Why Hearts' Historic Title Tilt Isn't as a Shock.
JAMBOS BLAZING
Maybe the sole unexpected element of Hearts' triumph over the Glasgow giants in the Scottish top flight was the extent to which taken aback observers seemed when reports of the outcome and its consequences for the top of the table emerged. Although this convincing victory at Tynecastle, which puts the Jambos leading of the league and eight points clear of Celtic, was earth-shattering in nature, no one who has been tracking the fortunes of either squad this season will have been in the least astonished by the final score.
For each of the last four decades, the dominance of two Glasgow clubs of Celtic and Rangers have carved up the Scottish league between them, turning fitba to something of a punchline in the process. Several matches into the present campaign it has become apparent that Heart of Midlothian – who number Stephen Hendry, Olympic champion and renowned actor among their famous supporters – might just be ready to strike while the Glasgow duo influence is at its weakest.
CELTIC'S SLUMP
Although a lot of the focus in Scotland has been on the disastrous season being suffered by the Ibrox club, the complete turmoil of the situation at their stadium has resulted in that the title holders' comparatively less severe decline has been able to worsen unnoticed. The defending title winners have already lost 10 points from their opening nine fixtures this term under Brendan Rodgers. The team's boss has acquired the distant look of a man who constantly checking his schedule to find out how many time are left until his contract ends, and woke up this day to discover the answer is over two hundred.
"I've never worked harder in all my time here," he informed reporters following the loss, after they had doubted his desire for anything resembling a championship battle. "Therefore the drive is present to try and reverse the standards that we're at. Everything is under control, it's still so early."
NEW CHALLENGER
Considering the horrific start to the campaign being endured by Rangers, Rodgers and his men could typically be expected to get away with their own inability to start strongly, but on this occasion an capital city challenger has joined the fray. In spite of being forced to function with a war-chest that isn't so much a tiny fraction of Celtic's as a minuscule amount in comparison, Hearts have added the money and knowledge of a renowned businessman to the Scottish Premiership equation. As well as investing £10m during the summer, the Brighton owner has granted Hearts sole use of his top secret analytics-based proprietary scouting recruitment tool.
In an Irish defender, Alexandros Kyziridis and a Brazilian prospect it has allowed them to discover unpolished gems from Walsall, the Slovakian top flight and the Norway's second division, among other lesser-known leagues, for the total price of a modest car. Seen at their home venue on Sunday sporting a club colours, the notoriously astute sports betting expert could be seen cheering each score with the gusto of a person who had almost certainly realized the bookies had greatly underestimated his side's prospects of beating the out-of-sorts champions, and placed large bets accordingly.
MANAGER'S REACTION
"In my opinion it's a message-sending victory," said bearded team manager Derek McInnes after his side's most recent victory, their eighth win in nine league matches. "It might be for those on the outside looking in. It could alter opinions. It might validate views that there's a tightrope. But we must be realistic, we are delighted with what the players have provided us. Technically, we look in a good place, and definitely in fitness we seem in a good place, so we hope it persists. Naturally, this is not a situation that this club is used to being in." No, the manager, it is not. But the wonderful, analytics-backed truth is that for the initial occasion in many years, the Scottish game might actually have a title race that somebody besides Celtic or Rangers can win.