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JAMBOS BLAZING

Perhaps the sole unexpected aspect of Hearts' triumph over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership was the extent to which surprised people seemed when reports of the result and its consequences for the top of the table emerged. Although this convincing victory at their home ground, which puts the Jambos leading of the league and eight points ahead of their rivals, was seismic in nature, nobody who has been tracking the fortunes of both team this campaign will have been in the least shocked by the result.

Over the last four decades, the Glasgow duopoly of the Old Firm have carved up the Scottish league between them, reducing fitba to almost a punchline in the process. Several matches into the present campaign it has become clear that Hearts – who number celebrated snooker player, Sir Chris Hoy and Ken Stott among their famous supporters – could be prepared to make their move while the Old Firm iron is at its weakest.

CELTIC'S SLUMP

While a lot of the focus in the Scottish game has been on the disastrous season being suffered by the Ibrox club, the complete turmoil of the circumstances at their stadium has resulted in that the title holders' slightly less terminal decay has been allowed to fester unnoticed. The defending title winners have already lost a considerable number from nine league games this term under their manager. The Celtic manager has developed the thousand-yard stare of a man who constantly checking his schedule to find out how many days are remaining until his deal expires, and awoke this day to learn the answer is over two hundred.

"No one has put in more effort in my entire tenure at the club," he told reporters following the defeat, after they had questioned his appetite for anything resembling a title fight. "Therefore the drive is there to attempt to flip the levels that we're at. It's absolutely fine, there is plenty of time."

NEW CHALLENGER

Considering the dreadful beginning to the campaign being experienced by the other Glasgow side, Rodgers and his men could typically be anticipated to escape scrutiny for their own inability to start strongly, but this year an capital city challenger has entered the mix. In spite of being forced to function with a budget that is not just a small portion of Celtic's as a comparative budgetary baw-hair, Hearts have introduced the investment and expertise of Tony Bloom to the SPL equation. In addition to investing ten million pounds during the summer, the Premier League figurehead has provided Hearts sole use of his top secret analytics-based proprietary scouting player identification system.

In Oisin McEntee, a Greek talent and a Brazilian prospect it has allowed them to discover unpolished gems from an English lower-league side, the Slovakian top flight and the Norwegian second tier, among other exotic footballing outposts, for the total price of a modest car. Seen at Tynecastle on matchday wearing a club colours, the notoriously astute sports betting expert could be seen cheering each goal with the gusto of a man who had likely realized the oddsmakers had greatly underestimated his team's chances of beating the out-of-sorts champions, and placed large bets accordingly.

COACH'S REACTION

"I don't think it's a statement win," said the facial-haired team manager Derek McInnes after his team's most recent victory, their eighth win in nine outings. "It might be for those on the periphery. It might change opinions. It may confirm opinions that there's a tightrope. But let's not kid ourselves, we're really pleased with what the lads have given us. In terms of skill, we appear in a strong position, and definitely physically we seem in a excellent shape, so long may that continue. Of course, this is not a situation that this club is accustomed to being in." No, the manager, it is not. But the glorious, analytics-backed truth is that for the first time in many years, Scottish football might actually have a title race that somebody besides the traditional powers can win.