Perhaps the sole unexpected aspect of Hearts' victory over the Glasgow giants in the Scottish top flight was the extent to which surprised observers seemed when news of the result and its consequences for the top of the table circulated. Although this convincing victory at Tynecastle, which puts the Edinburgh side leading of the league and eight points clear of their rivals, was seismic in nature, no one who has been tracking the progress of both squad this season will have been in the least astonished by the result.
Over the past 40 seasons, the Glasgow duopoly of Celtic and Rangers have carved up the Scottish football between them, turning the beautiful game to something of a punchline in the meantime. Nine games into the current campaign it has become clear that Hearts – who number Stephen Hendry, Sir Chris Hoy and Ken Stott among their celebrity fans – might just be prepared to make their move while the Glasgow duo iron is at its weakest.
Although much of the focus in the Scottish game has been on the absolute bin-fire being endured by Rangers, the full-spectrum nightmare of the situation at Ibrox has resulted in that Celtic's slightly less terminal decline has been able to fester below the radar. The defending title winners have so far lost 10 points from nine league games this term under their manager. The Celtic manager has developed the distant look of a man who can't stop consulting his Google calendar to see how many time are remaining until his deal ends, and woke up this morning to discover the answer is over two hundred.
"I've never worked harder in my entire tenure here," he informed the media following the defeat, after they had questioned his desire for any kind of a championship battle. "Therefore the drive is present to try and reverse the standards that we're at. Everything is under control, there is plenty of time."
Considering the dreadful start to the campaign being experienced by the other Glasgow side, the Celtic boss and his men could typically be anticipated to escape scrutiny for their own inability to roar out of the traps, but this year an Edinburgh disruptor has entered the mix. In spite of being obliged to function with a war-chest that isn't so much a small portion of their rivals' as a minuscule amount in comparison, Hearts have introduced the money and expertise of Tony Bloom to the SPL equation. In addition to putting in ten million pounds during the off-season, the Premier League figurehead has provided the club sole use of his top secret data-driven Jamestown Analytics recruitment tool.
In an Irish defender, a Greek talent and Cláudio Braga it has allowed them to discover unpolished gems from an English lower-league side, the Slovak first division and the Norway's second division, among other exotic footballing outposts, for the combined cost of a modest car. Spotted at their home venue on matchday sporting a club colours, the notoriously astute professional gambler could be observed celebrating each score with the enthusiasm of a man who had likely realized the oddsmakers had massively underestimated his team's chances of defeating the struggling title holders, and filled his boots accordingly.
"I don't think it's a statement win," said the facial-haired team manager the head coach after his side's latest victory, their eighth in nine league matches. "It might be for those on the outside looking in. It could alter perceptions. It may confirm opinions that there's a fine line. But let's not kid ourselves, we're really pleased with what the lads have given us. Technically, we appear in a strong position, and certainly in fitness we seem in a good place, so long may that continue. Of course, it's not a position that the team is used to being in." No, Derek, it isn't. But the wonderful, analytics-backed truth is that for the initial occasion in ages, Scottish football might actually have a title race that a team other than the traditional powers can win.
Elena Hartwell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator passionate about fostering creative communities in London.