we are delighted with what the lads have given us. In terms of skill, we look in a good place, and definitely physically we seem in a good place, so we hope it persists. Naturally, this is not a situation that the team is accustomed to being in." Correct, the manager, it is not. But the glorious, data-driven truth is that for the initial occasion in many years, the Scottish game might actually have a title race that somebody other than Celtic or Rangers can win.
