Why Hearts' Historic Championship Challenge Isn't as a Shock.
HEARTS ON FIRE
Perhaps the sole unexpected element of Heart of Midlothian's triumph over the Glasgow giants in the Scottish Premiership was just how surprised people seemed when reports of the result and its consequences for the summit of the standings circulated. While this convincing victory at their home ground, which puts the Edinburgh side top of the table and a significant margin clear of Celtic, was seismic in nature, nobody who has been tracking the fortunes of both team this campaign will have been even remotely shocked by the final score.
Over the past four decades, the dominance of two Glasgow clubs of Celtic and Rangers have carved up the Scottish league between them, reducing the beautiful game to something of a punchline in the meantime. Several matches 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 famous supporters – could be prepared to make their move while the Old Firm influence is at its weakest.
THE CHAMPIONS' DECLINE
Although much of the focus in Scotland has been on the absolute bin-fire being suffered by the Ibrox club, the complete turmoil of the circumstances at their stadium has meant that Celtic's slightly less terminal decay has been allowed to fester below the radar. The reigning champions have so far dropped 10 points from their opening nine fixtures this season under their manager. The team's boss has developed the distant look of a man who can't stop checking his Google calendar to find out how many time are left until his contract ends, and awoke this day to discover the answer is over two hundred.
"I've never worked harder in all my time here," he told reporters following the defeat, after they had questioned his desire for anything resembling a title fight. "Therefore the drive is there to attempt to flip the standards that we're at. Everything is under control, it's still so early."
NEW CHALLENGER
Given the horrific beginning to the campaign being experienced by Rangers, Rodgers and his men could normally be anticipated to escape scrutiny for their own inability to start strongly, but this year an capital city challenger has joined the mix. In spite of being obliged to function with a war-chest that is not just a tiny fraction of their rivals' as a comparative budgetary baw-hair, the Tynecastle outfit have introduced the money and expertise of a renowned businessman to the SPL equation. In addition to investing £10m during the summer, the Brighton owner has provided the club sole use of his highly confidential analytics-based Jamestown Analytics player identification system.
In an Irish defender, Alexandros Kyziridis and a Brazilian prospect it has enabled them to discover hidden talents from an English lower-league side, the Slovak first division and the Norwegian second tier, among other lesser-known leagues, for the total price of a modest car. Seen at Tynecastle on Sunday sporting a Hearts scarf, the notoriously astute professional gambler could be seen cheering each score with the enthusiasm of a person who had almost certainly noticed the bookies had greatly underestimated his team's prospects of beating the struggling title holders, and placed large bets as a result.
MANAGER'S RESPONSE
"I don't think it's a message-sending victory," said bearded Hearts gaffer Derek McInnes after his side's most recent success, their eighth win in nine league matches. "Perhaps it is for others on the outside looking in. It could alter perceptions. It may confirm opinions that there's a tightrope. But let's not kid ourselves, we are delighted with what the lads have given us. Technically, we look in a good place, and definitely physically we seem in a excellent shape, so long may that continue. Of course, this is not a situation that the team is accustomed to being in." No, Derek, it is not. But the glorious, data-driven truth is that for the first time in many years, Scottish football might genuinely have a title race that somebody other than Celtic or Rangers can win.
