Why Hearts' Historic Championship Challenge Isn't as a Shock.
HEARTS ON FIRE
Maybe the only unexpected aspect of Hearts' victory over the Glasgow giants in the Scottish Premiership was the extent to which taken aback people seemed when news of the result and its impact for the top of the standings circulated. While this convincing victory at their home ground, which puts the Edinburgh side top of the table and eight points ahead of their rivals, was seismic in nature, no one who has been tracking the fortunes of either team this campaign will have been even remotely shocked by the final score.
Over the past 40 seasons, the Glasgow duopoly of Celtic and Rangers have carved up the Scottish league between them, turning the beautiful game to something of a punchline in the meantime. Several matches into the current season it has become clear that Hearts – who number celebrated snooker player, Olympic champion and Ken Stott among their famous supporters – might just be ready to strike while the Glasgow duo iron is at its weakest.
CELTIC'S 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 resulted in that the title holders' comparatively less severe decline has been allowed to worsen below the radar. The reigning champions have so far dropped a considerable number from nine fixtures this season under their manager. The team's boss has developed the distant look of a individual who constantly consulting his Google calendar to see how many days are left until his deal ends, and woke up this morning to discover the number is over two hundred.
"No one has put in more effort in my entire tenure here," he told reporters following the defeat, after they had doubted his appetite for anything resembling a title fight. "Therefore the drive is there to try and reverse the standards that we're at. Everything is under control, there is plenty of time."
EDINBURGH DISRUPTOR
Given the horrific beginning to the campaign being experienced by the other Glasgow side, the Celtic boss and his players could normally be anticipated to get away with their own inability to start strongly, but this year an Edinburgh disruptor has entered the mix. In spite of being obliged to operate with a budget that isn't so much a tiny fraction of Celtic's as a minuscule amount in comparison, the Tynecastle outfit have added the money and expertise of a renowned businessman to the SPL mix. As well as putting in ten million pounds during the off-season, the Brighton owner has provided the club exclusive use of his top secret data-driven Jamestown Analytics recruitment tool.
In an Irish defender, a Greek talent and a Brazilian prospect it has allowed them to unearth hidden talents from an English lower-league side, the Slovak first division and the Norwegian second tier, among other lesser-known leagues, for the combined cost of a mid-range family saloon. Seen at Tynecastle on Sunday wearing a Hearts scarf, the famously shrewd sports betting expert could be observed celebrating each goal with the enthusiasm of a person who had likely realized the bookies had greatly underestimated his team's prospects of beating the struggling champions, and placed large bets as a result.
MANAGER'S REACTION
"I don't think it's a statement win," said the facial-haired team manager the head coach after his team's most recent success, their eighth win in nine league matches. "It might be for others on the periphery. It might change opinions. It might validate views that there's a fine line. But let's not kid ourselves, we're really pleased with what the players have provided us. In terms of skill, we look in a good place, and definitely in fitness we look in a excellent shape, so we hope it persists. Of course, this is not a situation that the team is used to being in." Correct, Derek, it is not. But the wonderful, data-driven truth is that for the first time in many years, Scottish football might genuinely have a championship battle that somebody besides the traditional powers can win.
