Why Heart of Midlothian's Historic Title Tilt Shouldn't Come as a Shock.
JAMBOS BLAZING
Perhaps the sole unexpected aspect of Hearts' triumph over the Glasgow giants in the Scottish Premiership was the extent to which taken aback observers appeared when news of the result and its impact for the summit of the table circulated. Although this convincing victory at Tynecastle, which leaves the Jambos top of the table and a significant margin clear of their rivals, was earth-shattering in nature, no one who has been following the progress of both team this season will have been even remotely astonished by the result.
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, turning the beautiful game to almost a punchline in the process. Several matches into the current campaign it has become apparent that Hearts – who count celebrated snooker player, Olympic champion and renowned actor among their famous supporters – might just be ready to make their move while the Glasgow duo iron is at its weakest.
THE CHAMPIONS' DECLINE
Although a lot of the attention in the Scottish game has been on the absolute bin-fire being suffered by Rangers, the full-spectrum nightmare of the circumstances at their stadium has meant that the title holders' slightly less terminal decline has been allowed to fester below the radar. The reigning champions have so far lost a considerable number from their opening nine fixtures this season under their manager. The team's boss has developed the distant look of a individual who can't stop consulting his Google calendar to find out how many time are remaining until his deal expires, and woke up this day to learn the answer is 246.
"I've never worked harder in all my time here," he informed the media following the defeat, after they had questioned his desire for any kind of a championship battle. "So the motivation is there to try and reverse the levels that we're at. Everything is under control, it's still so early."
NEW CHALLENGER
Given the dreadful start to the campaign being endured by the other Glasgow side, the Celtic boss and his men could normally be expected to escape scrutiny for their own inability to roar out of the traps, but on this occasion an Edinburgh disruptor has joined the fray. In spite of being forced to operate with a budget that is not just a tiny fraction of their rivals' as a minuscule amount in comparison, Hearts have added the money and expertise of a renowned businessman to the Scottish Premiership equation. In addition to putting in ten million pounds during the summer, the Brighton owner has granted Hearts exclusive use of his highly confidential data-driven proprietary scouting player identification system.
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 total price of a modest car. Seen at Tynecastle on matchday sporting a club colours, the famously shrewd professional gambler could be seen celebrating each goal with the enthusiasm of a person who had almost certainly realized the oddsmakers had greatly underestimated his team's chances of defeating the out-of-sorts champions, and filled his boots accordingly.
MANAGER'S REACTION
"I don't think it's a message-sending victory," said bearded Hearts gaffer the head coach after his team's latest victory, their eighth in nine outings. "It might be for others on the outside looking in. It could alter perceptions. It might validate views that there's a fine line. But let's not kid ourselves, we are delighted with what the lads have provided us. In terms of skill, we appear in a good place, and certainly physically we seem in a excellent shape, so we hope it persists. Of course, it's not a position that the team is used to being in." No, the manager, it is not. But the glorious, data-driven truth is that for the first time in ages, the Scottish game might actually have a title race that somebody besides the traditional powers can claim.
