Why Hearts' Landmark Title Tilt Shouldn't Come as a Surprise.
HEARTS ON FIRE
Perhaps the sole surprising element of Hearts' victory over the Glasgow giants in the Scottish top flight was the extent to which surprised people seemed when reports of the outcome and its impact for the top of the standings emerged. While this convincing victory at Tynecastle, which puts the Jambos top of the table and a significant margin clear of Celtic, was seismic in scale, nobody who has been tracking the progress of either squad this season will have been even remotely 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 football between them, reducing the beautiful game to something of a punchline in the process. Nine games into the present campaign it has become clear that Heart of Midlothian – who count celebrated snooker player, Olympic champion and renowned actor among their celebrity fans – might just be ready to strike while the Old Firm influence is freezing cold.
THE CHAMPIONS' DECLINE
Although a lot of the attention in the Scottish game has been on the disastrous season being suffered by the Ibrox club, the complete turmoil of the circumstances at Ibrox has meant that the title holders' slightly less terminal decline has been able to fester unnoticed. The reigning champions have already lost 10 points from their opening nine league games this term under Brendan Rodgers. The team's boss has developed the thousand-yard stare of a individual who constantly checking his Google calendar to see how many days are left until his contract expires, and woke up this day to learn the number is over two hundred.
"No one has put in more effort in my entire tenure here," he told the media following the defeat, after they had questioned his appetite for anything resembling a championship battle. "So the motivation is there to try and reverse the levels that we're at. It's absolutely fine, there is plenty of time."
EDINBURGH DISRUPTOR
Considering the dreadful beginning to the season being endured by Rangers, the Celtic boss and his players could normally be anticipated to escape scrutiny for their own inability to roar out of the traps, but on this occasion an capital city challenger has entered the mix. Despite being obliged to operate with a war-chest that isn't so much a tiny fraction of their rivals' as a minuscule amount in comparison, the Tynecastle outfit have introduced the money and expertise of a renowned businessman to the SPL equation. In addition to investing £10m during the off-season, the Brighton owner has provided the club sole use of his top secret analytics-based proprietary scouting recruitment tool.
In Oisin McEntee, Alexandros Kyziridis and a Brazilian prospect it has enabled them to discover unpolished gems from Walsall, the Slovakian top flight and the Norwegian second tier, among other lesser-known leagues, for the combined cost of a mid-range family saloon. Spotted at their home venue on Sunday sporting a club colours, the famously shrewd professional gambler could be seen cheering each goal with the gusto of a person who had likely realized the bookies had greatly underestimated his team's chances of beating the out-of-sorts title holders, and filled his boots accordingly.
MANAGER'S RESPONSE
"I don't think it's a statement win," said bearded Hearts gaffer the head coach after his team's latest victory, their eighth in nine league matches. "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're really pleased with what the players have provided us. In terms of skill, we appear in a strong position, and definitely in fitness we look in a excellent shape, so we hope it persists. Of course, it's not a position that this club is accustomed to being in." Correct, the manager, it is not. But the wonderful, data-driven reality is that for the initial occasion in ages, Scottish football might genuinely have a title race that somebody besides Celtic or Rangers can win.